The Cleveland Browns are turning the page on their head coach again. We look to add talent for whoever takes over in this New Year’s Day 7-Round Mock Draft
The NFL draft is always a huge event for the Cleveland Browns and will be once again this season. That remains true even with so much of the focus right now being on who will coach the team.
Freddie Kitchens had the job in 2019 and that ended up being his only season as the head coach. Cleveland finished 6-10 but what was even worse than their record was the disorganization shown under the rookie coach.
Kitchens struggled with game management and play-calling, which led to frustrations. This anger spilled over to the sidelines as players such as Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham, Jr. were seen yelling at the coach at least once.
While it’s never a good look to fire someone after just one year, the front office felt they had seen enough and there was no way they were going to improve with Kitchens leading the team.
Things got even more interesting when the team decided to move on from John Dorsey as well. The general manager who was praised for his acquisitions sealed his fate with Kitchens and the Brown will now look to reboot the front office as well.
Time will tell if they finally do get it right, and all we can do is wait. Wait, and look ahead to the 2020 NFL Draft which will allow the Browns to fill some of the holes remaining on their roster.
Despite the record, there’s a lot of talent on this team. All they need to do is shore up some weaknesses and suddenly, they could in contention for the postseason — assuming they get a coach who will help lead them in the right direction.
Here we dive into the draft with a New Year’s Day 202 7-Round Cleveland Browns mock draft.
Round 1: Jedrick Wills, OT, Alabama
While John Dorsey did offer up some talent for Cleveland, he failed to do something rather important — fix the offensive line. Not only did they keep from improving, the line actually got worse under Dorsey’s watch.
He can’t be blamed for Joe Thomas retiring but he didn’t do enough to replace their All-Pro talent on the left side of the line.
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Greg Robinson wasn’t able to hold down the fort there and on the right side, Chris Hubbard proved to be a poor fit despite the massive contract.
They also gave up Kevin Zeitler in a trade. While it made sense what Dorsey was doing in landing Olivier Vernon, the selection of Austin Corbett in 2018 ended up backfiring.
Here, Cleveland gets to work rebuilding that line with Jedrick Wills from Alabama. He’s a right tackle and most would expect a left tackle this early but that shouldn’t matter since the Cleveland front-five needs a lot of work.
Wills is able to start the second he walks onto the field and could be the most pro-ready offensive linemen in the draft. And should the Browns land someone capable of starting at left tackle either in a trade or free agency, their line would be massively improved.
Round 2: Ashtyn Davis, S, Cal
Looking on the defense, the Browns roster isn’t as bad as it would seem. They have a solid defensive line — but can use a nose tacklhttps://dawgpounddaily.com/e — and they seem to believe in their linebackers, and would be better off re-signing Joe Schobert who is set for free agency.
However, their secondary has some holes in it, especially at safety. Damarious Randall is gone in the offseason, he made sure of that. They still have Morgan Burnett but even if he returns from his injury, there’s a limited shelf life for him.
With that being the case, the Browns grab Ashtyn Davis out of Cal. Currently, Davis is one of the safeties that’s flying under the radar but once we hit the Scouting Combine, he’s going to light things up and it may be tough to land him at this spot.
Thankfully for the Browns, they’re close enough to the top of the draft to get someone who can be a starter such as Davis.
A redshirt senior, Davis had his second-straight campaign with 50 tackles and multiple interceptions. In all, he has 166 tackles, seven picks, and 12 pass defenses for the Bears. For Cleveland, he could slide right into that centerfield type of role Randall thrived in during the 2018 season.
Round 3, Pick 1: Alton Robinson, EDGE, Syracuse
Cleveland has two picks in the third round, starting with their own. With that selection, there are still several ways to go. One area that may not seem like a dire need is along the edge, but that’s not really true.
When Myles Garrett and Olivier Vernon both played, the defensive ends for the Browns were really good. The problem is, they didn’t get to play 16 games together. For Garrett, it was his suspension for cracking Mason Rudolph upside the head with his own helmet.
As for Vernon, his health proved to be an issue as he was unable to suit up for much of the second half of the year. And when he was on the field, he was clearly hobbled.
With Dorsey trading away all their depth at the position, the Browns were down to Bryan Cox, Jr. and Gustin Porter working alongside Chad Thomas. They all stepped up and played well, but they’re not the answer behind their two starters.
In order to create more depth, the new general manager adds Alton Robinson with this pick. The Syracuse defensive end was built to play on the edge in the NFL at 6-foot-4 and 260-pounds. He doesn’t get the attention he deserves playing up in Western New York but Robinson is a stud with the potential to develop into a starter in the NFL.
Cleveland would be set up nicely having him come off the bench in rotation and then fighting with Chad Thomas for a starting role when it’s time to move on from Vernon.
Round 3, Pick 2: Justin Jefferson, WR, LSU
Wide receiver isn’t exactly a position of need for the Browns considering they have Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham, Jr. Landry led the team with 83 receptions for 1,174 yards and six touchdowns. As for OBJ, he had a down season and still wound up with 74 catches for 1,035 yards and four touchdowns.
The problem is, no other receivers had a significant impact. Damion Ratley was third for receptions and yardage with 12 catches for 200 yards and one touchdown. And with Antonio Callaway already released and Rashard Higgins likely gone in 2020, the Browns need someone else to step up at the position.
They land a guy here who just went off for LSU in the College Football Playoffs. Playing against Oklahoma, Jefferson had 14 receptions for 227 yards and four touchdowns. That performance alone was better than what the Browns wideouts outside of OBJ and Landry accomplished.
In all, Jefferson had 1,434 yards and 18 touchdowns on 102 catches. Still, he slides into the second day of the draft since he’s a bit thin-framed. He could end up performing well enough in the Combine to creep higher but right now, he’s looking like he could be a steal for a team in need of depth.
Round 4: Darnay Holmes, CB, UCLA
Throughout the past two seasons, the Cleveland Browns have added a lot of cornerback depth in both the draft and free agency. Their key additions were Denzel Ward in the 2018 NFL Draft and Greedy Williams in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft. And in free agency, they added T.J. Carrie and Terrance Mitchell.
Ward and Williams look to be around for a long time but both Mitchell and Carrie might be short-timers considering they have larger contracts and are now officially part of the old regime additions.
Even with all that being said, they don’t need to go for a starter which is why they wait until the fourth round to add a corner. With this pick, they grab Darnay Holmes out of UCLA.
While with the Bruins, Holmes was played on the boundaries more but his skill set suggests he would be better in the slot as a nickel cornerback. There are concerns about his tackling though, but once you get into the mid-rounds, it’s hard to find a player who is a finished product.
Holmes could spend his first couple of seasons in the NFL working as a special teams gunner but has the potential to eventually replace someone such as Carrie in the slot.
Round 6: Jordon Scott, DT, Oregon
The Browns defense as a whole was not very good last season. According to NFL.com, they surrendered 24.6 points per game, which was 20th in the league. Their biggest problem was stopping the run, evidenced by their 144.7 rushing yards surrendered, which was 3rd worst in the entire NFL.
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Part of the problem was their personnel. While both Sheldon Richardson and Larry Ogunjobi are solid defensive tackles, each of them thrives as a three-technique. In that role, they shine as interior pass rushers. Where they don’t fit is as the one-technique, or nose tackle.
This role is all about run-stuffing and often only used on first and second downs — although third-and-short situations are also where a nose tackle can make or break a defense.
Considering the fact that they don’t do much on the money downs, this position is usually criminally overlooked. For the Browns, they did go too high when drafting Danny Shelton, but he still did good at this job and has yet to be replaced.
Thankfully, the Browns aren’t the only team that doesn’t go crazy for this spot which allows someone such as Jordon Scott to sneak into the sixth round. The Oregon defensive tackle is massive at 6-foot-1 and 322-pounds and is full of power. He won’t provide anything in the pass rush department (two sacks in his career with the Ducks) but he’s the kind of player this defensive line needs.
Round 7: T.J. Brunson, LB, South Carolina
Cleveland added a couple of linebackers in their past draft, grabbing Sione Takitaki in the third and Mack Wilson in the fifth. They could stand to add more depth though as Christian Kirksey is a candidate to be released and Joe Schobert is still without a new contract.
That leads to them snatching up T.J. Brunon out of South Carolina as a project player with incredible upside. Brunson is a force for the Gamecocks who is a leader with a crazy motor according to Jonah Tuls of The Draft Network.
"“Plays with a nonstop motor and as if there were no whistle. Possesses tone-setting stopping power and is a consistent, reliable finisher in both traffic and the open field. A natural leader who energizes everyone around him. Trusts his instincts and is rarely out of position. Understands lane discipline and angle trajectory. Offers value as a situational pass rusher and blitzer. Three-year starter with excellent production.” — Tuls, The Draft Network"
The problem is his athleticism and size aren’t where you want them to be. Again, these late picks are never fully polished players but Brunson is the kind of guy you take a chance on.
Early in his career, he looks to be a monster on special teams and even if that’s all he ever does, it’s not a bad pick in the final round.