Browns ride analytical guardrails in 3-round 2021 NFL Mock Draft

Round 3, Pick 89: Nico Collins, WR, Michigan

Wide receiver will be a top need for the Browns, and with the opportunity, we could see them take one earlier than most fans believe. If a name like Minnesota’s Rashod Bateman fell into their laps with the 26th overall pick, we could see them take a wide receiver in the first round. Here, however, they have taken Michigan wide receivers in back-to-back seasons after landing Peoples-Jones a year ago.

With the 89th overall pick in this mock draft, the Browns land Nico Collins to give themselves a contingency plan beyond 2021. In fact, all three of their top receivers in Odell Beckham Jr., Jarvis Landy, and Rashard Higgins are no locks to be on the roster after this season. This is why a wide receiver is a more pressing need than the surface would display in Cleveland.

While Collins’ production fell below the threshold, Collins had to play through subpar quarterback play during his time in Ann Arbor. He opted out this year, with his only live football coming at the Reeses Senior Bowl. At his pro day, however, Collins tested off the charts, especially for his size.

Measuring in at 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds, Collins ran a blazing 4.45 40-yard dash, leapt to a 37.5 inch vertical, a 10-foot-5 broad jump, and ran a fast 6.71-second three-cone drill. He finished with a Relative Athletic Score of 9.57. He remains firmly on the radar of the Browns.