PFF mock draft a good one for Cleveland Browns
By Thomas Moore
The Cleveland Browns need to select two high-impact players in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft, and Pro Football Focus’ latest mock draft brings it home.
At some point late on Thursday evening, the Cleveland Browns will make the second of their two first-round selections in the 2017 NFL Draft.
Once that occurs, the months of rumors, speculation, “sources” and guesswork will come to an end and the Browns will, hopefully, have walked out of the opening round with a pair of high-impact players.
There is still an entire day left, however, to try and figure out what the Browns and the rest of the NFL will do, and consequently the mock drafts continue to pile up.
The latest mock from Pro Football Focus is of particular interest as author Steve Palazzolo lays out a draft scenario that should have head coach Hue Jackson, defensive coordinator Gregg Williams and Browns fans everywhere smiling come Friday morning.
With the No. 1 overall selection, Palazzolo has the Browns selecting Texas A&M defensive end Myles Garrett:
"Not much has changed at the top through the many iterations of the draft — Garrett is the top option as he has a perfect blend of production and athleticism. He finished with 31 sacks, 35 QB hits, and 98 hurries on his 978 rushes at Texas A&M and he improved against the run in all three years at Texas A&M. The Browns can secure a potentially elite edge rusher at No. 1 overall while seeing how the draft plays out as they look to find a quarterback of the future."
It’s the obvious choice, but it is also the right choice. The Browns need a game changer on defense and the disruptive nature of Garrett’s game will have a ripple effect on the rest of the defense as Cleveland will finally have a player that opposing offenses must be aware of at all times.
Related: Browns draft profile: Myles Garrett
The one lingering criticism of Garrett is that he doesn’t always give “100 percent” when he is on the field. The Browns have heard those criticisms but take a different view of the situation, according to vice president of player personnel Andrew Berry:
"“The reality is in college football the number of snaps that these defensive linemen have to play on a down-in, down-out basis is usually greater than when they are going to have to play at the professional level. Every prospects is going to have his weaknesses. There is no such thing as a perfect player. Myles has obviously had a very successful career at Texas A&M and been very productive.”"
With the top selection out of the way, the fun may really begin for the Browns as rumors are flying everywhere that the team will look to trade up from No. 12 to select North Carolina quarterback Mitchell Trubisky.
But in Palazzolo’s mock draft, he has the Browns playing it smart by letting the draft come to them, staying put at No. 12 and staying in the Lone Star state by selecting Texas Tech quarterback Patrick Mahomes:
"The draft starts to get interesting, as the Browns roll the dice on Mahomes’ potential. Mahomes could develop into one of the league’s best quarterbacks behind a talented arm that can get the ball to all parts of the field with accuracy and touch from any imaginable angle. The key will be finding the balance between getting Mahomes cut back on the poor decisions (second in the nation in turnover-worthy throws in 2016) while not taking away the natural playmaking that led to the second-most big-time throws. Cleveland has so many picks in the draft, this one is worth the risk to try to tap into Mahomes’ big-time potential."
A two-year starter for the Red Raiders, Mahomes threw for more than 11,000 yards and 93 touchdowns (and adding 22 rushing touchdowns) while completing almost 64 percent of his passes. And at 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, Mahomes has the size for the NFL game.
Related: Buying into Patrick Mahomes as QB1
Mahomes will need time to develop and work on some of the mechanical flaws in his game, but it is important to remember that the Browns are looking at the longterm picture when it comes to the quarterback. They are not selecting someone with the idea that they have to start Week 1 against the Pittsburgh Steelers this fall; rather they are looking to get their starting quarterback for the next decade.
Give Mahomes a year to work with Jackson and quarterback coach David Lee and we might finally be able to retire the quarterback talk in Cleveland for quite some time.
Next: Cleveland Browns 2017 draft profiles
The 2017 NFL Draft will take place Thursday through Saturday in Philadelphia. The Cleveland Browns hold 11 total picks, including the No. 1 overall selection and five of the first 65 selections in the draft.