FanSided NFL Draft Preview: Cleveland Browns have options

Dawg Pound Daily joined the other NFL Experts at FanSided to give a prediction for what the Cleveland Browns will do in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft.

The 2016 NFL Draft is finally upon us and it is a big day for the Cleveland Browns. There are many directions the team can go in the first round.

Trading out of the No. 8 spot is a likely option, but that does not mean the Browns won’t stay in that slot and select a top-ten talent.

The NFL Experts at FanSided collaborated on a draft preview to share thoughts on what each team will do in the draft. The preview was originally shared on NFL Mocks.

Dawg Pound Daily was a part of the preview, with our entry below:

Even with the off-season acquisition of Robert Griffin III, the Cleveland Browns still have an itch that needs to be addressed at the quarterback position.

Following a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles, however, to move out of the No. 2 overall slot in the draft, that itch will not be scratched in the first round — at least not at the No. 8 slot.

Rather, the Browns will look to the defense in the opening round of the draft.

Defensive coordinator Ray Horton is back in town for another go around and if there is one thing he enjoys more than anything else is to talk about how good his defenses are. (He could be an honorary Ryan in that regard.) Unfortunately, the last three seasons have painted a different picture as Horton-led defenses have consistently failed at the most-important part of the game: keeping opposing offenses out of the end zone.

Many fans have rationalized that shortcoming by saying that Horton’s defenses have lacked talent, so it would be in the Browns best interest to give Horton some more players to work with.

The top choice would be Oregon defensive lineman DeForest Buckner, a player who has been described as having “violent hands” and the ability “to hurt offensive lineman.” Both of those traits, especially the latter one, are things that are in short supply among the current players on the roster. Buckner is also an ideal fit for Horton’s 3-4 defense and, along with nose tackle Danny Shelton, would give the Browns two potentially dynamic players on the line for the next 10 years.

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If the Browns would prefer to rebuild a broken secondary they could look to Florida State defensive back Jalen Ramsey, who could take over opposite Joe Haden at cornerback. Not having to be the No. 1 corner right away would allow Ramsey to get his game up to speed while offering considerable support against the passing games in Pittsburgh and Cincinnati that have plagued the Browns in recent years. Once he has a year under his belt in the NFL, and a year in an NFL-level weight program, Ramsey could transition into a No. 1 corner or move into a safety position.

Next: Mike Mayock mock draft: Browns select Joey Bosa

If Buckner and Ramsey are off the board the Browns could decide that defense can wait and may consider Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliot. While teams have moved away from selecting running backs high in the first round, Elliot is the type of running back that could change a team’s mind as he is considered a true three-down back who can run with the best of them, lend a hand in pass blocking and catch the ball out of the backfield if called upon. And because of Ohio State’s proximity to Cleveland, Elliot would be a popular choice among the Scarlet-and-Gray crowd that follows the Browns and would love nothing more than to see Cleveland select nothing but Buckeyes every year in every round of the draft.

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