Ordinarily we would be worrying about the Cleveland Browns adding one of the best prospects in the draft to their roster. Thanks to the fact that they have both the first and the fourth picks in the 2018 NFL Draft, however, they are likely going to be adding not only the best quarterback in the draft, but possibly the best player at another position as well—maybe even the best prospect in the entire class.
This is an aspect of the draft that actually hasn’t received as much attention as it should. Yes, the Browns will add another quarterback of their choosing. But they’re also going to be adding somebody the quality of Bradley Chubb or Saquon Barkley or Minkah Fitzpatrick, assuming that they don’t trade down, which is admittedly a possibly even if not as much as in recent years.
I think most mock drafts we are seeing in the late stages of the game, at least the ones that don’t have the New York Giants taking a quarterback (and thereby taking Barkley) are projecting Chubb to go to the Browns, which is not great news for AFC North quarterbacks.
Cleveland already added the top pass-rusher in the 2017 NFL Draft when they selected Myles Garrett with the first-overall pick. While he had an injury-riddled rookie campaign, he did flash a lot of talent when he was on the field and could be a major headache in 2018.
Toss Chubb on the other side of Garrett and that could be a pairing that gives the Pittsburgh Steelers fits for years to come. And frankly, when is the last time that you have had to really worry about the Browns’ pass rush?
The North Carolina edge rusher realizes there is a very good chance he ends up in Cleveland and he embraces the possibility. “That whole team is, I feel like, on the uprise, so being part of that would be pretty cool as well. If I got a chance to play on the opposite side of him, it would be like you said, havoc”, he told reporters yesterday as part of a pre-draft press conference.
Regarding the prospect of lining up on the opposite side of Garrett was another aspect he looks forward too, saying that it would “be cool” if that were to happen and calling him “a great player”.
Much of the focus has been on the Browns’ inability to find stability at the quarterback position and their struggles on offense in general, but the truth is that their defense has been in need of much improvement for a long time as well, in spite of the draft resources.
Setting themselves up with two young pass-rushers that could develop into premiere talents at their position would go a long way toward helping the rest of the defense to work. Cornerback is likely another area they will look at, as well as defensive tackle, following their trade of Danny Shelton.
