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Cleveland Browns: 7-round mock draft pre-Combine

By Randy Gurzi

RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA - NOVEMBER 08: Jakobi Meyers #11 of the North Carolina State Wolfpack makes a catch against Ja'Sir Taylor #24 of the Wake Forest Demon Deacons during the first half of their game at Carter-Finley Stadium on November 08, 2018 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA - NOVEMBER 08: Jakobi Meyers #11 of the North Carolina State Wolfpack makes a catch against Ja'Sir Taylor #24 of the Wake Forest Demon Deacons during the first half of their game at Carter-Finley Stadium on November 08, 2018 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /
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SOUTH BEND, IN – SEPTEMBER 01: Devin Bush #10 of the Michigan Wolverines tackles Jafar Armstrong #8 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the first quarter at Notre Dame Stadium on September 1, 2018 in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
SOUTH BEND, IN – SEPTEMBER 01: Devin Bush #10 of the Michigan Wolverines tackles Jafar Armstrong #8 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the first quarter at Notre Dame Stadium on September 1, 2018 in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

Round 1, Pick 17: Devin Bush, LB

It seems as though everyone has the Cleveland Browns picking a defensive tackle with the No. 17 overall pick, and with good reason. They struggled mightily to stop the run in 2018 and a large part of that issue was the depth next to Larry Ogunjobi. However, there were other deficiencies on defense, including at linebacker.

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Cleveland entered the preseason completely stacked at that position with Joe Schobert, Christian Kirksey, Jamie Collins, Sr., and free agent pick up Mychal Kendricks all on the roster. The depth changed as the regular season approached since the Browns parted with Kendricks once it was discovered that he was indicted on insider trading charges.

After he was gone, their depth was tested with injuries to both Schobert and Kirksey during the season. Even when both were healthy, the Browns had problems in the linebacker corps — especially in terms of covering opposing tight ends.

Week after week tight ends found open spaces in the middle of the field and adding a linebacker with playmaking ability could help alleviate some of that. With that in mind, the Browns select Michigan’s Devin Bush, one of the best prospects at his position in the class.

Bush proved to be a savvy defender for the Wolverines, despite being undersized at 5-foot-11. He showcased sideline-to-sideline speed as well as the kind of instincts that always had him around the ball. In three seasons, Bush had 172 tackles and 10 sacks — with the majority of that damage coming over the past two years.

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