Round 1: Christian Barmore, IDL, Alabama
Cleveland’s first-round pick in 2020 came courtesy of the Alabama Crimson Tide, as they took Jedrick Wills 10th overall, and it’s really hard to go wrong with that program. Alabama continually churns out NFL talent and Jedrick Wills looks to be the next stud offensive linemen to come from Nick Saban’s system.
And as good as those linemen have been for Saban, he’s had even more success with defensive linemen, which is why Browns fans would be ecstatic to see Christian Barmore being taken with their first pick in 2021.
While it’s true linebacker is a bigger need, there’s a good chance both Dylan Moses (also from Alabama) and Micah Parsons from Penn State are already gone by the time Cleveland is on the clock. If that’s the case, as it is in this mock, they can still get a quality starter such as Barmore.
Listed at 6-foot-5 and 310-pounds, Barmore is full of raw power and can line up at either defensive tackle position. His selection gives them some flexibility with Sheldon Richardson and Andrew Billings being on the final year of their deals in 2021 — and Larry Ogunjobi could be up in the air as well with his contract ending following the 2020 season.
As a redshirt freshman, Barmore had 26 tackles, six of which went for a loss. Those numbers should look even better with Raekwon Davis now in the NFL, which will catapult him into the first round.