One Literally Massive Sleeper for Cleveland Browns in NFL Draft

The Cleveland Browns should absolutely take a chance on this towering sleeper weapon in the NFL Draft.

Sep 21, 2024; Norman, Oklahoma, USA; Tennessee Volunteers wide receiver Dont'e Thornton Jr. (1) runs for a touchdown during the first quarter against the Oklahoma Sooners at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

The Cleveland Browns' biggest need heading into to the NFL Draft is the quarterback position, and that has already been discussed at length. There's no need to continue driving that point into the ground.

However, that is far from the Browns' only area of weakness, as they also need some weapons for whoever will be under center next season.

While Colorado Buffaloes superstar Travis Hunter is widely viewed as the play for Cleveland with the No. 2 overall pick, this is a very deep class the wide receiver position, so there will be plenty of options available for the Browns later this month.

One massive sleeper—literally—that Cleveland should be heavily monitoring is Tennessee Volunteers standout Dont'e Thornton Jr.

I say "literally" because Thornton stands 6-foot-5, making him one of the biggest pass-catchers on the board.

Thornton is expected to be a Day 3 pick, but he could ultimately develop into one of the biggest steals of the draft. He ran a 4.30-second 40-yard dash at the Scouting Combine, which is absolutely unheard of for a player his size.

What's more, he caught 26 passes for 661 yards and six touchdowns this past season, good for a ridiculous average of 25.4 yards per catchl. That led the country.

So, given his freakish physical attributes and his remarkable efficiency, why, then, is Thornton generally viewed as a late-round selection?

Well, Thornton is rather one-dimensional right now. Yes, he is a tremendous deep threat who can definitely beat defensive backs on jump balls, but he doesn't have much of a route tree, and he also isn't very creative after the catch. That's the reason for his rather skimpy production in terms of actual receptions in 2024.

Still, given his immense raw talent, Thornton is absolutely worth a Day 3 flier for a Browns squad that is very short on weapons beyond Jerry Jeudy.

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