Cleveland Browns surprise with Terrace Marshall in 7-round mock draft

General manager Andrew Berry has set the Cleveland Browns up nicely ahead of the draft which leads to a surprise pick in this 7-round mock

It’s the week of the 2021 NFL Draft and Cleveland Browns fans are stoked to be in the center of the action with the draft taking place in Cleveland.

While Browns fans are soaking up the fun, they’re also in a strange spot — drafting late in the first round following an 11-win season. For years, they have been one of the teams to kick the draft off, but now, they sit at No. 26 in the opening round and will be at the beack end of each round after that.

This doesn’t mean, however, that the front office can’t find talent. There are still players who can be found later in each round to help this team now — and in the future. And that’s exactly what we look to do with this seven-round Browns mock draft.

Round 1, Pick 26: Terrace Marshall, Jr., WR, LSU

At first glance, wide receiver isn’t a major need for the Browns. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t a need.

In their loss against the Kansas City Chiefs, Cleveland struggled to get any separation from man coverage and Jarvis Landry ended the day with 20 yards on seven catches. They will have Odell Beckham, Jr. back but he’s returning from a torn ACL and might not be 100 percent right away.

On top of that, both Landry and OBJ will be 29 this season, meaning they’re closer to the end of the line than the beginning. So with all that being said, we grab another LSU wideout here in Terrace Marshall, Jr.

The first question won’t be whether or not he will help them with their passing game — because he will. The question instead will be — how can they ignore defense at No. 26? And the answer to that lies in their offseason work.

Andrew Berry absolutely crushed it in free agency as he signed several new defensive starters which makes it feel less dire on that side of the ball.

Another reason to take Marshall is that it’s not wise to let need completely dictate your draft. In this mock, done on The Draft Network‘s mock simulator, the primary cornerbacks were already gone. Drafting a corner who isn’t worthy of being the 26th pick in the draft just for the sake of drafting a corner is a terrible way to go, and Andrew Berry knows better than to do that.