Four scenarios for the Browns to consider with their top two draft picks

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

In Andrew Berry’s four Browns drafts, he has made only two selections in the second round. And they were good ones.

The certification of a good pick is when the player receives a second contract from the team that drafted him.

Safety Grant Delpit (44^th overall in 2020) received a second contract last year and linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (52^nd overall in 2021) is eligible to receive one this year, and most certainly will. (Ed. Note: He was the only defensive player to show up in the wild-card loss in Houston.)

Berry traded his second-round picks in 2022 and 2023, which put added importance on his selections in the third round, which wasn’t a good thing.

Berry’s record with third-round picks is spotty, at best.

There was defensive tackle Jordan Elliott and linebacker Jacob Phillips in 2020. Both are gone.

There was wide receiver Anthony Schwartz in 2021. Buh-bye.

There was cornerback Martin Emerson, defensive end Alex Wright and wide receiver David Bell in 2022. Right now, Emerson is on track for a second contract; the others need big years in 2024 to merit reinvestment.

And there was wide receiver Cedric Tillman and defensive tackle Siaki Ika in 2023. Too early to tell.

The fact is Berry has not nailed a second- and third-round pick in the same draft. That’s what he has to do this year. Without a first-round pick and with a 71-player gap from his 85^th selection in the third round to his 156^th in the fifth round, Berry must hit bulls-eyes with his top two picks.

Those players must bridge the gap from lost No. 1s and become second-contract players for the Browns to sustain an infusion of young, ascending talent on their roster.

For this to happen, Berry must, first, not trade out of the second round. The purpose of a trade down would be to acquire a fourth-round pick. At this point in the evolution of the Browns’ roster, it would not be worth it to forsake a second-round talent for the addition of a fourth-round, special teams-bound player.

Secondly, Berry must use his second- and third-round picks on a combination of positions that would benefit the Browns the most. I believe these positions to be wide receiver, defensive tackle, linebacker and tight end.

So here are some possible second- and third-round combination scenarios for the Browns to consider.

1. Oregon receiver Troy Franklin at No. 54 and LSU defensive tackle Mekhi Wingo at No.85.

Franklin’s projected draft range is 38 to 58. He was our choice in mock draft 1.0. By choosing a receiver at No. 54, Berry would bypass the second wave of defensive tackles, such as Kris Jenkins of Michigan, Michael Hall of Ohio State, Maason Smith of LSU, and Braden Fiske of Florida State. Wingo fits Berry’s age preference (he’s 21), is powerful, matched the third-fastest 40 time (4.85) among DTs, and was voted a team captain at LSU after transferring from Missouri.

2. Michigan linebacker Junior Colson at No. 54 and Alabama wide receiver Jermaine Burton at No. 85. 

Colson is the only linebacker I’d consider at No. 54; he’s projected to go in the 40s as the top-rated off-ball linebacker. He was voted the toughest player on the nation’s toughest college defense last year. Toughness, frankly, is a quality missing on the Browns’ defense. Burton checks the right boxes on Browns’ preferences – SEC four-year vet, 18-yard catch average, good size and speed, only four drops in four years, and also played under new Browns pass game specialist Tommy Rees two years at Alabama.

3. Ohio State defensive tackle Michael Hall at No. 54 and Ohio State tight end Cade Stover at No. 85.

This would be an unprecedented Buckeye double play for the Browns. It might be considered pandering to OSU alums in Northeast Ohio, but it can absolutely be justified. Hall, a native of Cleveland who transferred from Benedictine HS to Streetsboro, has the quick penetration from the interior that coordinator Jim Schwartz desires. Stover is a two-time captain with the tough mentality of a linebacker but has great hands and ample special teams experience.

4. South Carolina wide receiver Xavier Legette at No. 54 and Yale offensive tackle Kiran Amegadjie at No.85.

Legette is a 220-pound receiver who posted a 4.39 40 at the combine. He had only one productive season in five years for the Gamecocks. His offensive coordinator was Dowell Loggains, the former Browns QB coach who was the point man in the Johnny Manziel draft day story. Amegadjie is a raw prospect with starting potential at left tackle. Isn’t it time for the Ivy League Browns personnel department to draft an Ivy League player for the first time?