With The First Pick
Fansided

Cleveland Browns: Three rounds of a 2018 NFL Mock Draft

By Jedidiah Bicker

CLEVELAND, OH - DECEMBER 10: New General Manager John Dorsey of the Cleveland Browns is seen with owner Jimmy Haslam before the game against the Green Bay Packers at FirstEnergy Stadium on December 10, 2017 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH - DECEMBER 10: New General Manager John Dorsey of the Cleveland Browns is seen with owner Jimmy Haslam before the game against the Green Bay Packers at FirstEnergy Stadium on December 10, 2017 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 5
Next

Offensive Guard. Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Quenton Nelson. 4. player. 53.

Before Cleveland Browns fans freak out on this pick, let me explain my logic. With the highest paid huard tandem in the league, Nelson probably doesn’t make a lot of sense. However, for me, this pick is not just about selecting the best player available—even though he is.

Nelson is the best player in the 2018 NFL Draft. He’s big, he’s strong, and he’s absolutely devastating to interior defensive lineman. Nelson also is athletic enough to do a lot of cleanup work inside the line.

He has the awareness to feel pass rushers left in space and give his quarterback more room to work. Nelson also has the ability to move multiple players downhill, fixing mistakes made by other linemen.

Cleveland hasn’t been given any indication that Joe Thomas is coming back next season. If the Browns take Nelson, that could in theory move Joe Bitonio back out to tackle to make room for Nelson.

Bitonio played the position in college, and many analysts in the league think he can go back. I’m not sure if Dorsey will be willing to use the No. 4 overall pick on a guard, but this would be an opportunity to get the best player in the draft and a can’t-miss prospect.

Home/Cleveland Browns