The Beast, Dane Brugler’s expansive guide to the NFL Draft, is here.
The Cleveland Browns’ long wait to join the 2024 NFL Draft party will end Friday night, but will the wait end at No. 54?
That’s where the Browns are slated to start their draft. But Browns general manager Andrew Berry has traded out of the second round in each of the last two years and so the Browns have started their draft in the third round. The Browns traded three first-round picks to Houston in March 2022 and haven’t made a second-round pick since 2021.
Trade or no trade, Berry can focus on the future. The Browns have spent big to build and retain a talented and experienced roster. They’re looking more for depth and future upside than for immediate help, though all playmakers are welcome. Berry’s Browns have frequently invested in both the offensive and defensive lines, and that should continue this weekend. Can Berry finally find a hit at wide receiver?
Cleveland, which owns picks 54 and 85 Friday night, has had months to prepare for its only two picks in the top 150, so any kind of move up is unlikely. The Browns will refine their short list starting around pick No. 45, then weigh their preferences vs. any potential trade options. With 21 picks to be made before the Browns go on the clock, we’ll assume the top of the remaining wide receiver and defensive tackle groups will be gone, but we will make no real assumptions beyond that.
Based on current and future need, athletic profiles, the rankings compiled by The Athletic’s Dane Brugler and positional value, here are some players they probably like.
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Browns NFL Draft 2024 guide: Picks, predictions and key needs
Troy Franklin, WR, Oregon
He’s young (21), can stretch the field and has an outstanding size to speed ratio. Franklin might fall past the middle of the second round because he needs to add muscle and because he isn’t a finished product, but the Browns are in position to potentially bet on his ceiling. It’s high.
Maason Smith, DT, LSU
The Browns’ top three defensive tackles are in their 30s. Smith has a rare combination of size (6-5, 306) and athleticism, but only played 22 college games and still needs to refine his skills. Smith is 21, and his best football could be ahead.
Cooper Beebe, OL, Kansas State
By September, both of the Browns’ Pro Bowl guards will be in their 30s. The center will be 29, and the contracts say the whole starting trio might not be kept together beyond this upcoming season. The Browns are going to draft a guard at some point; will they look at Beebe or UConn’s Christian Haynes on Friday?
Ja’Lynn Polk, WR, Washington
He’s ahead of some of the other wide receivers on this list because he’s a big-play threat who recently turned 22 and put together two big seasons to close his college career. Polk has good size and athletic testing numbers, and he’s experienced playing both inside and outside.
Malachi Corley, WR, Western Kentucky
Let’s actually see him produce in the NFL before we continue the Deebo Samuel comparisons, but Corley is certainly different. He’s built like a running back and is best known as an after-the-catch producer. Some draftniks project him as a top-50 pick; others view him as a third-rounder. NFL Network reported that Corley, Brugler’s No. 54 overall prospect, was on the Browns’ formal pre-draft visit list.
Kiran Amegadjie, OT, Yale
The Browns almost certainly will add a young prospect to their offensive line. But their top four offensive tackles are back, despite some injury uncertainty, so they might wait and see how things play out in the final year of Jedrick Wills Jr.’s rookie contract. If they want to add a tackle, it would make sense to add a young, developmental prospect like Notre Dame’s Blake Fisher, BYU’s Kingsley Suamataia or Amegadjie, who’s still learning the position but played his way into NFL radars over his final two college seasons.
The Browns seem primed to add some young talent to their offensive line, like Yale’s Kiran Amegadjie. (Photo: Trevor Ruszkowski / USA Today)
Blake Fisher, OT, Notre Dame
Fisher started his Notre Dame career at left tackle and played two seasons under new Browns tight ends coach Tommy Rees when he was the Fighting Irish’s offensive coordinator. Fisher got injured and No. 5 overall pick Joe Alt became the left tackle, but Fisher became an NFL prospect on the right side. Fisher is 21 and only played two full college seasons. He’s Brugler’s No. 11 offensive tackle prospect.
Mike Hall Jr., DT, Ohio State
Hall is a Cleveland native, and his explosive, upfield style fits Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz’s scheme. The 20-year-old is athletic and though he wasn’t a consistent producer at Ohio State, his flashes were impressive. Brugler’s final mock had Hall going No. 43, but some teams believe he’ll still be available in the third round. The Browns, who hosted Hall in a formal visit in early April, figure to be tracking.
Chris Braswell, DE, Alabama
There’s a thought in this year’s draft: If you need a pass rusher, don’t wait. Braswell had a big final season at Alabama and projects as a pass-down specialist in the NFL. The Browns could move Alex Wright to more of an inside role and develop Braswell for the future while immediately giving him some pass-down snaps. The Browns might have more pressing needs, but they’ll always value the pass rush.
Marshawn Kneeland, DE, Western Michigan
Might the early first-round run on offensive players push some interesting defenders down to the range where the Browns could get them Friday? Kneeland has the kind of length and explosion teams covet, and he fits the theme here of the Browns being able to look toward the future.
Roman Wilson, WR, Michigan
Michigan ran the ball and overwhelmed most of its opponents. But when the national champions needed to create through the air, they often went to Wilson. Wilson went to the Senior Bowl after the season and performed well, forcing NFL teams to wonder if he’d been overlooked. He’s a bit on the small side, but he’ll probably hear his name called late in the second or early in the third round.
Devontez Walker, WR, North Carolina
Think along the lines of Franklin. This would be a bet on the future, not necessarily 2024. Walker had a roller coaster of a college career but has the size and speed teams covet. He’d make for a potential third-round steal as an outside wide receiver with a big frame and good speed.
Brandon Dorlus, DT, Oregon
Dorlus is an older prospect at 23, but in this draft — and particularly after the first 40 picks — it’s going to be tough to find younger prospects. Dorlus seems to have the skill set and college tape to suggest he’s a fit for the Browns’ attack-first scheme, and the Browns are going to add to the group at least once this weekend.
Mekhi Wingo, DT, LSU
His athletic profile fits what we assume the Browns are looking for in an upfield-type defensive tackle. Brugler gave Wingo a third/fourth round grade.
Cade Stover, TE, Ohio State
A native of Lexington, Ohio and a former Ohio Mr. Football, Stover was productive in college and should be a solid pro. He doesn’t wow anyone with his physical attributes, but he’s a willing blocker and a reliable pass catcher. The Browns let backup tight end Harrison Bryant leave in free agency, and maybe adding another traditional tight end would allow super-freak David Njoku more flexibility to find favorable matchups across the formation.
Ben Sinnott, TE, Kansas State
He’s a big target at almost 6-foot-4, 250 pounds, and he’s athletic enough to make plays in the passing game. As noted above, maybe the Browns like their previous investments at wide receiver and want to add more playmakers elsewhere. The Browns waited a long time to see Njoku put it all together, and they could take a similar (but lesser) shot here.
More NFL Draft coverage from The Athletic
NFL Draft 2024 tracker: Live blog, pick-by-pick grades and analysis
Big board best available: Who’s left from Dane Brugler’s Top 300?
Draft pick grades: Nick Baumgardner, Scott Dochterman rate the selections
Full draft order: Team picks for all 257 selections
(Top photo of Troy Franklin: Kevin Abele / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
