One of these 12 players will be selected by the Browns at No. 54

Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland. He has covered the Browns since 1984.

Projecting the Browns’ selection with their top pick, No. 54 in the second round, is a crapshoot.

Due to the final installment of three first-round picks given to Houston in the Deshaun Watson trade of 2022, GM Andrew Berry has to wait for 53 selections before making his first selection.

What’s more, there is a wide variance in the rankings of players after the first 20 or so come off the board.

I have narrowed down the Browns’ selection to 12 players.

Some of them are projected to go much higher than 54^th, and some are projected to go much lower.

My pool of 12 players consists of seven wide receivers, three defensive tackles and two linebackers.

You may think the Browns should choose a player from another position. I don’t.

Included in my brief profile of the 12 players are their rankings on the Top 100 boards of some of the leading draft gurus. I used the rankings of Dane Brugler of The Athletic, Matt Miller of ESPN, Eric Edholm of NFL.com, Rob Rang of FOXSports.com.

I divide the 12 players into “most desirable” and “wouldn’t pass up.”

Most desirable

Wide receiver Adonai Mitchell, Texas

Dane Brugler ranking: 33^rd

Matt Miller ranking: 18^th  

Eric Edholm ranking: 24^th   

Rob Rang ranking: 33^rd

Comment: Big (6-2½ and 205 pounds) and fast (4.34 40), he transferred from Georgia after two national championships and then led the Big 12 with 11 touchdowns. Of course, he’ll be gone much sooner than 54. So why did I list him? Just to show that this is the kind of player the Browns missed out on by mortgaging the future for Watson.

Wide receiver Ladd McConkey, Georgia

Dane Brugler ranking: 31^st

Matt Miller ranking: 26^th 

Eric Edholm ranking: 27^th 

Rob Rang ranking: 63^rd

Comment: Rang’s low ranking gives some hope he would be there at 54, but the odds are heavily against it. Brugler actually ranks him ahead of Mitchell even though McConkey is smaller (5-11 5/8, 186) and slower (4.39). He is a tough-as-nails, reliable target who would be a first-down machine in the NFL.

Wide receiver Xavier Worthy, Texas

Dane Brugler ranking: 50^th

Matt Miller ranking: 25^th    

Eric Edholm ranking: 36^th   

Rob Rang ranking: 50^th   

Comment: His NFL Combine-record 4.21 40 time might have done him more harm than good. Skeptics smirked, “Oh, great, another John Ross,” referring to the first-round flop of the Cincinnati Bengals whose record Worthy broke. Browns fans thought of Andrew Berry third-round whiff Anthony Schwartz, who was a track athlete first and football player second. Yes, Worthy’s 165 pounds are a concern. But if you can’t catch him, you can’t hurt him.

Wide receiver Troy Franklin, Oregon

Dane Brugler ranking: 58^th

Matt Miller ranking: 68^th   

Eric Edholm ranking: 52^nd  

Rob Rang ranking: 67^th

Comment: He was my pick for the Browns in Mock 1.0. Most mocks have him going off the board earlier, but scouts might not be as high on him. He’s tall and slender (6-1 7/8, 176) and fast (4.41). His long strides might portend a problem getting off press coverage in the NFL. He averaged 71 catches for 1,137 yards and 11.5 touchdowns his last two years at Oregon.

Linebacker Junior Colson, Michigan

Dane Brugler ranking: 42^nd

Matt Miller ranking: 36^th  

Eric Edholm ranking: 46^th   

Rob Rang ranking: 44^th

Comment: The only linebacker Berry chose in the second round in four drafts was Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah. Colson would be a worthy complement in Jim Schwartz’s predominant 4-2-5 scheme after understudying one year behind Jordan Hicks. This guy played for the toughest coach in college football (Jim Harbaugh), and was voted defensive MVP and earned Michigan’s “Toughest Player” award. About time the Browns solidify this position group, no?

Wouldn’t pass up

Wide receiver Xavier Legette, South Carolina

Dane Brugler ranking: 76^th  

Matt Miller ranking: 37^th  

Eric Edholm ranking: 48^th   

Rob Rang ranking: 72^nd 

Comment: At 23, he is overaged for the typical Berry first pick. So what. He tops our list of the second wave. He is a well-built, physical receiver with vertical speed. He and Malik Nabers of LSU were the only SEC receivers to average 100 yards a game.

Wide receiver Keon Coleman, Florida State

Dane Brugler ranking: 37^th

Matt Miller ranking: 38^th

Eric Edholm ranking: 59^th 

Rob Rang ranking: 26^th 

Comment: A big (6-3 ¼, 213), physical receiver who played football and basketball at Michigan State before transferring to FSU his last year. If the Browns are most interested in adding speed at the receiver position, this won’t be the pick. He is the quintessential “50-50” specialist, a receiver who goes up and gets it. He would make Watson better.

Defensive tackle Michael Hall Jr., Ohio State

Dane Brugler ranking: 60^th

Matt Miller ranking: 53^rd  

Eric Edholm ranking: 74^th   

Rob Rang ranking: 77^th

Comment: If the Browns decide to groom a defensive tackle, Hall should be the pick. The Streetsboro HS product is a “gap penetrator who can get to the quarterback.

Linebacker Edgerrin Cooper, Texas A&M

Dane Brugler ranking: 46^th   

Matt Miller ranking: 27^th  

Eric Edholm ranking: 37^th   

Rob Rang ranking: 37^th

Comment: The only other linebacker to consider at 54, he led a top 10 defense in tackles, tackles for loss, sacks and forced fumbles. He is an aggressive tackler.   

Wide receiver Malachi Corley, Western Kentucky

Dane Brugler ranking: 54^th

Matt Miller ranking: 61^st   

Eric Edholm ranking: 57^th   

Rob Rang ranking: 74^th 

Comment: He’s a slot receiver dubbed the YAC king – great at running with the ball after the catch. At WKU, he caught short passes and was dynamic with the ball. Deebo Samuel is the comp because of his running back build (5-10 5/8, 207).

Defensive tackle Maason Smith, LSU

Dane Brugler ranking: 64^th

Matt Miller ranking: 47^th   

Eric Edholm ranking: 80^th  

Rob Rang ranking: 61^st

Comment: He’d be a good consideration for the third round.

Defensive tackle Braden Fiske, Florida State

Dane Brugler ranking: 71^st

Matt Miller ranking: 44^th

Eric Edholm ranking: 43^rd   

Rob Rang ranking: 43^rd

Comment: He’s 24 years old after playing five years at Western Michigan and one at Florida State. He’s player coaches would like on their team, but preferably from the third round.