Cleveland Browns need to draft Kenny Willekes in the fifth round

As the Cleveland Browns head into the final day of the NFL Draft, Kenny Willekes is a rare game-changer available in the fifth round.

The Cleveland Browns have had a very successful opening three rounds of the 2020 NFL Draft. In the first round, general manager Andrew Berry hit a home run selecting Alabama’s Jedrick Wills with the No. 10 pick, giving Baker Mayfield trusted blind-side protection for years to come.

That momentum carried into the second round where the Stefanski and Co. were able to trade down and still draft Thorpe Award-winning LSU safety Grant Delpit while acquiring a fifth-round pick from the Indianapolis Colts.

The third round saw the Browns again trade down, this time with the New Orleans Saints to move from No. 74 to No. 88 and still secure stout defensive lineman Jordan Elliot from Missouri. Cleveland’s first three picks were all SEC players, but they were not done. Berry finished off the third round extending that streak to four with LSU linebacker Jacob Phillips. The intent was signaled that this will be a fast, hard-hitting defense.

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So what’s left for the Browns on the final day of the draft? They’re likely to fill depth spots on defense and offense. The Browns need a capable reserve receiver, even if Rashard Higgins re-signs in the offseason. They also will look to add depth at corner, defensive line, and possibly even quarterback. However, there’s one pick that is a complete no-brainer.

Cleveland acquired the No. 160 pick (fifth round) from the Colts. Assuming the Browns do as expected and address receiver depth with their fourth-round pick, that leaves the fifth rounder wide open for a perfect selection. That selection is Michigan State defensive end Kenny Willekes.

While the Browns don’t have an extreme need at defensive end, Myles Garrett’s suspension last season and Olivier Vernon’s injury issues showed a lack of depth. Some of those depth issues were addressed in the offseason, but Vernon’s salary cap hit versus production suggests the Browns would do well to groom a low-cost successor.

Willekes managed to go from unheralded walk-on to leading the Spartans in tackles for loss three years in a row. In his junior season (2018), he was named Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year and finished in the top-10 nationally with 20.5 tackles for loss and a team-leading 8.5 sacks. Unfortunately, he broke his fibula in their bowl game that year and decided to return to Lansing for his senior year.

In his senior year, he again led the Spartans in tackles for loss in what was a down year for the program, mainly because of their lack of production on the offensive side of the ball. Coming off a leg injury, Willekes racked up 16 tackles for loss and a career-high 10.5 sacks, earning him second-team All-Big Ten honors. Willekes will be a perfect fit in Joe Woods’ defensive scheme and what he may lack in foot speed he more than makes up for in instinct and effort.

While there will be a lot of options on the board for the Cleveland Browns to add depth to an already strong team, there are a few pieces that stick out. Kenny Willekes is a great player who was dealt a bad hand with an untimely injury and suffering the effects of playing on a team with Brian Lewerke as their best option at quarterback.

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His draft stock should’ve been much higher considering his production but that means the Browns might have the chance to steal him in the fifth round. It’s very simple, if he’s on the board, Berry would be well-served to put him in brown and orange.

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