General manager Andrew Berry and the sports bars around town will have something in common Thursday night: They won’t be nearly as busy as on a typical first day of the draft.
Berry shipped the No. 13 pick to the Texans as part of the controversial and blockbuster trade for quarterback Deshaun Watson. Berry said it’s “unlikely” he’ll trade back into the first round, so the time will be spent watching his peers make picks.
Here’s my best guess at what those picks will look like until the Browns are on the clock at No. 44:
| Team | Player | Position | College | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Jacksonville | Travon Walker | DE | Georgia | Edge rusher trumps tackle. |
| 2. Detroit | Aidan Hutchinson | DE | Michigan | Their guy falls in the Lions’ lap. |
| 3. Houston | Ikem Ekwonu | T | N.C. State | Wouldn’t be stunned if he goes No. 1. |
| 4. N.Y. Jets | Ahmad Gardner | CB | Cincinnati | “Sauce” gives the Jets a cover corner. |
| 5. N.Y. Giants | Charles Cross | T | Mississippi State | Giants have a lot of work to do. |
| 6. Carolina | Evan Neal | T | Alabama | Bypassing a quarterback opens the door for a Baker Mayfield trade. |
| 7. N.Y. Giants (from Chicago) | Kayvon Thibodeaux | DE | Oregon | Might be the most talented player in the draft. |
| 8. Atlanta | Garrett Wilson | WR | Ohio State | A skill position player … finally. |
| 9. Seattle (from Denver) | Derek Stingley Jr. | CB | LSU | Great value for the Seahawks. |
| 10. N.Y. Jets (from Seattle) | Drake London | WR | USC | He and Gardner should have epic battles in training camp. |
| 11. Washington | Kyle Hamilton | S | Notre Dame | Commanders can’t pass on the top-five talent. |
| 12. Minnesota | Jameson Williams | WR | Alabama | A torn ACL in January doesn’t scare off new GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. |
| 13. Houston (from Cleveland) | Treylon Burks | WR | Arkansas | He might’ve been the pick if the Browns were still here. |
| 14. Baltimore | Jordan Davis | DT | Georgia | Ravens can’t ignore a force on the D-line. |
| 15. Philadelphia (from Miami) | Trent McDuffie | CB | Washington | Eagles address back end of defense first. |
| 16. New Orleans (from Indianapolis through Philadelphia) | Chris Olave | WR | Ohio State | He’ll pair nicely with fellow former Buckeyes WR Michael Thomas. |
| 17. L.A. Chargers | Trevor Penning | T | Northern Iowa | Joins LT Rashawn Slater to protect Justin Herbert. |
| 18. Philadelphia (from New Orleans) | Jermaine Johnson II | DE | Florida State | Too good to pass up. |
| 19. New Orleans (from Philadelphia) | Devonte Wyatt | DT | Georgia | Second Bulldogs DT off the board. |
| 20. Pittsburgh | Kenny Pickett | QB | Pittsburgh | Steelers, who could trade up to do it, take first QB, and it’s not Malik Willis. |
| 21. New England | Devin Lloyd | LB | Utah | Nakobe Dean could be the pick. |
| 22. Green Bay (from Las Vegas) | Jahan Dotson | WR | Penn State | Somebody’s got to catch all the balls that went to Davante Adams. |
| 23. Arizona | George Karlaftis | DE | Purdue | Hard worker has power to spare. |
| 24. Dallas | Zion Johnson | G | Boston College | Cowboys love their interior linemen. |
| 25. Buffalo | Andrew Booth Jr. | CB | Clemson | A cornerback will be useful against the QBs the Bills will face in the playoffs. |
| 26. Tennessee | Tyler Linderbaum | C | Iowa | Young linemen are necessary on a team reliant on the run. |
| 27. Tampa Bay | Malik Willis | QB | Liberty | A year learning behind Tom Brady is the perfect situation. |
| 28. Green Bay | Arnold Ebiketie | DE | Penn State | Super Bowl contenders always need pass rushers. |
| 29. Kansas City (from San Francisco through Miami) | Dax Hill | S | Michigan | Can help replace Tyrann Mathieu. |
| 30. Kansas City | George Pickens | WR | Georgia | Can help replace Tyreek Hill. |
| 31. Cincinnati | Kenyon Green | G | Texas A&M | Offseason overhaul of the O-line continues. |
| 32. Detroit (from L.A. Rams) | Desmond Ridder | QB | Cincinnati | Third QB sneaks into first round. |
| SECOND ROUND | ||||
| 33. Jacksonville | Bernhard Raimann | T | Central Michigan | Trevor Lawrence must be protected. |
| 34. Detroit | Skyy Moore | WR | Western Michigan | A long-term target for Ridder. |
| 35. N.Y. Jets | Nakobe Dean | LB | Georgia | Robert Saleh will be happy to have him. |
| 36. N.Y. Giants | Trey McBride | TE | Colorado State | Might be a little early, but he’s the top tight end. |
| 37. Houston | Lewis Cine | S | Georgia | Bulldogs defenders are everywhere. |
| 38. N.Y. Jets (from Carolina) | Travis Jones | DT | Connecticut | A force in the middle of the defense. |
| 39. Chicago | Kaiir Elam | CB | Florida | Bears look to defense with first pick. |
| 40. Seattle (from Denver) | Tyler Smith | T | Tulsa | Seahawks need linemen. |
| 41. Seattle | Matt Corral | QB | Mississippi | Cross them off the list of potential landing spots for Mayfield. |
| 42. Indianapolis (from Washington) | Christian Watson | WR | North Dakota State | Colts make the most of their first pick. |
| 43. Atlanta | Boye Mafe | DE | Minnesota | North Carolina QB Sam Howell also an option. |
| 44. Cleveland | David Ojabo | DE | Michigan | A top-15 talent but is recovering from a torn Achilles tendon in March. |
REST OF BROWNS’ PICKS
Third round
No. 78: John Metchie III, WR, Alabama
No. 99 (compensatory pick): DeMarvin Leal, DT, Texas A&M
Fourth round
No. 118: Rasheed Walker, T, Penn State
Sixth round
No. 202 (from Dallas): Gabe Brkic, K, Oklahoma
Seventh round
No. 223 (from Detroit): EJ Perry, QB, Brown
No. 246 (from Buffalo): Isaac Taylor-Stuart, CB, USC
