2021 NFL Team Draft Page

As the season approaches its home stretch, the Browns appear to be on the way to their first playoff berth since 2002. That's right; there are high school seniors that have never seen Cleveland reach the postseason. I have to credit Kevin Stefansky and Andrew Berry for that.

For the first time in recent memory, the Browns have an identity. They are the league's best running team, and it appears that both Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt are on their way to 1,000-yard seasons. Now, the Browns have to build around that identity. Usually, great running teams keep their defense fresh, which makes average units look good, and good units look great.

When you give a great defense plenty of time to catch their breath and make adjustments, that's when a team can start setting their sights on playing a conference championship or even a Super Bowl. That is where I am focusing this pick. Give me a player that can help make this defense better instantly. It could be an end like Miami's Gregory Rousseau, Michigan's Kwity Paye, or the freakishly-long Jayson Oweh out of Penn State. It could be a linebacker like Notre Dame's Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Missouri's Nick Bolton, or Alabama's Dylan Moses. It could even be a defensive back like Ohio State's Shaun Wade or TCU's Trevon Moehrig. Whoever the top defensive player is on their board when the pick comes, that is who I'd take with few exceptions.

Check out our new Team Page feature, the Browns' Team Page shows the entire roster of Cleveland picks for Consensus Mock Draft #10 centralized in one place.

~ Austin Smith, DraftTek Senior Analyst