Third time's a charm, and we're going three rounds with our final mock draft of 2021.
Jason Gibbs, Andrew Gribble and Nathan Zegura have made their final predictions for what the Browns will do in the first three rounds. That encompasses four picks, as the Browns hold the No. 89 and No. 91 overall selections.
We'll know who made the best guesses by Friday night.
Jason Gibbs
19) Washington – LB Jamin Davis (Kentucky)
20) Bears – OT Christian Darrisaw (Virginia Tech)
21) Colts – DE Azeez Ojulari (Georgia)
22) Titans – CB Greg Newsome II (Northwestern)
23) Jets – S Trevon Moehrig (TCU)
24) Steelers – LB Zaven Collins (Tulsa)
25) Jaguars – DT Christian Barmore (Alabama
26) BROWNS – DE Joe Tryon (Washington) - It comes down to how the board falls to the Browns. I have a bad feeling the top four CBs in this draft will be off the board. You can never have enough edge rushers. Tryon can learn from the best!
27) Ravens – DE Jayson Oweh (Penn State)
28) Saints – DE Gregory Rousseau (Miami)
29) Packers – WR Kadarius Toney (Florida)
30) Bills – CB Asante Samuel Jr (Florida St)
31) Ravens – T Jalen Mayfield (Michigan)
32) Buccaneers – RB Travis Etienne (Clemson)
Round 2 (No. 59) - CB Paulson Adebo (Stanford)
Round 3 (No. 89) - OT James Hudson (Cincinnati)
Round 3 (No. 91) - WR D'Wayne Eskridge (Western Michigan)
Gibbs: I expect the Browns to be active from a trade standpoint. There is going to be a lot of talent that falls out of the first round that will be available on Day 2. What I did was make three picks based on needs and for the future. We need bodies in the CB room — Simply put, you can never have enough bodies at corner — and we could use another WR in that room, so go get one of the Top 15 WRs in this draft. I also went out and got a little more depth on that offensive line to help replace the swing tackle we lost in free agency.
Nathan Zegura
19) Washington – G Alijah Vera-Tucker (USC)
20) Bears – DE Gregory Rousseau (Miami)
21) Colts – T Teven Jenkins (Oklahoma State)
22) Titans – CB Caleb Farley (Virginia Tech)
23) Jets – CB Greg Newsome II (Northwestern)
24) Steelers – RB Najee Harris (Alabama)
25) Jaguars – S Trevon Moehrig (TCU)
26) BROWNS – WR Elijah Moore (Ole Miss) – I have been targeting a CB here for the Browns, but in my mock the Top 4 corners are all off the board, as is LB/S Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (17 to Las Vegas), whom the Browns would certainly have to consider. That shifted my focus to the wide receiver position, and the Browns were able to snag the incredible playmaker from Ole Miss, Elijah Moore. Moore led the country in catches (10.8) and yards per game (149.1) last year, while possessing blazing speed with a 4.35 40-yard dash time. Moore is a dynamic route runner who creates incredible separation, earning comparisons to Antonio Brown, and will add an element of home run hitting playmaking to Kevin Stefanski's offense. Moore will be an immediate impact player down the field, on jet sweeps, catch and run situations and in the return game.
27) Ravens – DE Azeez Ojulari (Georgia)
28) Saints – CB Asante Samuel Jr. (Florida State)
29) Packers – WR Rashod Bateman (Minnesota)
30) Bills – RB Travis Etienne (Clemson)
31) Ravens – WR Terrace Marshall (LSU)
32) Buccaneers – DE Jason Oweh (Penn State)
Round 2 (No. 59) - CB Ifeatu Melifonwu (Syracuse) – The Browns get their cornerback in the second round and go with the unicorn Ifeatu Melifonwu, who at 6-foot-3 and possessing incredible athletic ability, could be the perfect outside corner in defensive coordinator Joe Woods' Cover 3 and man schemes. He has been comped to players like Antonio Cromartie and Brandon Browner, both of whom have excelled in similar types of schemes in the past. Melifonwu consistently got his hands on the ball at Syracuse, where he used his length to rack up 20 passes defensed the last two years in 19 games. I do think the Browns will look to address corner with one of their first two picks, and if it comes in the second round, other names to know are Tyson Campbell, Eric Stokes, Kelvin Joseph, Aaron Robinson and Elijah Molden.
Round 3 (No. 89) - DE Payton Turner (Houston) – The Browns are always looking to improve their pass rush and add an intriguing prospect in Turner who has the size and the explosive first step you want in the Wide-9 end in this defense. He posted 18.5 tackles for loss and nine sacks in his last 17 games after moving to his natural edge rusher position. Turner will have time to refine his pass rush plan and learn behind Myles Garrett, Jadeveon Clowney and Takkarist McKinley while trying to earn time in sub packages as a rookie.
Round 3 (No. 91) - LB Chazz Surratt (North Carolina) – Surratt is a former college QB-turned-LB who is still raw, but incredibly instinctual and productive with plenty of upside still to tap into. Due to his background, he is a natural in coverage and can project to become a true, three-down linebacker early in his career. He was twice named first-team All-ACC and racked up 206 tackles in his last two seasons. Surratt is also an excellent blitzer, given his understanding of protection schemes, and posted at least six sacks in each of his final two seasons. This seems to be the sweet spot in the draft for Andrew Berry when it comes to the LB position, and Surratt would be a tremendous addition. However, I do think the Browns could also target a slot corner at this point in the draft, such as Shakur Brown (Michigan State).
Andrew Gribble
19) Washington — WR Kadarius Toney (Florida)
20) Chicago — T Teven Jenkins (Oklahoma State)
21) Colts — DE Kwity Paye (Michigan)
22) Titans — LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (Notre Dame)
23) Jets — DE Azeez Ojulari (Georgia)
24) Steelers — LB Zaven Collins (Tulsa)
25) Jaguars — WR Rashod Bateman (Minnesota)
26) BROWNS — CB Greg Newsome II (Northwestern) - Sometimes you just have to will something into existence, and this is what I'm doing in our final mock for ClevelandBrowns.com. There are numerous teams ahead of the Browns that could use a reliable cornerback such as Newsome, but the board breaks nicely for Cleveland, which fills a spot on the roster with a reliable player who can inject some immediate competition.
27) Ravens - S Trevon Moehrig (TCU)
28) Saints - LB Jamin Davis (Kentucky)
29) Packers - WR Elijah Moore (Ole Miss)
30) Bills - DE Gregory Rousseau (Miami)
31) Ravens - T Jalen Mayfield (Michigan)
32) Buccaneers - DE Joe Tryon (Washington)
Round 2 (No. 59) - DE Jayson Oweh (Penn State) - The Browns get a gift as the athletically gifted Oweh falls to them late in the second round. Though he had some first-round buzz, Oweh may get lost in the shuffle with a cluster of pass rushers pegged for the late first round and early second round — at least that's what I'm telling myself. Despite not recording a sack in 2020, Oweh proved to be among the most disruptive players at his position in the Big Ten.
Round 3 (No. 89) - WR Amari Rodgers (Clemson) - In a different year, Rodgers might be a second-round selection, but the depth of this year's class is no joke. That's a boon for the Browns, who land a player who can contribute right away as a slot receiver and in the return game.
Round 3 (No. 91) - LB Dylan Moses (Alabama) - Cleveland goes to a familiar position in a familiar spot and lands a player who possesses first-round athleticism but struggled a bit with injuries and inconsistency during the final part of his college career.
