Cleveland Browns: 3 targets to trade up for in 2022 NFL Draft
Could Andrew Berry and the Cleveland Browns repeat last year’s NFL draft and trade up to select a player in the second round? Here are three prospects worth consideration if they were to slide out of the first round.
Can lightning strike twice in consecutive drafts for the Cleveland Browns? In the thousands of draft simulations Andrew Berry and company ran in 2021, not a single one of them had Jeremiah Owusu Koramoah slipping past the first round. However, after a possible heart condition leaked, Koramoah found himself inexplicably still available on day two of the draft.
JOK’s slide continued in the second round, and when he came within striking distance Berry seized the opportunity to trade up seven spots to pick No. 52 to snatch up the versatile defender. The move paid dividends as Koramoah proved to be one of Cleveland’s building blocks on defense after a solid rookie campaign.
Could the Browns pull a similar maneuver in this upcoming NFL Draft if another player they value slips through the cracks of the first round in 2022? Here are three players the Browns should consider trading up for if the opportunity arises.
Cleveland Browns Draft: Prospect No. 1 — Lewis Cine, S, Georgia
As much as it is stated that Kevin Stefanski loves his tight ends, the same could be said for defensive coordinator Joe Woods and his safeties. From a fit standpoint, Georgia safety Lewis Cine is everything the Cleveland Browns want in a draft selection. Cine is young, tremendously athletic, ultra-productive, and provides a well-rounded skill set that would fulfill what the safety room needs.
Cine’s metrics are truly elite among his peers, at both his position and against the entire draft-eligible field. At 6-foot-2 and 200-pounds, Cine turned in a 4.37 40-yard dash, a 36.5-inch vertical leap, and a 133-inch broad jump. Cine’s relative athletic score of 9.92 is the highest of any free safety in this draft class — or last year’s draft class for that matter.
When you combine Cine’s physical metrics with his college tape, you have a perfect marriage of athleticism and functionality. More importantly, Cine is a scheme fit for what the Browns lack in the safety room.
Even with the re-signing of Ronnie Harrison, the Browns lack someone other than Grant Delpit that can be trusted patrolling the deep third with consistency. Cine would provide Joe Woods the flexibility to rotate and utilize his safeties to maximize their game-altering potential.
General consensus has Cine as the third overall safety in this draft class, behind Notre Dame’s Kyle Hamilton and Michigan’s Daxton Hill. Both Hamilton and Hill will more than likely both go inside of the top 20 picks in the first round.
While Cine grades out as a first-round selection on most draft pundits’ boards, the way things are currently trending it is very possible that he is still going to be available early on day two of the draft.
If Cine does in fact get pushed out of the first round and is still sitting on the board after the first handful of picks in the second, he is definitely worth consideration of trading up for.