Berea, OH (92.3 The Fan) – Following a quiet round one Thursday night, the 2019 NFL Draft begins Friday for the Cleveland Browns.
General manager John Dorsey said late Thursday night that he attempted to trade into the opening round no less than three times, but the compensation involved was just too much but don’t expect Dorsey to sit idle Friday night.
“Now we can really get into the exercise of moving up and moving back,” Dorsey said. “We will be actively be working the phones all day and all evening [Friday].”
Cleveland enters round two with the 49th overall pick – 17th in the round and with No. 80 overall in round 3.
Dorsey also has No. 119 in round 4 along with three fifth round choices – Nos. 144, 155 and 170 – plus 189 in round six and 221 in the seventh to use or trade. Looking at the 2020 stockpile, the Browns have all seven of their picks plus Arizona’s sixth rounder (Jamar Taylor trade) and Buffalo’s seventh (Corey Coleman trade).
Now to the day two options.
In what was a bit of a surprise, only one cornerback was picked Thursday night – Georgia’s Deandre Baker No. 30 by the Giants following a trade with Seattle – meaning there could potentially be a run on them early in round two.
Same can be said for receivers after Marquise Brown – No. 25 to Baltimore – and N’Keal Harry – 32nd to the Patriots – were taken.
From Dorsey and the Browns’ perspective, they’re quietly hoping the receivers, which include Ole Miss’ D.K. Metcalf and A.J. Brown, Iowa State’s Hakeem Butler and Stanford’s JJ Arcega-Whiteside go before corners Friday night, and with their immediate offensive needs addressed, any offensive player that gets picked before 49 helps their cause by pushing defenders down the board.
The top corners that remain available (in no particular order) are LSU’s Greedy Williams, Michigan State’s Justin Layne, Washington’s Byron Murphy, Notre Dame’s Julian Love, Temple’s Rock Ya-Sin, Michigan’s David Long and Kentucky’s Lonnie Johnson to name a few.
Dorsey could also opt to add more depth and punch behind his four starters up front on the defensive line meaning edge rushers Zach Alle from Boston College, Anthony Nelson of Iowa or Ohio State defensive tackle Dre’Mont Jones could be a possibility.
Although a thin class, Alabama linebacker Mack Wilson is the best of the group remaining and it’s expected he’ll go in the second round. With a lack of depth at the position, it’s worth adding Wilson to the Browns’ watch list.
While we’re focused on the defensive side of the ball, there are opportunities on offense for Dorsey to address big picture needs, especially on the offensive line with left tackle Greg Robinson re-signed for one year and center J.C. Tretter entering the final year of his contract.
Ole Miss tackle Greg Little, West Virginia tackle Yondy Cajuste, Florida tackle Jawaan Taylor, Kansas State tackle Dalton Risner and Mississippi State center Elgton Jenkins could all be possibilities should Dorsey surprise us all early Friday night.
Because of Dorsey’s aggressive nature moving up the board, it’s entirely possible he could also slide back a few slots to pick up an additional mid-round pick or two to provide him with even more flexibility on days two and three.
The possibilities are endless.
For Dorsey and the Browns, now the 2019 Draft – and fun – begins.
