5 Offensive gems Cleveland Browns should have on the radar in the 2023 NFL Draft

Getting it right in the NFL draft and choosing the right collegiate prospects is a tall task for any NFL team and some are better at this than others. Thankfully for the Cleveland Browns, they’ve been improving in this area as of late — and this needs to continue in 2023 as they aim to get back to the postseason.

Cleveland needs to address both sides of the ball with defensive tackle and safety being the prime spots on defense. As for the offense, they also need to address the line while also looking for more depth at tight end.

With that being said, let’s take some time to focus on offense and look at five potential gems to zero in on.

No. 5 Cleveland Browns potential draft gem: Cody Mauch, OL, North Dakota State

The Browns still have a lot of questions in regard to their offensive line, especially with their left tackle position. Jedrick Wills, a former No. 10 overall selection, is entering year four with the Browns. Wills, who transitioned from right tackle to left in the NFL, will be the starter again in 2023 but there’s real speculation about his future.

If they’re not sold on him going forward, Cleveland could consider Cody Mauch from North Dakota State as a potential replacement.

There’s been a lot of buzz around Mauch as the small school kid is becoming an internet favorite. He’s had an outstanding career and should be a player to watch, especially in the upcoming Senior Bowl.

Mauch stands in at 6-foot-6 and weighs roughly 305 pounds. He’s considered to be very good with his footwork, his lateral movement, and his ability to stay down on his blocks.

He’s very good at protecting the quarterback, and rarely gives up sacks or pressures. Some projections have Mauch going anywhere between the second to fourth rounds.

The fact that he’s coming from a smaller program creates some concern, but we’ve already seen such players have success, including Mauch’s former teammate Christian Watson, a second-round pick for Green Bay this past season.

No. 4 Cleveland Browns potential draft gem: Travis Dye, RB, USC

In last year’s NFL draft, Cleveland took running back, Jerome Ford from the University of Cincinnati which was a bit of a surprise given their depth chart. The Browns backfield is led by Nick Chubb and he’s going nowhere anytime soon.

However, Kareem Hunt may very well be on the move as he’s a free agent — as is D’Ernest Johnson. Suddenly, the depth doesn’t seem as deep, so the idea of adding another running back in this draft as well isn’t out of the realm of possibilities.

Travis Dye could be a nice fit in Cleveland and work his way up the ladder if he’s the one they choose. He’s had a lot of experience playing at the collegiate level, playing four seasons at Oregon plus a fifth season at the University of Southern California. In his last year at Oregon, he ran for 1,271 yards and had 16 touchdowns.

At USC, he continued his strong pace as in only 10 games he ran the ball 145 times for 884 yards and scored nine touchdowns. He also was used as a pass catcher, racking up 104 receptions for 1071 yards and scoring eight touchdowns in his career.

The Browns don’t need a running back to be a starter at this point but picking up an extra running back or two like Dye could be a really good thing for them moving forward. We don’t know how long Chubb will be in a Browns uniform as his contract will expire in a couple of seasons so it’s never too early to stock up on good talent.

No. 3 Cleveland Browns potential draft gem: Malik Cunningham, QB, Louisville

We know Cleveland has their franchise quarterback in Deshaun Watson. What we don’t know is who will be his backup next season with Jacoby Brissett set for free agency. They have Kellen Mond but that might not be enough, so perhaps they could look to the draft for more help.

It’s never a bad idea to have too many quarterbacks, just ask the San Francisco 49ers, so looking for more depth makes sense. One player to keep an eye on for that is Malik Cunningham of Louisville.

Cunningham had an excellent collegiate career as he passed for nearly 10,000 yards while throwing for 70 touchdowns. He also ran in 50 touchdowns, proving to be a mobile threat as well.

If the Browns are considering bringing in a quarterback via the draft, Cunningham would be an ideal pick since he can run a lot of the same concepts Watson can. He could also learn behind the veteran but also wouldn’t stop them from adding a veteran free-agent if they wanted to

Cunningham will be showcasing his talents this week at the Collegiate Bowl out in Los Angeles and then also be playing the following week in Mobile, Alabama at the Senior Bowl so tune in to those games.

No. 2 Cleveland Browns potential draft gem: Andrei Iosivas WR, Princeton

Since we know that Cleveland’s front office loves analytics and also because many in that front office are Ivy League alums, let’s look at wide receiver Andrei Iosivas of Princeton. The Hawaiin-born player hasn’t played against elite college programs across the landscape, but there’s a lot of potential there for the Browns to look at.

Cleveland has an improving wide receiver crew with Amari Cooper and Donovan Peoples-Jones leading the way. They also drafted David Bell a year ago hoping he would be the No. 3 guy. Anthony Schwartz is also still on the squad but hasn’t shown a lot of promise to this point, so taking a chance on our young talent like Iosivas is a win-win situation.

He’s a big kid standing at 6-3 and has excellent hands. He has good tracking abilities and can fight for the ball when in traffic. He has been able to create separation from his defender with good route-running skills. He’s not considered a speedster yet, but he has a very long stride and the ability to run away from his competition.

Iosivas finished 2022 with 66 catches for 943 yards and seven touchdowns. He had three games where he rolled past 100 yards receiving and two games where he caught 10 passes.

He’s considered a middle-of-the-road draft pick so look for him to be picked somewhere between the fourth to sixth rounds. He’s generating some extra buzz amongst coaches and be playing at the Senior Bowl so keep an eye on this Ivey leaguer.

No. 1 Cleveland Browns potential draft gem: Dalton Kincaid, TE, Utah

Dalton Kincaid has been one of the best tight ends in college for the last couple of seasons and if the Browns are considering bringing another tight end onto the team, he could fit the bill. David Njoku has the No. 1 spot locked down but they might not be sold on Harrison Bryant in the No. 2 role after he took a step back in 2022, which leaves the door open for someone like Kincaid.

Kincaid finish with 70 receptions for 890 yards and eight touchdowns and for his career at Utah, he had 16 touchdowns on 107 receptions. He wasn’t just padding stats against lesser teams as he played well in big games too.

In the 2021 Rose Bowl game against Ohio State, he caught three passes for 45 yards that included a touchdown. In the Pac-12 Championship Game against Oregon, he caught four passes for 61 yards and a touchdown in the win that got them into the previously mentioned Rose Bowl.

In 2022, he really stepped up his game as he had three games where he totaled over 100 yards. At the start of the season, when playing against Southern Utah he had seven receptions for 107 yards and two touchdowns. He had the game of his life against USC when he hauled in 16 passes for 234 yards and a touchdown.

Finally, in a late-season affair against Colorado, he went for five receptions for 102 yards.

There are so many players in this year‘s draft that could make a difference for a multitude of teams, including Cleveland. Hopefully, the Browns continue to build up their talent pool and strengthen this team as they push toward a postseason berth next year.

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