Cleveland Browns beef up the lines in 7-round 2021 NFL mock draft

Round 6: Matt Bushman TE, BYU

Cleveland has said all the right things about keeping David Njoku and he seems to be ready to put his trade request behind him. For 2020 anyway.

It’s tough to see him entering the final season of his rookie deal and not trying to get out again, especially if he sees his numbers decline from what he had in 2018 when he was the starter — and chances are, that will happen in Kevin Stefanski’s offense.

There’s a common misconception that Stefanski runs a two tight end set that gets them heavily involved in the passing game. That’s not really true as Kyle Rudolph and Irv Smith, Jr. combined for just 95 targets in 2018 under Stefanski. And with Austin Hooper coming in as the highest-paid tight end in the NFL, there’s a good chance he’s going to get the majority of those targets in the Browns offense (and for those who want to say there weren’t as many passes due to the Vikings elite wide receiving corps, Adam Thielen actually had just 48 targets himself as he missed six games).

With all that being said, the Browns add another tight end here as they take Matt Bushman with their sixth-round pick. The BYU product is solid in the run blocking game and can be a weapon in the passing game. The problem is, he’s already 25-years old which is why he slides as far as he does. Still, that could be a win for Cleveland as they don’t invest much in a complete tight end prospect.

Round 7: Xavier Henderson, S, Michigan State

With their final pick in this 2021 NFL Mock Draft, the Cleveland Browns add Michigan State safety Xavier Henderson. Listed at 6-foot-1 and 203-pounds, Henderson has the ideal build for the position and plays for a well-respected defensive team.

As a sophomore in 2019, Henderson had 83 tackles and two picks. For the Browns, he’s a depth piece that could help them replace Andrew Sendejo, who could be a one-year rental as they look to add more help in the future.