Fans know what to expect during peak NFL mock draft season. Experts are going to pair teams with the top prospects at their biggest positions of need. For the Cleveland Browns, that’s meant a frustrating revolving door of wide receivers and offensive tackles.
Teams rarely operate that way when draft weekend finally arrives. Roster needs can be filled in a variety of ways. The chance to find a potential franchise cornerstone in their early 20s only comes around once a year.
Browns GM Andrew Berry certainly comes from that line of thinking, dating back to his days in the Philadelphia Eagles front office under Howie Roseman. This year’s offensive tackle group, for example, is a bit polarized with no consensus top prospect. That’s why there’s a ton of buzz around the Browns trading back from pick No. 6 overall, or staying put and taking a potential offensive pillar like Ohio State wide receiver Carnell Tate.
Trendy picks like Georgia left tackle Monroe Freeling make for fun debates, but the Browns definitely shouldn’t be reaching with the sixth pick. They should be taking the player who three years from now will make it impossible for them not to negotiate a monster extension, regardless of what position he plays.
That’s why Browns fans were rolling their eyes over ESPN’s latest expert mock draft featuring Mel Kiper Jr., Field Yates, Matt Miller, and Jordan Reid. With the sixth pick, Miller had the Browns passing on some stud prospects — including Ohio State trio Tate, safety Caleb Downs, and linebacker Sonny Styles — to select USC wideout Makai Lemon.
Why the Browns have better options at No. 6 than Makai Lemon
With all due respect to Miller, Browns fans aren’t buying the early Day 1 hype on Lemon. Using the No. 6 pick on a smaller receiver who aligned in the slot on 75 percent of his college snaps feels like a major stretch.
Browns fans would spiral if the team selected Lemon over the bigger-bodied Tate, who’s been starring for the Buckeyes right in Cleveland’s backyard. Lemon’s an excellent prospect, but drafting him would create a logjam inside with guys like Malachi Corley and Isaiah Bond. The Browns have a clearer path to targets on the outside, where a receiver like Tate, or Jordyn Tyson of Arizona State, would pair nicely with Jerry Jeudy and project as his eventual replacement as the team’s No. 1 wide receiver.
For what it’s worth, Miller liked Lemon’s ability to get open on his own as a fit for Todd Monken’s offense, which featured a similar type of receiver in Zay Flowers with the Ravens.
“My top-ranked wide receiver in the class goes to the Browns, who are undergoing a youth movement at the skill positions. Lemon can create space for himself and knows how to vary his routes.”
The Browns did host a 30 visit with Lemon, so Miller could be onto something here. Lemon later in the first round, like with Cleveland's pick via the Jaguars at No. 24 overall, would make a lot more sense.
But No. 6 overall? As the first wide receiver off the board? That’s the kind of over-the-top reach Browns fans are dreading in this draft.