The Browns' 2017 season has went about as well as other recent seasons for the franchise, with Cleveland struggling to find wins no matter the opponent or situation. Cleveland is an overwhelming favorite to have a top-two pick for the third straight year. Will they use it this time to find a quarterback? If not, who else could be in play for the franchise? We'll answer those questions now.
2018 draft picks
- Round 1: Cleveland, Houston
- Round 2: Cleveland, Houston, Philadelphia
- Round 3: Cleveland
- Round 4: Cleveland, Carolina
- Round 5: Cleveland, Kansas City
- Round 6: Cleveland
- Round 7: Cleveland
The Browns own two first-round picks and three second-round picks thanks to being one of the most active teams on the trade market the last few years. The team earned the Texans' first-rounder via the trade that landed Deshaun Watson in Houston, and they took on the Brock Osweiler contract in order to land the Texans' second-round pick as well.
Houston is currently on track to pick seventh, so those trades could position the Browns to pick four times in the top 40 one year after having four picks in the top 52. The Browns also own the Eagles' second-round pick by virtue of the trade that landed Carson Wentz in Philadelphia, but that figures to be late in the second round.
That's not all the extra picks for the Browns, who own Carolina's fourth-round pick and Kansas City's fifth-round pick as well. The franchise owns 12 picks in all and has the flexibility to move up and down as needed.
Biggest offseason needs
- Quarterback
- Running back
- Right tackle
- Outside linebacker
- Cornerback
As always, fixing the Browns starts with finding a franchise quarterback. After trading out of the picks that were used to draft Carson Wentz and Deshaun Watson in successive years, the pressure is on to land a franchise signal-caller in this draft. DeShone Kizer has flashed potential during his rookie season, but it's been a case of the negatives far outweighing the positives, so expect the team to keep their options open heading into this draft.
At running back, Isaiah Crowell will be a free agent, so at worst the team will want to find a back to pair with Duke Johnson in the backfield. The offensive line is mostly set, but right tackle remains a weakness with Shon Coleman struggling in his second season.
On defense, the team could use depth behind several emerging stars and starters, but at worst they should be on the lookout for linebackers, particularly someone who can drop back and play in pass coverage, and cornerback, where Jason McCourty and Brien Boddy-Calhoun have played well but could use more talent to fill out the secondary.
Prospects to watch
Sam Darnold, QB, USC
Darnold has a challenge against a physical Stanford defense in the Pac-12 title game on Saturday, then will likely face another defense with plenty of talent in a high-profile bowl game -- outside the college football playoff. If you're a Browns fan, you're monitoring all of Darnold's snaps in his next two games. He's already thrown 12 picks this season, but his last four games have featured seven touchdowns and just two interceptions. The USC star has immense upside due to his rapid processing and accuracy to all levels of the field.
Derrius Guice, RB, LSU
Chances are, you've seen Saquon Barkley run the football during one of the handful of primetime games he appeared in during his illustrious career at Penn State. Don't sleep on Guice, the LSU feature back with a large frame and serious cutting ability between the tackles. His film screams first-round running back.
Zachary Crabtree, RT, Oklahoma State
Interestingly, Oklahoma State's best offensive linemen plays right tackle, not on the left side. Crabtree has NFL size and has pieced together back-to-back years of sound pass-protection for Mason Rudolph and the Cowboys' explosive offense.
Christian Sam, OLB, Arizona State
Sam is in the mold of the trendy smaller, twitchier outside linebacker and has proven to be a tackling machine for the Sun Devils. He missed all but one game in 2016 with injury but had 96 tackles as a sophomore in 2015. This year, the 6-foot-2, 235-pounder already has 127 tackles and 9.5 tackles for loss. He'd add more sideline-to-sideline speed to the second level of the Browns defense.
Joshua Jackson, CB, Iowa
As a secondary member on the Browns, you have to deal with Antonio Brown and A.J. Green a total of four times per season. While Alabama's Minkah Fitzpatrick is worth watching, keep an eye on Jackson, an old-school man-to-man cornerback with intense ball skills and awareness in coverage. He has seven interceptions and 18 pass breakups on the season.
