As a Cleveland Browns fan, it pains me to see the team struggling at 1-4 (as of 10-11), and there are a lot of problems that need to be addressed for this offense. With that being said, I’ve decided to do my due diligence and put my GM hat on for the Cleveland Browns and perform a 3 Round Mock Draft via PFF. Heading into this mock, my 3 biggest needs for the Cleveland Browns:
- Offensive Tackle (With Conklin unable to maintain any sort of consistent health, Wills not living up to his first round billing, James Hudson as an unrestricted free agent and isn’t lighting the world on fire and Dawand Jones in a serious regression period, this team is in need of one starting tackle at a minimum, but will likely need to walk away from this draft with two tackles.)
- Wide Receiver (Cooper is on the last year of his deal and appears to show signs of serious regression due to his age, Moore is an unrestricted free agent, and this wide receiver core wasn’t exactly deep to begin with, this Browns WR room will need a serious upgrade as well.)
- Tight End (After David Njoku, this team doesn’t have a reliable option at the second tight end position. Jordan Akins is currently slated to be a free agent at the end of the season, so this will need to be attacked early as well.)
If you notice, QB is not one of the needs we’ll be attacking in this mock. In my opinion, while QB is a need (as Deshaun Watson is playing some of the worst football of his career) putting a rookie behind this offensive line with a lack of weapons at wide receiver is a coaching malpractice, and I don’t believe this analytically driven front office and coaching staff would do that to any of these rookie QBs. I believe they’d build the offense around the QB, and in 2025 bench Deshaun and look to cut him from the roster with a Post-June 1st cut in 2026 to minimize the earth shattering dead cap that he would warrant with his current deal. With that being said, lets dive into it, starting at pick 1.04:
With the 4th overall selection, the Cleveland Browns select Tetairoa McMillan, Wide Receiver, University of Arizona.
- In this mock exercise, the best players available were as follows:
- Travis Hunter, CB/WR, Colorado
- Cam Ward, QB, Miami
- Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Arizona
While I think there would be a conversation to be had at 1.04 for Hunter, McMillan’s size (6-5), his hands that are like Roomba vacuums, and his crisp route running ability would fit right in with the offense that both Ken Dorsey and Kevin Stefanski would want to run. This is about a slam dunk as you can get at pick 1.04, and I believe the Browns would run this card up to the podium. Now, we move into round 2:
With the 36th overall selection, the Cleveland Browns select Jonah Savaiinaea, Guard/Tackle, University of Arizona.
- In this second round selection, the conversation shifts to offensive line, with the following players still on the board:
- Josh Simmons, Tackle, Ohio State University
- Jonah Savaiinaea
- Cameron Williams, Tackle, University of Texas
- In this scenario, the conversation boiled down to Simmons vs Savaiinaea. I prefer Savaiinaea as a tackle prospect, especially on the right side of the offensive line. I still believe that Josh Simmons is more likely a guard at the next level, but Savaiinaea has the ability and mean streak to stay on the outside. In this selection, the Right Tackle problem has been solved with Savaiinaea, and we can look to pick a left tackle in round 3, or potentially on day 3 as a developmental prospect. Speaking of round 3:
With the 68th selection, the Cleveland Browns select Harold Fannin Jr., Tight End, Bowling Green.
- In this final scenario, the decision comes down to the following players on the board:
- Fannin Jr
- Shemar Turner, Defensive Tackle, Texas A&M
- Wyatt Milum, Offensive Tackle, West Virginia
- While I think a serious conversation could be had for double dipping at tackle in Milum, or selecting a defensive tackle in Turner to help this defense get younger and cheaper for Jim Schwartz, the fact that my current TE1B (TE1A being Luke Lachey, who you can read about in my previous scouting report here) is still on the board at the top of round 3 is value that you can’t pass up. Not to mention Fannin and Njoku in two tight end situations would be hell on earth for AFC North defenses to try and plan for, and give the Cleveland Browns QB (whoever that may be,whether it be Watson, Jameis Winston, DTR, or another QB in this draft or in Free Agency.)
With these three selections leading the way, you now have a WR1, a starting RT, and a TE2 that can be deployed as a multifaceted weapon all over the field. Ultimately you’d love to be able to get another offensive tackle, some depth along the defensive line, and potentially a developmental quarterback on day 3 that you can stash on the practice squad or use as an emergency 3rd quarterback, should Jameis Winston move on in the offseason in free agency.
