Weekly Browns Mock Draft: Trade up edition

Jan 31, 2023 - 1:45 PM

The Cleveland Browns have dealt away their first and third-round picks for the upcoming NFL draft but still have eight selections to work with due to trades and the hiring of Kwesi Adofo-Mensah as general manager.

The Browns might have more draft picks coming in the coming years as Glenn Cook and Katherine Roche are considered up-and-comers. Both could be general managers by next offseason.

For today’s NFL mock draft, we have Cleveland doing something few believe they will do. While GM Andrew Berry has been aggressive, dealing from his limited draft resources to move up into the first round seems too big of a swing.

Yet, the Browns need to win right away and Berry’s future could be on the line this year. If he is able to make the deal we did, he may just find his way up to get a dynamic playmaker.

For this week’s mock draft, we used FanSpeak’s Ultimate GM feature ($, subscriber) to make our trade and draft picks:

Trade

In order to move up from the second round into the latter third of the first round, we traded the team’s extra fourth and fifth-round picks as well as a 2024 third-rounder. We assume that either Cook or Roche, or both, will get GM jobs and Cleveland will have an extra pick in that round.

Dealing extra selections allowed us to stay in every round while moving up into the first from the second.

First Round

WR Jordan Addison, USC - A dynamic playmaker with game-changing ability, Addison isn’t the size/speed combination that some might want but is an amazing weapon that allows Amari Cooper and Donovan Peoples-Jones to excel on the outside while all three can move around the formation at times.

Third Round

S Jay Ward, LSU - A former cornerback, Ward can give the Browns a true free safety that can make plays on the ball and allow the team’s cornerbacks to be aggressive in coverage.

Fourth Round

RB Kenny McIntosh, Georgia - Where value meets need, McIntosh helps fill the void left by Kareem Hunt in the passing game and provides depth with D’Ernest Johnson also likely moving on.

Fifth Round

DL Zacch Pickens, South Carolina - An exciting prospect, Pickens can give Cleveland some pop in the middle of the defensive line if he can refine his game. Berry needs to add a veteran at defensive tackle but Pickens and Perrion Winfrey could be the future of the group.

Sixth Round

LB Cam Jones, Indiana - A true football player that may not have the physical trait upside but knows how to play the game. Jones will help on special teams right away.

Seventh Round

TE Josh Whyle, Cincinnati - It seems unlikely that Whyle will fall here but, perhaps, the Browns get a steal to help round out their offense in the future.

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A trade-up seems unlikely but dealing a few day two picks to make sure the team gets a top-flight player could be worth it. For perspective, we went back to FanSpeak with the same settings but didn’t make the trade. DL Tuli Tuipulotu, WR Kayshon Boutte or WR Josh Downs would have been the likely selection with the second-round selection.

Take a turn on the simulator and see what you can come up with. Share your results in the comment section.