Examining Cleveland Browns’ picks in Dane Brugler’s 7-round mock draft

A week after releasing his annual NFL Draft guide, “The Beast,” The Athletic’s Dane Brugler had a full seven-round mock draft go live. His six picks for Cleveland included one name we’ve long been circling and a bunch of others who probably aren’t known to many Browns fans.

GO DEEPER

Dane Brugler’s 7-round 2024 NFL mock draft: Predicting all 257 picks

What, you haven’t been studying Yale’s offensive line?

Well, Brugler has. And his final Browns mock starts with an LSU defensive tackle and then goes to Yale for an intriguing offensive line prospect.

Brugler’s selections

The picks

Maason Smith was my pick for the Browns in my mock draft 1.0. Though I’m still thinking general manager Andrew Berry will look to trade out of No. 54 and pick up a fourth-round selection (or a similar package of picks), I believe Smith is the kind of player the Browns will target whether they stay put or move down.

I’m not saying I’d bet my collection of jean shorts or 1980s baseball cards on it. This mock draft business is tough, and it’s even tougher when a team doesn’t start its draft until the back half of the second round. In making this guess, I just see the age of the current Browns defensive tackle group (the top three are 30-plus) and the upside of Smith, who’s 21 and only played 22 college games after suffering a torn ACL in the 2022 season opener. The Browns selecting Smith would be a bet on raw talent, rare size (6-foot-5, 306 pounds, nearly an 85-inch wingspan) and a player who could eventually become an anchor and consistent disruptor.

Wherever the Browns end up picking, they’re positioned to be able to focus on the future, not the present. In Brugler’s mock (and in my best guesses), Ohio State defensive tackle Michael Hall Jr. goes well before Cleveland could get him. To me, that leaves Smith with a group of wide receivers and edge rushers as the most realistic option for the Browns’ first pick.

GO DEEPER

Browns NFL Draft 2024 guide: Picks, predictions and key needs

Tackling the rest

Brugler’s third-round pick for the Browns, Amegadjie, would be another bet on the future. Amegadjie only played 24 college games in the Ivy League after playing just two years of high school varsity football. But he’s been on NFL radars because of his athleticism and upside, and if the Browns take an offensive tackle, they’re looking to the future.

Amegadjie ranks as Brugler’s No. 12 offensive tackle and No. 87 overall prospect.

Assuming good health, the Browns could view themselves as being set at tackle for this year. Left tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. is recovering from knee surgery and is only under contract for 2024. Right tackle Jack Conklin has three years left on his deal, but there’s no guaranteed money after this season — and Conklin is working his way back from a second major knee injury. Dawand Jones played well in place of Conklin last season and looks to be a keeper, but Jones is also recovering from knee surgery. The team has said it expects to have all three of its top tackles available for the season, but it would be a surprise to see Conklin on the field before training camp.

Will the Browns use the draft to address other positions and just let things play out at tackle? Could they just let Wills, who turns 25 next month, try to play for an extension and use a first-round pick on a left tackle next year (when they have one for the first time since 2021) if it doesn’t work out? Or will they add another young player to the mix now?

James Hudson, who’s played significant snaps as a backup in each of his three seasons, is entering the final year of his rookie contract. In March, the Browns added another veteran backup in Hakeem Adeniji, who has experience at both tackle and guard. Last week, the Browns traded backup tackle Leroy Watson IV to the Tennessee Titans for a seventh-round pick.

It would make sense for Cleveland to view the offensive line as a draft need, but with only two picks in the top 150, it’s difficult to predict if it’ll find the right tackle prospect who can contribute at some point over the next two seasons.

Who else?

Going back to February’s start of mock draft season, I’ve had three different players in various exercises headed to the Browns at No. 54: Smith, Hall and Western Kentucky wide receiver Malachi Corley.

In Brugler’s seven-round mock, Hall goes to Atlanta at No. 43. Corley goes to New England at No. 68. Four other receivers — Xavier Worthy, Ricky Pearsall, Troy Franklin and Roman Wilson — go between pick Nos. 45 and 51, just out of the Browns’ range. I’ve long believed that if Worthy or Franklin would drop to No. 54, the Browns would be excited to draft one of them there. Though I think the long-term addition of Jerry Jeudy makes it so the Browns don’t have to add a receiver with one of their first two picks in this draft, they still will select a wideout if they believe they’ve found the right one.

GO DEEPER

The state of Browns’ receiving corps following Jerry Jeudy’s extension

Players going around the No. 85 range in Brugler’s full mock who might interest the Browns include wide receiver Devontez Walker (79), tight end Theo Johnson (80), wide receiver Jermaine Burton (83), offensive tackle Blake Fisher (84) and running back Jaylen Wright (87).

Fisher and running back Audric Estime (pick No. 125 in Brugler’s mock) played at Notre Dame under new Browns tight ends coach Tommy Rees when he was the Fighting Irish’s offensive coordinator. That doesn’t mean the Browns are targeting those players, but the connection could play a role in Cleveland placing those players in (or out of) its finalized draft plans.

Looking later

If the Browns wait until the fifth round for a receiver, Washington seems like a good fit at that stage. The Browns have their top four wide receivers for now, but Amari Cooper and Elijah Moore are only under contract for 2024. Washington is a smaller player (5-foot-10, 174 pounds), but he’s explosive enough to eventually earn a role in the offense.

Finishing the draft with a linebacker, running back and guard — as Brugler’s mock suggests — would be a sensible path.

GO DEEPER

Browns and ‘The Beast’: NFL Draft guide takeaways on potential targets in Rounds 2 and 3

Again, the Browns ending up with only two picks in the first 150 would leave them going overall upside over position in the final three rounds. They’d love to find another Jones or Jerome Ford on Day 3, but most years the draft pool starts to fall off significantly after about the first 80 picks.

In four previous drafts under Berry, the only real contributor the Browns have found in the final two rounds was wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones, who was a starter over two-plus seasons until he was traded ahead of last year’s deadline. Last year’s sixth-round pick Luke Wypler will have a chance to make the team this season as the No. 2 center and potential top interior backup option.

I won’t be surprised if the Browns value a guard or center at some point in the middle rounds, potentially even over an offensive tackle. For now, all they can do is wait to see who’s available and then trust their evaluations. Berry will weigh positional value, upside and potential trade options in deciding how to best bolster the roster with rookies, most of whom won’t be viewed as immediate contributors.

(Photo of Maason Smith: Matthew Dobbins / USA Today)