Cleveland Browns Mock Draft – Factory of Sadness versions 2.0, 3.0, 4.0 5.0 & 6.0

Out final Mock Drafts to read while we wait for the Cleveland Browns to start drafting on Day 2.

It’s Draft Day, which means hope springs eternal for many players, teams, and fandoms. Legacies will be made, legends forged, and busts sussed out. It’s an exciting time. For fans of the Cleveland Browns, however, we won’t get to participate until Day 2 on Friday.

So we thought it’d be good to see what our final few mocks would look like as we toil away the evening, wishing we could be a part of the fun even sooner. That’s why we’re releasing five new mocks.

Initially, we were only going to do two together, but the concept of the mock and how best to tackle it intrigued me. So instead we’re doing five, each with specific criteria. The first one will be the best player regardless of need. It doesn’t matter if it’s kicker or quarterback, if PFF’s mock had them as the best available when we were up to pick, we took them.

The second mock will focus on the same concept, only with offensive players only. So if they played on the offensive side of the ball and were the best player available according to PFF, he was the pick. The third is the same thing but with defensive players.

The fourth is the mock I would do if I were in charge of the Browns, of course, done through the PFF Mock Draft Simulator. Lastly, however, is one full of trades. No trade was made that wasn’t at least a high 80% of going through according to PFF’s trade evaluation. So we didn’t do anything unbelievable or out there, at least according to PFF.

Which mock was your favorite? Let us know in the comment section below.

Best Available Regardless of Need

This will likely be the least favorite Cleveland Browns mock draft of the bunch, as I just took the best player available with each pick. That means we didn’t get the needs met, and instead just took a bunch of randos. Though, some picks did turn out well.

Luke Wypler out of Ohio State is a player I’m very high on, just not this early for the Browns. Even if Ethan Pocic ends up being a long-term option for the Browns, Joel Bitonio is closer to the end of his carer than not, and Wypler could slide over to guard and replace Bitonio.

Cory Trice and Anthony Johnson Jr. help shore up the secondary and give the Browns flexibility when it comes to Greg Newsome and Grant Delpit, and whether or not they’re long-term options for the Browns. Chandler Zavala and Nick Saldiveri help add depth to an offensive line I think may need it, especially if Jack Conklin keeps getting hurt, Wyatt Teller keeps costing the team with his penalties and Jedrick Wills doesn’t improve at all.

The problem with doing “best player available” is that you end the draft doing three straight safeties. This is why you don’t just do “best player available”  regardless of need. And yes, there are fans on social media advocating for doing just that.

Best Available – All Offense

Now we’ve focused solely on one side of the ball, regardless of needs on defense. The same rule applies here, the first best available player on offense was taken, regardless of need. As with the previous mock draft, we’re going offensive line, this time with Cody Mauch.

I’d personally like to see the Browns go back to back at defensive line and linebacker in the third round, but if Mauch was still there in the 4th round, I’d be all about that pick. Tank Bigsby has the best name for a running back in the NFL Draft in years, maybe since Mike Alstott. The Browns don’t need a running back, at least this high, but I’d be ok with Bigsby in this scenario.

Nick Saldiveri, Andrew Vorhees, and John Gaines II remake the Browns’ offensive line, both in the moment and for the future. I think Vorhees could start right away on any other team and if the team struggles with injuries, Vorhees could live up to his namesake and be a nightmare for defenses. And not just on Friday the 13th’s.

Brenton Strange and Micahel Wilson add some depth to the proceeding at pass-catcher, I think Wilson could see a lot of time but Strange would be the third tight end for the Browns in a, mostly, tight-end system.

Max Duggan is there just because he was what was left.

Best Avalible – All Defense

The Cleveland Browns are fine on offense. They may not be good, but they could be amazing, it really all depends on how well Deshaun Watson rebounds from a down year. Is he able to regain his former on-field efficiency? That’s the question. So since we’re all waiting to see what Watson is, and most of the offense is already well-known commodities, I think an all-defense drat is more likely.

We see some recurring names from past drafts, with Nick Herbig, Kobie Turner, and Cory Trice going here. Herbig and Turner were covered in past drafts before but I like all three for the Browns. Jordan Battle could push Grant Delpit for starting time, and Eli Ricks gives you depth in the case of injury or Greg Newsome actually wanting a trade after all.

Byron Young and Brodic Martin are nice additions in what would be a totally remade position for the defensive tackles, but Levi Bell is the player I think has some real upside. Of course, drafting four defensive tackles all but ensures everyone but Dalvin Tomlinson is gone in 2023, and I’m ok with that.

Overall, this isn’t the best draft I was hoping for, as we’re a little heavy on defensive tackles, but with Herbig’s ability to play linebacker as well as line, he helps make it more palpable.

Ideal Draft

Now, assuming the Cleveland Browns were under my control, this is how I would build out the team. This is the PFF grade that was the worst, but I think there’s a lot of upside here. We’ve talked about Nick Herbig before but his versatility as a blitzing linebacker or a pass-rushing defensive end makes him too good to pass up.

Brenton Strange is once again here, as a Penn State fan I’ve seen quite a bit of his game and I think he could be a solid two-prong tight end. Not a Travis Kelce type of receiver but he could do what Harrison Bryant can, plus he’s a more physical blocker.

I don’t think the Browns are set at defensive end, nor do I think they’re good enough of a defense to just rely on Myles Garrett and whatever they can get out of Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, who I think was overvalued.

The drafting of Ronnie Hickman and Cameron Brown helps solidify the secondary and gives Browns’ fans a little bit more of a reason to root for them, as they’re obvious Ohio State Buckeye players.

As for Jake Witt, Puka Nacua, and Levi Bell, I think all three have high ceilings, but deep floors. The Browns need to find some gems and I think these three could be long-term options for the team, even if just as backups.

The Draft with Trades

Now, what would the draft look like for the Browns with some major trades? That’s what we did here, so before we go any further, let’s look at the trades starting with just the pick for picks;

• 2023’s 111th, 126th, 158th, 229th picks and 2025’s  7th-round pick to the Chargers for their 85th overall pick in 2023.
• 2023’s 145th overall to the 49ers for their 155th and 222nd picks in 2023.
• 2023’s 188th, 193rd, and 198th picks to the Eagles for their 4th rounder in 2024.

After that we got the player happy, and here are the moves;

• Greg Newsome, 98th overall pick, 3rd rounders in ’24 and ’24 for 23rd overall and 158th overall in 2023, as well as a Round 7 in 2025.
• Jordan Elliot to Patriots for 117th pick in 2023
• Perrion Winfrey to the Raiders for the 141st pick in 2023
• Anthony Schwartz to the Panthers for the 145th pick in 2023
• Tony Fields and a 2025 6th-round pick for the 156th pick overall from the Chargers for
• Demetric Felton to the Texans for their 188th pick overall in 2023
• Jacob Phillips to the Commanders for their 193rd overall pick
• Nick Harris to the Seahawks for their 198th overall pick in 2023.
• Tommy Togiai, 2023’s 190th, and 2025’s 7th round pick to the Saints for their 2024 4th-round pick.

All of the trades were 85% or more likely to go through according to PFF.

With all that movement, here’s who the Browns got;

• DE Lukas Van Ness
• OLB/DE NICK hERBIG
• CB Cory Trice
• DL Mojo Ojomo
• WR Parker Washington
• G Jon Gaines II
• S Brandon Joseph
• G Jaxson Kirkland
• TE Payne Durham
• DT Levi Bell

Now, there may be some people screaming about how unrealistic this is to get this, but I simply made the trades make sense to PFF and they gave the all-clear. I don’t think the Browns could get a 4th rounder for Jordan Elliot, but PFF does, so there ya go.

What I like most about this draft is that we got Van Ness, who becomes an instant starter, we get the combo player in Herbig, as well as a good corner prospect in Trice, and the defensive tackle I’m most high on, Moro Ojomo. You also bolster the secondary with hard-hitting safety Joseph out of Notre Dame, which helps reformat the secondary. Plus you get Levi Bell as a prospect to develop.

Beyond that, you get Parker Washington who should help the offense immediately, as could Payne Durham. Jaxson Kirkland also becomes a project lineman to develop, alongside Jon Gaines.