What might the Browns do on Draft Day? We'll know a lot more two weeks from today.
In the meantime, NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock gave a wide-ranging interview to Cleveland Browns Daily on Thursday that covered as much as you could possibly want to know about this year's class.
Here's what you should know:
— Mayock praised Texas A&M defensive end Myles Garrett, who's widely viewed as the best prospect in this year's draft class. "There's no way in the world this kid shouldn't become an All Pro," Mayock said, referencing Garrett's freakish athleticism and a three-year career that saw him total 31 sacks and 47 TFLs.
Garrett, of course, has been linked to the Browns, who are owners of the first overall pick. Mayock added he believes only injuries or lack of desire to be an All-Pro would hold him back from living up to those expectations.
— The Browns, after their 1-15 season, are poised to draft a quarterback in an effort to — as head coach Hue Jackson said at the NFL's Annual Meeting last month — constantly improve the room. The question, though, is who and when. Mayock said he doesn't believe "any of them are ready to play" next season.
— Mayock, though, singled out Clemson's Deshaun Watson as his top-ranked quarterback. "He plays his best football when the lights are the brightest," Mayock said of Watson.
— Mayock also declared North Carolina's Mitchell Trubisky the most ready to play next year and that he won't take issue if Browns take a quarterback with the first pick. "That's fine," he said, "as long as they become an All-Pro."
— Once considered a top-10 pick, Notre Dame quarterback DeShone Kizer has seen his draft stock fall in recent months. Mayock, who on Wednesdaydropped Kizer from No. 1 to No. 4 in his updated position rankings, cited Kizer's on-field indecision and poor mechanics as reasons for that decline.
"I think he's at least two years away," said Mayock, who added Kizer still has the "highest ceiling" among the quarterbacks. "I just think he's a long way from playing."
— Mayock said this year's class of safeties — led by LSU's Jamal Adams and Ohio State's Malik Hooker — is are the best since 2010, which produced Pro Bowlers in Kansas City's Eric Berry and Seattle's Earl Thomas, who were both taken in the top 15. Similarly, Adams and Hooker are believed to be top 10 picks later this month.
— Speaking of Hooker, the one-year starter makes Mayock "nervous" because of durability issues and a lack of tape/verifiable measurables. Hooker, who led the Buckeyes with seven interceptions last season, had surgery to repair sports hernias and a torn hip labrum in January. Hooker couldn't work out at the Combine or Ohio State's Pro Day, but he's optimistic he’ll be ready in time for minicamp.
— More about those Buckeyes: Mayock said Ohio State cornerback and potential top-five pick Marshon Lattimore "has everything as long as you're comfortable the hamstring issues won't become chronic." Lattimore needed hamstring surgery his freshman year and missed most of 2015 with the same injury. Mayock also said he there's a good chance Lattimore's teammate, Gareon Conley, "could be the second corner off the board' after strong showings at the Combine and his Pro Day. Mayock said Conley, a two-year starter at Ohio State, is a "long press corner" with history of covering big-time receivers.
— This year's class of tight ends is as talented and deep as they get. "I can't remember a better class," Mayock said, referencing potential first-rounders in Alabama's O.J. Howard, Miami's David Njoku and Ole Miss' Evan Engram. South Alabama's Gerald Everett, Michigan's Jake Butt and Ashland's Adam Shaheen are popular Day 2 candidates.
— The Browns, who parted ways with leading receiver Terrelle Pryor in free agency, could add a receiver in the first round if they so choose. Mayock said he "would bang on the table" for Clemson's Mike Williams, who caught 98 passes for 1,361 yards in 2016.
— Mayock was complimentary of Cal quarterback Davis Webb, who has risen up mock draft boards in recent weeks. "This kid can rip it," he said. Mayock added Webb had to throw the ball in a downpour during his Pro Day, which gave him the belief that Webb could succeed in a cold-weather climate like Cleveland or somewhere else in the Northeast.
— Mayock's favorite Day 2 guys: Washington safety Budda Baker, who's "just a pure football player" and Western Kentucky guard Forrest Lamp, whom he called the "best offensive lineman in this draft."
