Who Would the Browns Take if They had Their First Round Draft Pick?

If you are a fan of the Cleveland Browns and a fan of the NFL Draft, next Thursday may be a long day for you. For the second of three straight years, the Browns do not have a first-round pick in the draft. When Cleveland traded for QB Deshaun Watson from the Houston Texans, they mortgaged their first-round picks for the foreseeable future.

Cleveland will get their shot in the third round since they don’t have a second-round pick, it was traded for WR Elijah Moore. However, it is sort of interest ting to imagine who the Browns would select in the first round, had they not traded away the pick.

Houston currently has the No. 12 pick in the draft from Cleveland. The Texans have plenty of holes on their roster and they’ll have a chance to pick a darn good player to fill one.

Getting into it, here are a few players I would have on my mind if the Browns has the No. 12 pick.

WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba (Ohio State)

Adding the best wideout in the draft to the team would do the trick. Smith-Njigba broke out as the third-option in 2021 as a Buckeye with over 1,600 receiving yards. In 2022 he played in just three games, less than that in terms of snaps.

Pick No. 12 may be too early for some but I’m a firm believer that JSN is the player he showed to be in 2021. Smith-Njigba is a good route runner with good footwork that flat-out gets open. The Buckeye product brings a smooth game, he operates well finding creases in the defense and breaking loose.

A shot at a player with the ceiling of a very good No. 1 receiver when all said and done.

DE Myles Murphy (Clemson)

On tape you can see why there is some hype about Murphy. His numbers while with the Tigers were not eye-popping

Murphy is an athletic player off the edge that is lengthy and wins with active hands often. Murphy is a plug-and-play player for any defense and would fit just right in with the Browns. A 1-2 punch of Ogbonnia Okoronkwo and Murphy would give Cleveland something special across from Myles Garrett.

The 4.52 40-yard dash at 6-foot-4 and 265+ pounds is impressive, to say the least. A good player that we can just dream about at this point.

DT Calijah Kancey (Pittsburgh)

Kancey is widely regarded as the second-best interior defender in the draft behind Jalen Carter. The Pitt product comes off as looking like an edge rusher at 6 feet and 275 pounds. Though he’s undersized, Kancey is a problem right from the snap where he can beat guards inside. An athletic tackle that

If you’re looking for productivity, Kancey has that. He’s combined for 27.5 tackles for a loss and 14.5 sacks over the last two seasons, that’s in just 23 games.

An explosive, high-motor player that would have added a potential star to the Browns’ defensive line down the road. He has that kind of potential.

Edge Nolan Smith (Georgia)

Smith really caught the eye of people at the NFL Combine where he showed he is an athletic freak. Smith recorded a sub 4.4 40-yard dash and a 41.5-inch vertical. At 235 pounds Smith is a bit light off the edge, so adding 15 pounds to operate in a 4-3 defense would be ideal.

The sack numbers at Georgia weren’t great, his best was 4.5 of them in his junior year. Smith combined for 12.5 sacks over his four seasons as a Bulldog.

Smith can play in coverage and is very good against the run, showing his speed to get to the ball.

I expect that Smith will be drafted a bit earlier than a player with his production should due to his athletic traits. Perhaps even in the top-15. If the Browns had their pick at 12, he would certainly have to be an option.

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