Cleveland Browns Look to Fill Gaps in Draft without First-Round Picks

The Cleveland Browns finished the 2023 season with a record of 11-6, but lost in the wild-card round of the playoffs. As they look ahead to the NFL Draft, the Browns have draft picks in the second, third, fifth, sixth, and seventh rounds.

Despite being in good shape overall, the team has identified its top needs heading into the draft as wide receiver, offensive tackle, and defensive line. Adding depth at these positions would be beneficial for the Browns. While Jerry Jeudy has helped at receiver and Dawand Jones showed potential as an offensive lineman last year with his fourth-round selection, further help on both lines would be wise without many other pressing needs.

In this year’s draft, the Browns do not have a first-round pick. However, there are several potential fits for them in the second and third rounds that could address their needs. In particular, Ja’Lynn Polk from Washington could provide much-needed depth at wide receiver while Kiran Amegadjie from Yale could be a valuable addition to their offensive line.

The Browns received a C-plus grade for their performance in last year’s draft due to not having a pick in the first two rounds. Despite this challenge, they were able to make nine starts with Dawand Jones who was selected in the fourth round. Looking forward to future drafts, a dream fantasy pick for Cleveland would be a quarterback as their greatest need appears to be at that position and there is uncertainty surrounding Deshaun Watson’s current situation with him on team.