2024 Browns mock draft: Small school running back could be hidden gem

It’s the offseason which means it’s about to be draft season. First up in terms of events related to the NFL Draft is the Senior Bowl which is being held in Mobile the first weekend of February. The Cleveland Browns are well-represented once again at the practices which should help them get a better understanding of who some of these senior prospects truly are.

Of course, they won’t be drafting primarily from this group. General manager Andrew Berry has never been shy about taking underclassmen, especially early in the draft. However, there are often several gems uncovered that could be Day 3 picks.

Much will change between now and the actual draft — especially after the Scouting Combine — but that won’t stop us from making some pre-Senior Bowl predictions in our latest Browns mock draft.

Browns Round 2 pick 55: Ja'Lynn Polk, WR, Washington

Once again, Cleveland finds themselves in need of help at wide receiver. Over the past two years, they’ve added Amari Cooper and Elijah Moore via trade and spent a third-round pick in 2022 on David Bell and 2023 on Cedric Tillman.

As it stands now, Tillmans seems further along than Bell but the second-year player came on strong at the end of the season. Still, neither has shown enough to prove they can take over should Cooper or Moore miss time.

That’s why their first pick in this mock is used on Ja’Lynn Polk out of Washington. Polk brings deep speed with nearly 17 yards per catch and 15 touchdowns over the past two seasons for Washington. He could be an ideal WR2 from the start with enough upside to be more down the road.

Thankfully, this is the final draft Cleveland will be without a first-round pick due to the Deshaun Watson trade. They've done well even without making a pick in Round 2 — trading the selection in each of the past two years — but they might have a home run on their hands here.