Alright, so last night I finally sat down to really dig into this Browns draft stuff for 2024. Feels like it took forever, honestly. I remember thinking, “Man, how do those draft guys even do this?” So yeah, this is me stumbling through my own mess trying to figure it out.
Getting My Head Straight (And Coffee)
First things first, I grabbed a cup of coffee – big mug, nothing fancy. Needed to focus. My laptop was already open with like, fifteen Chrome tabs, mostly trash about mock drafts. Had the Browns’ roster pulled up on one screen, and this massive spreadsheet of draft prospects on the other. Looked super impressive for about two minutes until I actually started. Kinda overwhelming seeing all those names and numbers. Thought, “Welp, here goes nothing.”
What Do The Browns Even Need?
Started by staring really hard at the Browns roster. We know the deal: Defense was rough last year. Like, really rough. Especially those linebackers getting beat up, and the D-line getting gashed sometimes. Secondary needs help too, honestly. Offense? Watson needs blocking, right? Always feels like we need bodies on that line. And another receiver? Maybe? That’s what everyone yaps about online. So that was my starting point: focus on Defense mostly, maybe some O-line depth, maybe sniff around for a receiver later if one falls.
My Initial Target List Looked Like:
- Defensive Line: Big humans who can stop the run and maybe bother the QB. Cleveland gotta get stronger upfront.
- Linebacker: Need some young legs who can actually cover and tackle. This is a huge glaring hole.
- Offensive Tackle: Keep Watson’s jersey clean, please? Always a concern.
- Wide Receiver: Not gonna force it early, but if someone tasty slides down? Sure.
Diving Into The Mock Draft Madness
Then came the rabbit hole. Started reading like, every mock draft preview I could find that mentioned the Browns specifically. So many names swirling around:
- Jer’Zhan Newton? Felt like a pipe dream, everyone loves him.
- T.J. Tampa? Cornerback name kept popping up.
- Troy Fautanu? People think he could slide? Browns grab him?
- Braden Fiske? D-line guy getting buzz late.
Everyone seems to think Andrew Berry (our GM) loves trading down. Gets tricky picking at 54th overall – feels like the good stuff is gone, or maybe someone slips? Mock drafts from guys who supposedly know stuff had the Browns going defense like 80% of the time. That felt right to me. Saw Fiske mocked to us a LOT lately. Also saw people mocking receivers like Keon Coleman or Xavier Worthy, which honestly surprised me a bit unless they fell hard. Then I started reading actual player profiles, trying to figure out who fits our nasty defense. Jim Schwartz wants specific types, especially on D-line – need quick, aggressive dudes.
Putting My Own Board Together (Totally Amateur Hour)
Okay, time to actually try building my own Browns mock round thing. Had my messy spreadsheet open. Tried simulating the picks before us. Some teams definitely gonna grab D-line early. Need to be realistic. Decided my ideal scenario: one of those top-tier defensive tackles somehow falls into our laps. More likely? Edge rusher or corner at 54 if a good one is left. Also really liked the idea of finding a linebacker later. Found myself liking guys like Fiske or his FSU teammate Jared Verse (but Verse ain’t lasting to 54!). For linebacker, names like Payton Wilson or Junior Colson seemed interesting later on. Wasted way too much time on “what if X player slides?” scenarios.
The Final (Totally Made-Up) Browns Haul
After like, three cups of coffee and maybe a snack break, here’s kinda how I saw it shaking out realistically for my little exercise:
- Pick 54: Went with Braden Fiske (DT, FSU). Just feels like the buzz is real, and his motor fits our defense. Other names like Kris Jenkins or Mike Hall Jr. were in my head too.
- Later Picks: Felt like we gotta grab a linebacker. Liked Payton Wilson’s tape a lot if he’s there in the 3rd-ish. Also kept thinking about O-line depth – somebody like Matt Jones (Guard). And yeah, maybe a receiver project late? Someone with speed. Used some online draft simulators (not the fancy ones!) to try and move around picks, see if I could trade down for more later shots. Always easier said than done.
And Then I Realized…
Finally shutting down the laptop around midnight, brain buzzing. One big thought hit me: Berry is probably gonna do something completely wild that no one sees coming. Like, not even close to what I spent hours messing with. Saw him take Wright when nobody mocked him, saw him grab JOK way earlier than expected. That’s the truth! All these mocks are fun guesses, but Berry loves playing chess. My whole exercise was fun, learned a ton about the prospects actually, but also realized it’s mostly just trying to crack a really tough nut. Browns draft night gonna be its own beast, probably weird as usual. Can’t wait to see how spectacularly wrong I am! That’s the fun part.
