Cleveland Browns 7-round mock draft lands surprise day one pick

The Browns are hopeful that Greedy Williams will come back next season which will be a huge boost to the secondary. Still, they need more help and while we went with a wideout and an edge rusher in the first two rounds, they still find some value in the third with South Carolina’s Israel Mukuamu.

He’s got incredible length and at 6-foot-3, he can match up with any wideout in the NFL. Some might peg him as a safety but he should fit nicely in the Browns defense as a corner due to his ability to play in zone coverage — and his excellent tackling.

In three seasons with the Gamecocks, Mukuamu had seven picks which were more than his fellow starter Jaycee Horn. This doesn’t mean he’s on the same level as Horn but his opportunistic style of play fits like a glove in Cleveland.

The Browns once again wait until the third round to land a linebacker and while this might frustrate the fan base, it’s a likely scenario given the way this staff values the position. The good news is, there are some capable players at this spot including Georgia’s Monty Rice, who lands with Cleveland here.

Rice is undersized at 6-foot-1 and 235-pounds but he is solid in man coverage which is something this defense desperately needs. While he doesn’t pop off the tape in run defense, he does know how to locate the ball carrier and isn’t a liability there. He could develop into a decent starter alongside Jacob Phillips, their third-round pick from 2020.