Cleveland Browns 7-round 2022 mock draft continues defensive rebuild

Cleveland Browns Round 2 Pick: Zay Flowers, WR, Florida State

We saw how much speed can kill when Cleveland was picking up chunk yards with Anthony Schwartz. The third-round pick from Auburn had 69 yards on three receptions including a long of 44. He could have had even more if not for a miscommunication where he stopped on a route while Baker Mayfield expected him to go toward the end zone — had he done so, it would have been a touchdown.

That’s why the second pick in this draft is used on Zay Flowers from Florida State — who is another absolute burner. He had 892 yards and nine touchdowns as a sophomore for the Seminoles and in two games so far in 2021, he’s put up 203 yards and a touchdown on nine catches. That’s an average of 22.6 yards per grab.

There’s a real chance that Cleveland’s receiving corps could start to look a lot different next season and it’s tempting to go with a wideout in the first round because of that. However, we took the best player in the opening round rather than focusing on a position and one of the reasons they should feel comfortable doing so is the fact that Mayfield has shown he can spread the ball to anyone and everyone.

Adding a player such as Flowers just gives them another deep threat that will frustrate defensive coordinators. Their young corps of Schwartz and Donovan Peoples-Jones would welcome such an addition.