The Browns won't pick until the second round for the third consecutive season since the huge Deshaun Watson trade in 2022. Cleveland has five picks in the 2024 draft, starting with the No. 54 selection in the second round.
This is a team that endured countless injuries at seemingly every position in 2023, yet made the playoffs with Joe Flacco under center. Talk about resilience. In this draft, Cleveland can shore up major positions of need with the hopes that Watson will be fully healthy for the whole season for the first time in his Browns career.
Cleveland traded away two of its late-round picks (in the fifth and sixth rounds) for former Broncos wide receiver Jerry Jeudy.
Here's how the Sporting News' Vinnie Iyer picked for the Browns in his seven-round mock draft:
Round 2, Pick No. 54: Kris Jenkins, DT, Michigan
Jenkins would be the future at the defensive tackle position for the Browns with this pick. While Cleveland already has Dalvin Tomlinson, Shelby Harris, Maurice Hurst and Quinton Jefferson, only Tomlinson is signed through next season. Jenkins is strong, a great run-stopper and an overall solid interior defensive line prospect. However, his pass-rushing prowess could knock him down a peg.
Round 3, Pick No. 85: Gabriel Murphy, EDGE, UCLA
Murphy is a quick outside edge rusher who can get to the quarterback, but his smaller build could limit his usage at the NFL level. He's a technical pass rusher with good hands and fast counters but might get pushed around by bigger offensive linemen. Murphy did produce in his final collegiate year with eight sacks as a senior for UCLA with 16 tackles for a loss. He also had 7.5 sacks and 12.5 tackles for a loss in 2021 for North Texas.
Round 5, Pick No. 156 (from PHI via ARI): Ty'Ron Hopper, LB, Missouri
Hopper would add some depth to the Browns' linebacker corps after already Cleveland added Devin Bush and Jordan Hicks in free agency. He's an experienced prospect after three consecutive years as a starter with good size and speed but isn't known as a great instinctual player. Hopper is a solid developmental guy who can hit hard and could learn to be a quality backup.
Round 6, Pick No. 206 (from BAL): Anthony Gould, WR, Oregon State
The Browns have a trio of good starters in Jeudy, Amari Cooper and Elijah Moore but will need to decide on Cooper and Moore soon with both players' contracts coming up at the end of the year. The only players behind this trio who can play are David Bell and Cedric Tillman, and both are still developing. Gould wouldn't solve the depth problem, but he'd add a different element to the Browns' offense thanks to his speed. He can also line up as a return specialist. The biggest knock against Gould is his size at 5-foot-8 and 174 pounds.
Round 7, Pick No. 243: Marcellas Dial, CB, South Carolina
Dial has the body of an outside man cornerback at 6-feet and 190 pounds. However, he isn't the most technical cornerback who plays more physically than instinctually against pass-catchers. He would need to be coached up tremendously to be more than a camp body.
