Cleveland Browns: 7-Round mock draft more exciting than Super Bowl LIII
By Cory Kinnan
Round 5, Pick 17: Bryce Love, RB, Stanford
Early in the second round in last year’s draft, the Browns invested a pick in running back Nick Chubb, which paid huge dividends for the team. Duke Johnson, Jr. also signed a three-year extension to say in Cleveland prior to the 2018 season as well, so the tailback position may not be a need for the team.
However, Johnson saw a decrease in production from 2017 to 2018 and while many thought that was due to the internal battle between Hue Jackson and Todd Haley, his production only increased by a small margin over the last eight weeks of the season when Freddie Kitchens took over. Some uncertainty has been raised as to Duke’s standing within the organization despite his recent extension.
Even if the fan-favorite Johnson does stick around, which is expected, he does not have a proven track record of running between the tackles at the professional level, so a late-round investment in another running back, just in case something were to happen to Chubb may not be a bad idea.
Bryce Love, a highly coveted prospect entering the season, saw his draft stock plummet both due to production and now the announcement that he suffered a torn ACL in Stanford’s bowl game. A prospect with a high ceiling with a low-risk investment, Love in the middle of the 5th round would be worth a flyer.