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Browns Scouting Combine Preview

The NFL Scouting Combine starts this week as teams gather in Indianapolis to have doctors check out all of the prospects with in depth physicals, interview them and see them test athletically. This will be the first for the new Cleveland Browns administration as well as some changes in the combine format, including testing events in prime time.
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Just about everything that could go wrong with the 2019 Cleveland Browns did. Their best player, Myles Garrett, got suspended for the season, both of their premium wide receivers played hurt all year and were as much of a story off the field as on it and the head coach they hired was a total disaster. They finished the season 6-10 in addition to taking a step backward and finding themselves with more question marks heading into 2020.

The Browns currently hold the 10th pick of the draft and have seven selections overall at this point including two in the third round, but no fifth round pick. Executive Vice President Andrew Berry has expressed a willingness to be aggressive to add players, so they might be inclined to trade up to get their preferred target, but after the previous regime burned through so many picks, they may be interested in moving down to acquire more picks, whether it's for this draft or the future.

The pressing need for the Browns in the first round of the draft is offensive tackle, both left and right. This is a tremendously talented offensive tackle class and they should be in a good spot to get one, so long as it's one of the top guys they believe is a fit. In that event, it seems likely the team will simply grab the player they want and proceed on to the rest of the draft. If they like a few and find multiple sitting there at their pick or they don't, the Browns could be interested in moving back to add more assets while still getting something that fits a need and matches the value of the selection.

All eyes for the Browns will be on the offensive tackles in interviews, medical checks and athletic testing this coming week. Tristan Wirfs from Iowa and Andre Thomas from Georgia seem like ideal players that would interest them while players like Jedrick Wills from Alabama and Mekhi Becton from Louisville might not fit as well, but are remarkably talented in their own right. The other player to watch is Josh Jones from Houston that might be closer to a top ten pick in a different class, but if the Browns were to move back, he might be the player they are targeting.

This is going to be the first league event as it pertains to the draft where the Browns have a fully assembled staff and are in a position to fully consume everything that's happening as it's happening. The combination of Berry and head coach Kevin Stefanski have to quickly figure out how they transition from friends to an effective working relationship to be able to make the right picks for the Browns both in free agency in March and the NFL Draft in April. Berry will ultimately have the final say, but their entire organization is set up around Stefanski and their notion of alignment.