Though we are just entering the Conference championship round, ESPN’s resident draftnik has released his first mock draft for those who are not fans of the four NFL teams still remaining. Unlike last year, Browns fans only get to mull over one first-round pick. But per usual, the front office will be looking at a player who should be near the top of their draft board as the Browns select sixth overall.
Per Kiper, that sixth-overall pick — at least as things presently stand — will be Bjoern Werner, the 255-pound defnsive end out of Florida State.
“I’ve heard Werner compared to J.J. Watt,” writes Kiper. “And while he’s better suited to play defensive end in a 4-3 alignment because he doesn’t yet have the size to work primarily inside at this point, in terms of raw impact against the pass, the comparisons hold up. Not only does Werner provide immediate impact as a pass-rusher, like Watt, he defends the pass with his eyes and gets his hands up, disrupts passing lanes and swats away throws. A late arrival to football, he has a high ceiling. He’s an ideal fit in Cleveland, a team that saw the defense regress in 2012.”
Jarvis Jones, a player whom many have had their eye on as a pass-rusher for the Browns, is presently slated to go (surprise) fifth-overall to the Detroit Lions. Kiper has guard Chance Warmack going seventh with Notre Dame’s Manti Te’o going eighth. Ohio State’s Johnathan Hankins is pegged to be selected 15th by the New Orleans Saints.
[Related: Browns NFL Draft Needs: Guard or Defensive Playmaker?]
