Cleveland Browns add pair of Buckeyes in NFL mock draft at Week 16

Olivier Vernon has been excellent since Week 11, and needs to be a priority this offseason. Even still, the Browns need to add depth at EDGE and find a player who can be Myles Garrett’s long-term partner. Perhaps that’s waiver claim Curtis Weaver, who possesses some of the best bend you’ll find. However, Weaver was cut by the Miami Dolphins because his body was not in NFL shape. If that doesn’t change, he won’t last in Cleveland, either.

Ronnie Perkins is a solid 6-3, 247 pounds who put together a very nice 2020 campaign, albeit in a somewhat limited sample size. He has a good blend of explosiveness, power, and quickness that give him an NFL toolbox. There will be some good pass-rushers available in the third round, due to the excellent depth of this class. Perkins is just one of many good fits for the Browns.

In this mock, Cleveland already found their starting outside corner, and then have an elite slot fall to them in the third round. Elijah Molden was fantastic in 2019, and has picked up right where he left off. He is a slight 5-10 190 pounds, but that hasn’t stopped him from being college football’s best slot corner over the past two seasons.

His size is a negative, but there have been smaller corners in the NFL who have had long and productive careers. If Molden were two inches taller, he’d probably be a first-rounder. Suddenly, the Browns secondary goes from weakness to strength.