Round 3, Pick 80 – Osa Odighizuma, DT, UCLA
In this scenario, the Browns take a DT in the 0’s for the second year in a row. Odighizuma packs a ton of power and has an explosive first step. He has plenty of physical ability, but needs quite a bit of work on his technical consistency, as Farabaugh explains. Elliott’s performance will likely go a long way to determining how early the Browns decide to address DT, but betting on great athletes is usually a smart play.
Alternative 1: Chazz Surratt, LB, North Carolina
Linebacker is the weakest position group on the team, and the Browns might just have the worst LB room in the entire league. Woods’ defense will attempt to mitigate that weakness as much as possible, and he wants to eventually run dime as base, which would mean just one LB on the field. The thing is, in order to do that, you need to have an athletic player who can handle the coverage responsibilities and who possesses sideline-to-sideline range. No one on the roster has proven to be able to do that.
Surratt arrived on campus as a quarterback and threw eight touchdowns as a freshman in 2017. He made the switch to defense and excelled in 2019, totaling 115 tackles 15 tackles for loss, and 6.5 sacks. His technique, especially in tackling, is inconsistent (as one would expect at this stage in his development), but his football IQ, athleticism, and coverage ability make him an incredibly interesting prospect. The thought of him improving his tackling and run fits wit his physical gifts is tantalizing.
Alternative 2: Xavier Thomas, EDGE, Clemson
Thomas received a large amount of hype when he arrived at Clemson, and after putting up 3.5 sacks as a rotational player in 2018, big things were elected out of him as a sophomore. He ended the season with 1.5 sacks, failing to make much of an impact. He has loads of physical talent, but will disappear for stretches at a time. If Thomas can improve his consistency, he could end up being a good starter in the NFL, and this is the area of the draft where Cleveland will likely start looking at pass-rushers if they haven’t already addressed the position.
Round 3, Pick 92 – Jack Sanborn, LB, Wisconsin
This is the pick the Browns acquired from the New Orleans Saints, who took Wisconsin LB Zack Baun in the third round. Here, the Browns use their extra selection on Baun’s teammate in Sanborn. Linebackers who can’t cover don’t have much of place in today’s NFL, and Sanborn provedh could in 2019, allowing just a 37.4 passer rating when targeted and picking off three passes. Another strong season could make him an ideal fit with the Browns.
Alternative 1: Hunter Long, TE, Boston College
A favorite of PFN Browns’ Cory Kinnan, Long is an all-around TE with no true weakness in his game. He may not be an elite athlete, but he is good enough to do the job, averaging 18.2 yards per catch last season. If David Njoku is traded (which would be a poor move on Cleeland’s part), they’ll need to find a replacement, and Long would be a good option. Oh, and he blocks pretty well too, which is nice.
Alternative 2: Jabril Cox, LB, LSU
A transfer from North Dakota State, Cox was dominant at the FCS level, and will now have a chance to prove himself in the SEC. He is very athletic and strong in coverage, which makes him a suitable target for the Browns. He has the chance to make himself a lot of money this upcoming season and would likely present excellent value late in the third.
Round 4, Pick 111 – Max Borghi, RB, Washington State
Running back may be the Browns’ strongest position right now, but it has to be considered as a future need. Kareem Hunt is likely gone after this season, unless he is willing to give Cleveland a significant hometown discount. Nick Chubb is arguably the NFL’s best RB, but he’s still an RB, and they aren’t worth paying, ever. Borghi would be able to contribute right away, and potentially take over as the starter in the future.
The comparisons to Christian McCaffery are inevitable, and while asking Borghi to be McCaffery is entirely unrealistic, his skillset is perfect for today’s NFL. Over the past two seasons, he’s rushed for 19 touchdowns, and caught 139 passes for 971 yards and nine scores. The fourth round is a great place to add another offensive weapon, and Borghi is exactly that.
Alternative 1: Kylin Hill, RB, Mississippi State
Hill is another solid runner who can contribute in the passing game. Borghi is probably the better player, but Hill is the more typical RB. That’s either a good thing or a bad thing depending on how you look at it, but Hill definitely will be starting the NFL at some point.
Alternative 2: Alaric Jackson, LT, Iowa
Tristan Wirfs, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers first-round pick, played right tackle at Iowa because the coaches wanted to get their five best offensive lineman on the field at the same time, and Jackson was much better on the left side than he was on the right. He’s not as good as Wirfs, but should be a future NFL starter, and could provide some quality depth behind Jedrick Wills Jr. at LT. If Wills is unable to effectively transition, he could move back to RT (or perhaps play right guard while Jack Conklin is still on the team) while Jackson takes over at LT. Better not to think about that scenario, but that’s not an indictment on Jackson; he’s a solid prospect.
Draft class grade: B+
The Browns addressed their needs at CB, WR, DT, and LB, and prepared for the unfortunate future at RB. Odighizuma is the worst pick here, but it’s not a bad selection at all. Swapping him for Surratt in the third would take this class up to an A. Butas things stand, the Browns would theoretically have a pretty airtight roster, assuming players rebound and develop as expected. EDGE would be the biggest need, and perhaps the Browns would address that with a short-term free agent. Or maybe Chad Thomas will break out, who knows.
Overall, it’s a very strong class that would help the Browns to compete for the playoffs and the AFC North title in 2021, as long as Baker Mayfield plays like he’s proven he can.