Schrager has Browns taking Gregory Rousseau 26th

Peter Schrager released his first NFL mock draft and has the Cleveland Browns drafting the Miami Hurricanes edge rusher 26th overall.

The 2021 NFL Draft is almost here which means it is mock draft season. Peter Schrager of NFL.com has the Cleveland Browns drafting Miami Hurricanes edge rusher Gregory Rousseau with their first round draft pick. Shrager provided an explanation for Cleveland’s pick.

Rousseau didn’t have the lights-out pro day everyone wanted to see, but he still has the lights-out potential. He’s put on a ton of weight since he got to Miami and is just scratching the surface. A 2020 opt-out who is a hard evaluation with just one full year of college football, Rousseau’s upside remains enticing, especially in the back end of Round 1.

Peter Schrager on Gregory Rousseau

As mentioned in the explanation, Rousseau did not play in 2020 due to opting-out. Even still, he is still a tantalizing possibility for the Browns defense.

In his sophomore season Gregory Rousseau finished with 19.5 tackles for loss, 15.5 of which were sacks. Rousseau on one side of the line with Myles Garrett on the other would give Cleveland their ideal bookends on defense. More times than not this is just a pipe dream, but this could become a reality if Rousseau is available to Cleveland at 26th and the Browns decide to draft him. At the end of the day, it should be about ensuring that Takk McKinley is not the Week 1 starter.