Cleveland Browns build for future in 7-round mock draft

The offensive line was already mentioned. There was also already a draft pick used on the line as Cleveland took Alex Leatherwood with their first selection in this mock draft. However, that won’t be enough to clean up the issues they’ve had up front.

According to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), left guard Joel Bitonio is the only player rated in the 70s this season, coming in at a 75.0. Center J.C. Tretter is their next best at 65.1 but after that, it gets really bad with right tackle Chris Hubbard faring the worst.

Not only is Hubbard graded at a 47.7, but he also comes in as the 72nd rated tackle in the NFL. While PFF isn’t the final authority on everything NFL, the fact that Hubbard comes in this low is alarming — especially when you consider he signed a five-year $37.5 million deal ahead of the 2018 season.

At this point, it seems likely that Hubbard will be gone in 2020. That means Cleveland will need to continue adding talent to the line, which leads to the selection of Calvin Throckmorton with their first of two picks in the third round.

Throckmorton has played several positions for the Ducks but has been at his best when playing at right tackle. He’s a powerful player with a similar frame to Alex Leatherwood, who was taken in Round 1.

There’s a real chance he could take over as the starter right away and give the Browns two solid protectors on either side of the offensive line.