One player in each round of the 2023 NFL Draft that is a perfect fit for the Cleveland Browns
The 2023 NFL Draft is just days away, and Cleveland Browns fans, despite the fact that the team doesn't currently have a first or second-round pick, are as excited as ever (at least the hardcore ones). The draft is still vitally important to add valuable depth and youthful upside to any NFL roster and could shape the roster for years to come.
The NFL Draft is one of the most unpredictable events in sports. There can be surprises at any instance from top to bottom. So for Browns fans, that means that you should tune it, because you never know what might happen.
General manager Andrew Berry has been known as one of the most aggressive in his position since taking over in 2020. With his analytical background, Berry is more known for trading down in drafts, but he did trade up in the second round for Notre Dame linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah in his first draft.
Throughout his few offseasons as the head man in Cleveland, people have noticed a trend in the type of prospects that Berry tends to select in the draft. The team always seems to draft younger prospects with high athletic upside. These "guardrails" are not necessarily the law for the Cleveland front office, but they give onlookers a loose idea of what the organization is looking for.
In this exercise, we take a look at one player that is likely to be selected in each round of the 2023 NFL Draft that would be a perfect fit for the Cleveland Browns.
For this exercise, I utilized the Mock Draft Database website for players' current projected draft position/round.
Round 1, Myles Murphy, DE, Clemson
Myles Murphy is a player that's a little underrated at this point, so close to the 2023 NFL Draft. He was once in the conversation to be the first or second edge rusher off the board but has now seemed to have fallen not only behind Will Anderson Jr. and Tyree Wilson, but also Nolan Smith, Lukas Van Ness, and even possibly guys like Will McDonald IV, Keion White, Felix Anudike-Uzomah, and Adetomiwa Adebawore.
Murphy was a five-star recruit coming out of high school and continued to be incredibly successful at the collegiate level for Clemson. He has great size and incredible athleticism, which makes Murphy pop out on tape. He has the desired burst, bend, power, and speed on the edge and would be a perfect fit opposite of Myles Garrett in the Browns 4-3 defense under new defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz.
Even with the possibility that Murphy slides down the board on night one of the 2023 NFL Draft, it is highly unlikely that the Browns have the ammo to make a move high enough to draft him. Obviously, you can't rule out anything, but this is more of a look at who the Browns could have targeted if they still had a first-round pick than a trade-up target.