2023 NFL Mock Draft: Browns make surprise move for left tackle
By John Suchan
Round 4, Pick No.111: Brandon Joseph, S, Notre Dame
Brandon Joseph started his career at Northwestern before spending one year at Notre Dame and while he had a decent season, there has been some concern about his fit at the next level. He was thought to be a lock as a first or second-round pick early in his career but his less-than-spectacular season with the Irish has made him a more of the middle-of-the-road draft pick.
Joseph had a great junior campaign with the Wildcats as he recorded 79 tackles, had three interceptions, four pass deflections, and one fumble recovery.
With Notre Dame, his production slipped down to 30 tackles and one interception, though he did run that one back to the house in a game against Syracuse.
Joseph has also been a kick and punt returner in his collegiate years. This past season he ran back 18 punts for the Fighting Irish and that could be a position the Browns may look at as a need though the team has other options there already.
Round 4, Pick No. 126: Trey Palmer, WR, Nebraska
Last season, Cleveland drafted David Bell out of Purdue to help round their offense out. While there is still time for that to happen, they go back to the Big Ten and draft Trey Palmer, who just completed one of the best seasons ever in Cornhusker history. He finished with 1,043 yards on 71 receptions and nine touchdowns. His yards gained set a new Nebraska record which is somewhat surprising considering the success of the program over the years.
Palmer came to Nebraska this season after spending three years with the LSU Tigers. In his last campaign with the Tigers, he had 30 receptions for 344 yards, so he certainly had a far more active season with the Cornhuskers this year.
Nebraska WR Trey Palmer was fastest offensive player in Mobile this year at 21.15 mph per @ZebraTechnology. Not surprising considering he ran 10.4 100m in HS.
— Jim Nagy (@JimNagy_SB) February 17, 2023
Checkout crazy instant gear off this hesitation double-move.đź’¨
Possible sub-4.3 at Combine.#TheDraftStartsInMOBILE™️ pic.twitter.com/LqQSCJlTym
He’s not a big wide receiver standing at 5-foot-9 but he has the quickness and the ability to play in the slot or be used in the gadget plays that Anthony Schwartz has done over the past couple of seasons. If Cleveland were to part ways with Schwartz, then Palmer would be a nice replacement.