Cleveland Browns: NFL Spin Zone has Browns taking Juan Thornhill

NFL Spin Zone’s Pete Smith released his latest Cleveland Browns mock draft and has them taking Virginia safety Juan Thornhill at No. 49 overall

The wait is nearly over as the week of the 2019 NFL Draft is finally here. Unfortunately, fans of the Cleveland Browns have to wait until the 49th overall pick to see their team add talent — which means barring a trade, there will be no action at all on Thursday night for Cleveland.

This isn’t to say the wait isn’t worth it, because the Browns did acquire Odell Beckham, Jr. in the trade that cost them that first pick. Still, it’s unusual, to say the least, for Cleveland to be absent in day one.

Even without a pick on Thursday night, they can still upgrade their roster. In fact, they land a couple of potential starters in a recent mock draft released by Pete Smith of NFL Spin Zone.

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With the No. 49 pick, Smith has Cleveland taking Juan Thornhill, the safety from Virginia. Smith eludes to the team adding Eric Murray and Morgan Burnett this offseason but explains why Thornhill should still be the pick.

"“The difference is Juan Thornhill excels in coverage. The Browns don’t need him to play every down, but obviously, that’s where they’d like him to end up. They need him to be there to significantly upgrade the pass defense, be it second or third down or to protect a lead or close out a half.” — Smith, NFL Spin Zone"

Thornhill also has the skill to play either safety spot and Smith says where he lines up long-term depends on the Browns and what they do down the road.

From there, Smith has the Browns taking Amani Oruwariye from Penn State at No. 80. While this would be a fantastic selection, there’s no guarantee Oruwariye would last this long. Some, present company included, have him slotted as a second round pick and even have him pegged as an option for the Browns at 49. Should he fall this far, there’s no question he should be taken.

Oruwariye can play man or zone coverage and has excellent size at 6-foot-2 and 205-pounds. He even silenced some of his critics with a respectable 4.47 in the 40-yard dash.

Check out Smith’s mock draft to see where he goes from there. He seems to hit every need and finds value all over the board.