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Browns mock draft watch: Daniel Jeremiah gives Cleveland D-Line help

josh keatley
·4 min read
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Another week has passed in the NFL season and with the AFC North rival, Cincinnati Bengals still alive in the playoffs it isn’t getting any easier to live life as a Cleveland Browns fan. The one thing we do have to look forward to is the NFL Draft and a selection in the top 15 at #13 overall.

The Browns did a great job last year and snagged starters with their first two picks and it is exciting to think about what might happen with such a high selection the first round. Cleveland was not good, but they were not terrible and are only a few pieces away from being a playoff-caliber team.

Daniel Jeremiah of NFL.com believes that the browns will be looking to address the defensive end situation and we breakdown our thoughts below.

With the 13th pick, the Cleveland Browns select Travon Walker

With the 13th pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, the Cleveland Browns select Travon Walker, defensive end from Georgia. Jeremiah notes the following:

“Walker has as much upside as any pass rusher in this draft class. He did a lot of things in Georgia’s system (see him diving, tipping a ball in the middle of the field vs. Florida), which limited some of his pass-rush production. He’s a physical freak and could rise into the top 10 after the NFL Scouting Combine.”

As Jeremiah points out above, Walker is an elite athlete with the size and skill set to be a versatile chess piece that can be moved across the entire defensive line. The former five-star recruit has seen meaningful minutes at Georgia since his freshman season and really exploded as a play-maker in 2021.

The problem I have with this selection is that Walker won in college due to his elite athleticism, but if he is stopped that was the end of the road as he failed to utilize his hands and lacked a wealth of pass-rushing moves. The Browns are in a position where they should be able to find someone that is ready to play from day one.

Does the position fit?

Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

The Cleveland Browns will certainly address the defensive line both via free agency and in the draft and it seems obvious that due to his most recent off-field antics, Malik McDowell will most likely no longer be with the Browns. McDowell plays on the interior, but the idea of adding Walker is that he can play anywhere and finding someone that can rush the passer is much more of a need than a run stopper in the middle.

Seeing the Browns selected defensive line help is not uncommon in these mocks and we actually saw in our most recent review that SB Nation filled the #13 slot with a different defensive lineman from the SEC. It is a common narrative to see Cleveland snag a versatile defensive lineman and it is hard to argue against.

As mentioned above, the future of Jadeveon Clowney is also in the air and if he departs via free agency then the Browns would be looking even hard at what is available as far as edge rushers go.

Who went before? And who is left?

Syndication Journal Courier

In this mock we already see that Aidan Hutchinson from Michigan and Kayvon Thibodeaux from Oregon are off the board, but as far as defensive ends go George Karlaftis from Purdue is still available.

I’m not really sure why I see so much negativity surrounding Karlaftis as the dude has been elite for Purdue for multiple seasons and he is a “Madden-created” defensive end at 6’4″ and 275 pounds. Karlaftis has ideal length, explosive first step and the heavy anchor to be just as effective against the run as he is against the pass and unlike Walker, shows violent hand usage. There is no wrong answer, but Karlaftis would have my vote.

Also left on the board is Garrett Wilson, wide receiver from Ohio State. I have already talked at length for my love of Wilson as he has elite acceleration to move in and out of cute.

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