NFL draft early entrant list broke down: How many WRs for the Browns?

The Cleveland Browns and the rest of the non-playoff teams in the NFL turn their heads quickly to free agency and the NFL draft following the conclusion of their seasons. While free agency brings with it a lot of interest and known names, it is the draft that builds the vast majority of quality teams.

There are a lot of time and events between now and the draft. Senior Bowl, East-West Shrine, the NFL combine and free agency are all huge factors in who is drafted and where they are drafted.

Friday, another step was taken. Players interested in being early entrants into the draft had until the 17th of the month to declare. Those players then had three days to remove their names from that list. The NFL announced on Friday the list of early entrants.

Breaking down the important position groups for the Browns here:

Quarterback

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While Cleveland GM Andrew Berry has made it clear that he expects Baker Mayfield to “bounce back” as the team’s starter in 2022, the team could still use a pick on a quarterback at some point. Four quarterbacks declared for the draft with Matt Corral leading the way:

Wide Receiver

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Until free agency (or trades) change the roster, wide receiver will be considered high on the Browns needs list. The draft is full of some highly talented players at the position, many of them on this list including Garrett Wilson, Drake Long, Trylon Burks and Jameson Williams.

In all, 17 receivers declared on Friday:

Tight Ends

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Cleveland has some decisions to make at the tight end position, one important to Kevin Stefanski’s system. David Njoku is set to become a free agent and Austin Hooper could be cut, despite owing a lot of dead cap over the next couple of years.

The early declare list of only four is led by the Texas A&M talent:

Defensive End

With Jadeveon Clowney about to enter free agency and a very clear statement about money deciding his future, the Browns may need to address the position earlier than many expected. Unfortunately, the early declare group didn’t provide a large number of players despite two likely first-rounders of the three with the third possible to jump into that mix as well:

Defensive Tackle

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With Malik McDowell’s off-the-field issue recently, Cleveland’s need on the interior of the defensive line became even greater. Even with McDowell, that spot on the field was a weakness for the team. Like defensive end, not a lot of early entrants at this position either but a few high-quality players:

Defensive Back

While the Browns have invested in their secondary often over the last few seasons, with Ronnie Harrison hitting free agency and Denzel Ward and Greedy Williams set to do the same the following year, they may need reinforcements. Unfortunately, the NFL’s list combines all defensive backs instead of breaking them down between cornerback and safety.

The list of players at the position is lengthy with 21 total. A lot of high-level players including Kyle Hamilton out of Notre Dame and Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner from Cincinnati:

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