Following the signing of Jadeveon Clowney, the Cleveland Browns draft approach has changed. Instead of using the 26th pick in the 2021 NFL Draft to select a young edge-rusher, they can now look to add more to the secondary or even take the best offensive player available.
Let’s take a look at the Browns draft approach.
Browns Approach to 2021 NFL Draft
Trade Up For a Cornerback
With Clowney signed, the Browns may be one or two players away from being a real Super Bowl contender this fall. In my humble opinion, that one player could be Jaycee Horn, who played his college ball at South Carolina. Horn is the son of former NFL star Joe Horn. He has all the tools to be a complete cornerback in the NFL. He’s physical at the line of scrimmage, with the speed to keep up with explosive players. The only question mark surrounding Horn is his ball skills. In his three years playing for the Gamecocks, he only had two interceptions. That number is incredibly low for a first-round cornerback. However, with Greedy Williams being a question mark heading into the season, Horn could be the missing puzzle piece to the Browns defense. He and Denzel Ward would be one of the best corner duos in the league.
Trade Back to Acquire More Draft Picks
The crop of 2021 NFL Draft prospects this year is very uncertain. Other than Trevor Lawrence, there aren’t many sure-things in the draft. That could play into the Browns’ favor. It seems that he level of talent in the first round sharply drops off after the first 15 or so picks. However, after dropping off, it seems like players ranked 20-40 have relatively the same talent. If the Browns could get a pick in the low-to-mid 30’s, it would be a great idea to trade that pick for two second-rounders, one being next year.
Proposed trade: Browns Receive 2021 2nd-Round Pick (Pick 39), 2022 2nd-Round Pick(CAR), Carolina Receives Pick 26
Draft Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah at No. 26
This is a longshot, in a way. I don’t expect to see Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah to drop this far, as he will likely be selected in the early 20’s. However, if he is available he gives, the Browns defense a new dimension. Owusu-Koramoah reminds some of Derwin James and Isaiah Simmons. He could fit into the Browns linebacking corps as a linebacker-safety hybrid. Owusu-Koramoah would not be my first choice if he’s on the board, but he would bring a new dimension that the Browns haven’t had in a long time.
