Cleveland Browns Draft: 3 later round targets who emerged at combine

Cleveland Browns later round draft target No. 1

Christian Watson – WR – North Dakota State

Christian Watson absolutely accelerated his draft stock over the weekend down in Indianapolis and one team could find a diamond in the rough, potentially.

Watson is 6-foot-4 and weighs 208 pounds and was able to run an explosive 4.36 40-yard dash. He also recorded a vertical leap of 38.5 inches. If the right team takes a chance on this young man, he could prove to be a difference-maker. His father, Tim, also played in the NFL, only at the safety position for the Chiefs, Giants, and Eagles.

General manager Andrew Berry will surely look to upgrade the wide receiver room, as we have discussed at length here at Dawg Pound Daily. The hope is to add one or two via free agency or a trade, while also stockpiling a couple more in the draft.

Baker Mayfield must improve his play in 2022 for any of the new additions to be worth it, but that is another reason the Browns will be aggressive when targeting wide receivers. They believe if they can get Mayfield some new weapons, he can bounce back to his 2020 form.

Not only can Watson catch the ball, he can also run it if called upon. In 2021 at North Dakota State, he rushed 15 times for 114 yards and a touchdown. He also caught 43 passes for 801 yards and seven scores. He would add a skillset that Kevin Stefanski could utilize in a plethora of different ways.

Speaking of Stefanski’s offense, Watson would be a perfect candidate for the dual-threat capabilities that were just mentioned, but also as a run blocker. The Browns love to run the football and having a guy who is willing to block down the field would be a perfect match.

He was able to improve his route running last year and will only get better once he gets in the NFL and is around pros all the time. One knock on him is that he mistimes his jumps every now and then and doesn’t always focus on the ball when making the catch.

At the end of the day, the Browns would be wise to take a flier on Watson with their third-round pick (N0. 77 overall) if he isn’t scooped up before then, depending on how they utilize their first two picks.