The Cleveland Browns have as much optionality as any franchise heading into the NFL draft later this month, as they hold two first-round picks (Nos. 6 and 24) and are potentially interested in trading down from their selection inside the top 10.
Cleveland has several roster holes to fill, though the most common projections see the Browns addressing massive concerns at offensive tackle and wide receiver in Round 1.
Wideout Carnell Tate of Ohio State is thus the most likely pick at No. 6, though Dominique Foxworth of ESPN, a former pro cornerback, offered a compelling take on the April 10 edition of his show as to why teams in Cleveland’s exact position could find better positional value later in the draft.
“The tackle spot feels a lot like the receiver spot this year, where there’s not really someone who is clearly [a can’t-miss prospect],” Foxworth said.
With that in mind, trading down with a team like the Kansas City Chiefs (No. 9) or Dallas Cowboys (No. 12), either of which may want to come up for a specific player, could make plenty of sense. However, Foxworth suggested Cleveland take a different tact should Miami edge-rusher Rueben Bain Jr. fall outside the top five.
“If Rueben Bain slides to the Browns, that would be an incredible fit — a very exciting spot there,” Foxworth continued. “I like Bain and [Myles] Garrett, and the Browns deciding that the way they are going to win is being unblockable.”
“With [defensive tackle] Mason Graham, too, that would be a really powerful defensive line — a freakishly strong defensive line,” Foxworth’s co-host Charlie Kravitz added.
Rueben Bain Jr. Arguably Top Pass-Rusher in NFL Draft
GettyMiami Hurricanes pass-rusher Rueben Bain Jr.
Bain produced 33.5 tackles for loss and 20.5 sacks across 38 games in a three-year span with the Hurricanes. He has shorter arms than typical for an elite edge defender, but Bain is a power-rusher the likes of which have proven largely reliable at the NFL level.
While a popular take is that Bain will end up the third pass-rusher taken behind Ohio State’s Arvell Reese and David Bailey of Texas Tech, Foxworth argued last week that Bain is potentially the best pro prospect of all three.
“The man has been incredibly productive, unblockable against top-level talent. He’s going to be effective in the NFL,” Foxworth said. “He’s definitely above Bailey to me. I had him behind Reese. I’m getting closer to believing he’s better than Reese.”
Rueben Bain Jr. May Not Drop to Browns in NFL Draft
GettyMiami Hurricanes edge-rusher Rueben Bain Jr.
That could mean Bain doesn’t fall to the Browns. Both the New York Jets at No. 2 and Arizona Cardinals at No. 3 are candidates to draft an edge-rusher. The Tennessee Titans also have that need, among several others, at pick No. 4.
But if the order of top-tier edge-rushers falls in the way most commonly predicted — Reese, Bailey and then Bain — and one of the teams picking between Nos. 2-4 drafts another position, then the Browns may find themselves staring Bain in the face.
The middle 20s, where Cleveland will make its second selection, is a range in which a number of promising tackles should still be available. The Browns could take Bain in the top 10, get their offensive lineman in the mid-20s and then use the No. 39 overall pick in Round 2 to draft a quality receiver.
Trading back may still prove the best path for the Browns. But Cleveland could certainly do worse than pairing arguably the best edge-rusher in this class with Garrett — a two-time Defensive Player of the Year who set the NFL’s single-season record with 23 sacks last season.
Browns Pitched on Pairing Myles Garrett With 20-Sack Power-Rusher