Two NFL Mock Draft Posts From NFL.Com Intrigue
NFL Mock Drafts. They are everywhere and they are interesting. For the Cleveland Browns having two 1st Round Picks in the upcoming NFL Draft, and 10 overall (until the Textgate penalties kick in), the excitement is great. The Browns are a team coming off a season where most expect them to lose and lose big. Instead, even through the turmoil that was Josh Gordon and Johnny Manziel, losing Alex Mack and Armonty Bryant and having a rookie head coach, the team went 7-9.
Now we have signed possibly 5 new starters, all upgrades over the players they are replacing, have another year under Mike Pettine and his defensive philosophy and have 10 picks to upgrade the team. Browns fans should be excited, hopefully you are.
Today we take a peak at 2 NFL Mock Drafts from NFL.com. Always interesting to look at what a league’s official media puts out there. Such an interesting dynamic that must be dealt with for them. Both of these NFL Mock Drafts give the Browns an amazing upgrade to their roster, just in different ways. Based on how you see either the positions or the specific players will greatly influence how you see these Mocks, both would improve the team clearly:
"PICK NO. 12 KEVIN WHITE WR WEST VIRGINIAWhite, my top-ranked WR, automatically helps whoever starts at QB for the Browns. With free-agent addition Dwayne Bowe also in town, Cleveland has a nice duo of full-sized WRs."
White is an impressive player and would be a great pick here. White has the most upside, with a solid downside, among the wide receivers. He is not as smooth or polished as Amari Cooper but he is immensely talented and could turn out to dominate. With Bowe, Brian Hartline, Taylor Gabriel and Andrew Hawkins the Browns WR group would be great. White would also be given time to develop.
"PICK NO. 19 DANNY SHELTON NT WASHINGTONBrowns have two first-round picks for second straight year, and now they go big with the youngster from UW."
While we have pushed up Shelton since the beginning, more and more we think him falling to the teens is possible. Obviously it only takes one team but his scheme limitations, 3-4 defenses, and limited ability to rush the passer could see him drop down boards. If they like him enough it wouldn’t shock us to see the Browns trade up slightly from 19 to make sure they got him.
White and Shelton would fill 2 of the Browns 4 biggest holes. They still need to answer their QB position, Manziel could be their current thought or they could go with a mid-round guy. They also need to find another pass rusher to compliment their current group. White and Shelton would look like a dominate first day though.
What does Davis’ partner Lance Zierlein think?
"PICK NO. 12 MARCUS MARIOTA QB OREGONIf Mariota is here, the Browns would probably race to the podium with their card. It’s unlikely the Browns trust Manziel, and Mariota could learn behind Josh McCown."
Obviously Lance is thinking exactly the way I do. If Mariota is there, I can’t imagine the Browns don’t take him. Of course they could pass but it is tough to imagine given what happened on and off the field with Manziel. Even if Manziel never went into rehab (we see that as a great sign for him) this pick still makes a lot of sense. They can hold on to both and down the road deal one or could deal one shortly after to the Eagles and really upgrade the team. Lance looks at Mariota sitting behind McCown as a good thing, so do I.
"PICK NO. 19 BRESHAD PERRIMAN WR CENTRAL FLORIDAPerriman blew up his pro day with a mid-4.2 40, but the tape already showed that. Perriman offers the same explosiveness that Josh Gordon gave the Browns."
Perriman just blew it away at his Pro Day and now has analysts talking about him in the 1st Round. We had touched on him as a candidate to go in the 1st long before his Pro Day. He is the typical “tools” athlete with his size and speed. He needs to work on his hands and routes but, much like Mariota, will be given time to develop with Bowe, Hartline, Hawkins and Gabriel all on board.
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In Zierlein’s Mock the Browns offense for 2016 gets a big upgrade. Perriman could help this season but the best thing for Mariota will be sitting. While Davis gave upgrades to both sides of the ball, Zierlein addressed the Browns offense that wasn’t as bad as most think it was last year. In ’16 Mariota could be starting his 1st season with a grasp of the NFL and Perriman would have time to work on his limitations. That pass/catch combo could help the Browns dominate for years to come.
Whose NFL Mock Draft would you choose and why?