NFL Network’s 4 round mock draft falls flat for Browns

Not exactly the NFL draft Browns fans will love to see

The Cleveland Browns activity during NFL free agency has drastically changed what those outside of the building think about the team’s NFL draft. While the team likely had a plan that looked similar to what has happened so far, fans and media only knew what the roster looked like when the league year started.

Since then, GM Andrew Berry has added or retained over a dozen players (pushing 20 at this point) and traded down from the 42nd pick to the 74th selection.

Shorlty after the Elijah Moore trade, we brought you our complete Browns mock draft where we added a few players at key positions.

The NFL Network kickoff the weekend with a robust four-round mock NFL draft that didn’t exactly focus on positions of value for Cleveland’s four selections. While the players drafted may be good and make some sense for the roster, with limited picks it is likely Berry focuses on positions with the highest value.

In the third round, the mock draft had the Browns selecting:

• RB Zach Evans, Mississippi
• S Jammie Robinson, Florida State

With the loss of D’Ernest Johnson and the likely loss of Kareem Hunt, Cleveland likely needs a running back behind Nick Chubb and Jerome Ford. Selecting one with the team’s first selection in this year’s draft is a bit of a reach for a third or fourth-string player at a position with less overall value.

Robinson is an interesting selection as he is a versatile safety similar to former Brown John Johnson III. Strong safety is just not a high-value position especially as D’Anthony Bell looked good as a rookie and the team doesn’t have a lot of selections.

In the fourth round, the mock draft had Cleveland selecting:

• DE Colby Wooden, Auburn
• CB Starling Thomas V, UAB

In this round, we get two players at positions of value. Wooden might be better served as a five-technique defensive tackle than outside at defensive end. Wooden has a very good athletic score as a defensive tackle, but his scores drop significantly when compared as a defensive end.

It is well known that Berry loves drafting cornerbacks but Thomas doesn’t help fill any immediate or long-term need. He’s rarely been a slot cornerback in college despite his smaller frame. He will transition inside at the NFL level but doesn’t have the agility to do so well.

Overall, Chad Reuter put a lot of work into putting out a full four-round mock draft, it just falls short for the Browns by neither providing players that can help immediately nor developmental prospects at highly valuable positions.