4 defensive ends Cleveland Browns can choose from at No. 44

Cleveland Browns DE option No. 1: Boye Mafe, Minnesota

Mafe could be a very interesting pick here at No. 44 for Cleveland. When you start looking at his four years at Minnesota and look at his potential and see how the NFL scouts are looking at Mafe, he could have a very bright future in the league and has me thinking he could be the pick here for the Browns.

In his last season, Mafe recorded 34 tackles, 10 of which were for losses. He also sacked the quarterback seven times and forced a fumble. His offseason so far has also been even more impressive as he performed well at the Senior Bowl where he recorded two sacks and was everywhere earning him player of the game awards. When he went to the NFL Combine soon after he ran his 40-yard dash in an impressive 4.53 seconds. He’s a tall 6’4 but has some weight on him at 260 but don’t let that make you think he can’t run with the competition. He’s got long arms and uses them well against the offensive linemen that are trying to guard him. His lateral ability to shift into gaps to takeaway runs is also excellent.

Of the four prospects today that we looked at Mafe makes the most sense for the Browns to take at No. 44. While Jackson would be a very close second, because he’s also a great athlete and still so young at 20 years old. Any of these players would transition well as a member of the Cleveland Browns. Does the team take that defensive end here in the draft or do they wait to take later in the draft? Some of that might hinge on if the team resigns a veteran like Jadeveon Clowney so stay tuned.

This answer he gives at a press conference just sounds like a future Cleveland Brown!

Here’s some film on Boye Mafe: if you would like to see what he could bring to the table.