Contrary to popular belief, the Cleveland Browns don't have that many needs. It just happens that the ones they have are pressing.
That's why, for most of the pre-draft process, they have been tied to an offensive tackle and wide receiver with their pair of first-round picks, No. 6 and No. 24 overall.
In CBS Sports analyst Garrett Podell's latest mock draft, the Browns indeed use the sixth pick to add their franchise offensive tackle. However, it wasn't Miami's Francis Mauigoa, the player they've been keeping tabs on. With Mauigoa off the board in this mock, Cleveland pivots to Utah's Spencer Fano.
"The Browns completely remade their offensive line in free agency by signing left guard Zion Johnson and center Elgton Jenkins and trading for right tackle Tytus Howard. However, there's still an opening at right guard with Wyatt Teller hitting the open market. Even though Fano played right tackle the last two years at Utah, he expressed openness at the combine to playing inside. That would be best given his 32 1/8-inch arms," Podell wrote.
CBS Sports predicts the Browns will miss on Francis Mauigoa
Given how Mauigoa fared at the NFL Scouting Combine, going No. 3 overall to the Arizona Cardinals might not be off the table. He leaped past Fano as the clear-cut No. 1 offensive tackle in this class, and despite being listed as a right tackle, he can probably dominate anywhere along the line of scrimmage.
The Browns met with both Mauigoa and Fano at the NFL Scouting Combine. To be fair, Fano is also an amazing prospect, and it's not like the Browns would be settling. In reality, they can't go wrong with either selection here.
As Podell pointed out in his article, the Browns already took big swings in the offseason to fix their decimated offensive line. They now have Elgton Jenkins, Zion Johnson, and Tytus Howard, all of whom can play multiple positions. They'd round things out with Fano, presumably to move him from right to left tackle, where his long arms could come in handy in blindside protection.
Whatever the case, Andrew Berry has a clear goal. He can't afford to leave Round 1 without taking one of the top offensive tackles. Regardless of the team's well-documented quarterback problems, they need to give whoever they have under center a fair shot, and it all starts with giving him a clean pocket.
This draft class might not be deep at most spots, but Mauigoa and Fano are more of a 1A and 1B than a 1 and a 2. And even if somehow both of them are unavailable, they can still take WR Carnell Tate and figure out a way to get Monroe Freeling, so barring a surprise, they should be set up for success.