In Pro Football Talk’s NFL Mock Draft they have the Cleveland Browns trading up to select the Notre Dame linebacker.
There has been a ton of discussions about just what the Cleveland Browns will do with their pick. Perhaps they will stay put or maybe even trade down. One option that seems to easily dismissed is trading up, but that is what happens in Pro Football Talk’s mock draft released Monday morning. In addition to trading up, the other part of this mock that has been played down is the selection of a linebacker, Notre Dame’s Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah to be exact. For the trade it is Cleveland trading up to 21st overall with picks 26 and 91 heading to Indianapolis. Here’s the reasoning for the selection.
So everyone wants to sideline-to-sideling playmaking ability of Devin White. Owusu-Koramoah isn’t Devin White (15 pounds lighter), but he has some of White’s traits. The Golden-Domer is rangy (he played a rover position in the Irish D) and made first-team all-America last season, dropping in coverage, rushing and being a complete playmaker at the second level on defense. This is right about the area of the draft that he should be picked, and I could see others (Green Bay, New York Jets) being interested around here. I think playing behind Myles Garrett, Jadeveon Clowney and the Browns’ interior front, Owusu-Koramoah should be free to roam and be a playmaker in year one.
The middle of the Browns defense is a problem and they need to do something to address that. Selecting Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah could help in this area as they ease him into action with Anthony Walker playing a large role from the onset.
As far as the trade is concerned, this is something that the Browns should seriously consider. The Browns need quality defenders period. Trading up to ensure that a player that has been identified as a potential difference maker seems like a no-brainer. If the defense was in better shape right now trading down might make a bit more sense, but they need to be in the business of quality and not quantity.
