Editor’s note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland. He has covered the Browns since 1984.
It’s impossible to project an educated pick for the Browns at No. 54 in the coming NFL draft without knowing which players already have been taken.
You can’t choose your favorite receiver or defensive tackle and mock him for the Browns. Otherwise, OK, let’s mock Marvin Harrison Jr. to the Browns. Great pick, no?
You have to go through the process of projecting all 53 picks ahead of them and then choose the best player for the Browns – not necessarily the best player available.
Our first mock draft tries to narrow down the list of players that would be available to the Browns.
Now, about trades …
Surely, Browns GM Andrew Berry could move down — or up –from No. 54. More likely down. Even without a first-round pick in the previous two drafts because of the Deshaun Watson trade, Berry traded his second-round pick on each occasion. He won’t deny it can happen again.
Even more surely, there will be trades from other teams that disrupt the flow of everyone’s mock draft. I won’t begin to predict trades in a two-round mock.
But if every team kept its place in the draft order, this is the way I see the board falling.
At this point, I plan on updating things only one time. Mock draft 2.0 – my official predictions of 1 through 54 – will be posted prior to the first round on April 25.
First round
1. Chicago (from Carolina)
QB Caleb Williams, USC
2. Washington
QB Jayden Daniels, Louisiana State
3. New England
QB Drake Maye, North Carolina
4. Arizona
WR Marvin Harrison Jr., Ohio State
5. Los Angeles Chargers
WR Malik Nabers, LSU
6. New York Giants
WR Rome Odunze, Washington
7. Tennessee
OT Joe Alt, Notre Dame
8. Atlanta
DE Dallas Turner, Alabama
9. Chicago
OT Olu Fashanu, Penn State
10. New York Jets
TE Brock Bowers, Georgia
11. Minnesota
QB J.J. McCarthy, Michigan
12. Denver
QB Bo Nix, Oregon
13. Las Vegas Raiders
OT Taliese Fuaga, Oregon State
14. New Orleans
CB Terrion Arnold, Alabama
15. Indianapolis
CB Quinyon Mitchell, Toledo
16. Seattle
QB Michael Penix, Washington
17. Jacksonville
DE Jared Verse, Florida State
18. Cincinnati
WR Brian Thomas, LSU
Comment: One of best receiver-drafting teams snags another LSU gem.
19. Los Angeles Rams
DT Byron Murphy, Texas
20. Pittsburgh
OT JC Latham, Alabama
Comment: Imagine the Steelers with a strong offensive line.
21. Miami
DT Jer’Zhan Newton, Illinois
22. Philadelphia
OG Troy Fautanu, Washington
23. Minnesota (from Houston and Cleveland)
CB Nate Wiggins, Clemson
24. Dallas
OT Taliese Fuaga, Oregon
25. Green Bay
OT Amarius Mims, Georgia
26. Tampa Bay
DE Laiatu Latu, UCLA
27. Arizona (from Houston)
DE Chop Robinson, Penn State
28. Buffalo
WR Adonai Mitchell, Texas
29. Detroit
CB Kool-Aid McKinstry, Alabama
30. Baltimore
OT Tyler Guyton, Oklahoma
Comment: Highly-rated tackle falls to them.
31. San Francisco
OT Kingsley Suamataia, Brigham Young
32. Kansas City
CB Cooper DeJean, Iowa
Second round
33. Carolina
WR Xavier Leggette, South Carolina
34. New England
WR Xavier Worthy, Texas
35. Arizona
C Jackson Powers-Johnson, Oregon
36. Washington
WR Ladd McConkey, Georgia
37. Los Angeles Chargers
C Zach Frazier, West Virginia
38. Tennessee
DE Darius Robinson, Missouri
39. Carolina (from NY Giants)
CB T.J. Tampa, Iowa State
40. Washington (from Chicago)
OG Graham Barton, Duke
41. Green Bay (from NY Jets)
LB Junior Colson, Michigan
42. Houston (from Minnesota)
LB Edgerrin Cooper, Texas A&M
43. Atlanta
CB Kamari Lassiter, Georgia
44. Las Vegas
WR Keon Coleman, Florida State
45. New Orleans (from Denver)
OT Patrick Paul, Houston
46. Indianapolis
WR Roman Wilson, Michigan
47. New York Giants (from Seattle)
CB Ennis Rakestraw Jr., Missouri
48. Jacksonville
S Jaden Hicks, Washington
49. Cincinnati
OT Kiran Amegadjie, Yale
Comment: A Yalie tackle comes off the board.
50. Philadelphia (from New Orleans)
DT T’Vondre Sweat, Texas
51. Pittsburgh
WR Malachi Corley, Western Kentucky
Comment: They’re pretty good at picking receivers.
52. Los Angeles Rams
DT Braden Fiske, Florida State
53. Philadelphia
OG Jordan Morgan, Arizona
54. Cleveland
WR Troy Franklin, Oregon
Comment: Lanky, big-play receiver reportedly has visited Berea.