The Cleveland Browns Offseason
2022 Dream Draft Pick: Travis Jones
The Cleveland Browns hold the 44th pick in the NFL draft and need interior defensive line help badly after losing Larry Ogunjobi in free agency and if their was a player the Browns would be hoping fall to them to fill that role it would be Travis Jones. Jones is a freak athlete of an interior defensive lineman that can both stuff the run with efficiency and collapse the pocket allowing Myles Garrett and company to make plays in the backfield.
The To-Do List
It might be time to think about trading Baker
The Baker Mayfield era in Cleveland is coming to a head and with the team even though his team picked up his 5th year option, it remains an uncertainty if the Browns will commit to him long-term and with his injury history, inconsistent play on the field, and drama that he causes in the organization. I haven't been a big Baker Mayfield fan since he was draft #1 overall and his NFL career in a way proves that my worries about him were real and the Browns organization might be thinking the same thing which is why instead waiting for Baker Mayfield to have his make or break season and potentially cost this team a shot at making the playoffs is to trade him away for another quarterback and let him be someone else's problem. Baker Mayfield is an enigma as a quarterback and the Browns have talented team around him that are in a win now mode and if I am Cleveland I am asking teams around the league about what they would offer for him. Mayfield has some talent in him so he isn't a complete bust and their are plenty of owners in this league that like him not just from a marketing standpoint but because he might have some untapped potential. Mayfield probably won't want out of Cleveland and it's been reported that the Browns are doing their due diligence with finding a potential upgrade over him. I don't know what you could get for Baker Mayfield in a trade but a late Day 2 pick from an organization that needs a quarterback with some moxxy could be in the market.
Draft Odell's replacement: Drake London or Treylon Burks
Odell Beckham being released from the Browns in 2021 to go onto help the Rams win the Super Bowl is probably one of the biggest burns a franchise has suffered in a very long time and it's a big reason why Baker Mayfield is potentially on the outs in 2021 but whatever happens with Mayfield the Browns need to address the receiver position in 2022 after his exit and with the Browns likely to be hamstrung by the cap, the Browns need to go into the draft with receiver on the brain with their 13th overall pick. The Browns could very well have the pick of the litter when it comes the receivers of the NFL draft and if a Drake London or a Treylon Burks are available at the top and while either would be a great fit in Cleveland it will be debated as to which one is better.
The Cleveland Browns in my opinion need a ball hawking receiver that can come down with contested catches due to Baker inconsistent accuracy and having a receiver that you can plug and play early in his rookie year and potentially be an impact rookie what the Browns need. London has all the makings to be an absolute problem for defensive backs and I would be surprised to see him fall past the Browns 13th pick.
- Drake London: Drake London is the best pure outside receiver in this draft and his size, athleticism, and style of play harkon back to the mid 2000's where the best receivers in the NFL always seemed to be above 6'4" and 215 lbs. and London certainly as the look and build to make an immediate impact in the NFL. London was recruited by USC to play both basketball and football and his leaping ability, ball skills, and exceptional ability to almost rebound the football on contested catches certainly made him one of the most dangerous receivers in college football. London is also one of the best run after catch receivers in the draft, 2nd behind Burks in my opinion, and with some coaching in his route-running London could be one of the best receivers in the NFL very early in his career.
- Treylon Burks: Treylon Burks is one of the draft best athletes and could be D.K. Metcalf 2.0 at the combine just based on his rumored freakish athleticism for his size and his game tape that shows a man that can burn the best college football defenders with ease. Burks is a 6'3" and 225 lbs. monster of a receiver that if given the football can do some devastating damage to defense and is hands down the best run after catch receiver in the draft. He's taken short screen passes and shallow crosses 80+ yards to the house and was a very good deep ball receiver. He has elite hands and plays with excellent toughness and I wouldn't be shocked to see him potentially run the football for the Browns like Odell did on occasion. He's going to heavy coaching as a route-runner but once he gets acclimated into the NFL and starts to become more nuanced at the position he could be a special player.
The Cleveland Browns in my opinion need a ball hawking receiver that can come down with contested catches due to Baker inconsistent accuracy and having a receiver that you can plug and play early in his rookie year and potentially be an impact rookie what the Browns need. London has all the makings to be an absolute problem for defensive backs and I would be surprised to see him fall past the Browns 13th pick.
Jimmy Garopollo to Cleveland? Why it could work
If there is a trade target for the Cleveland Browns in 2022 it should be the San Francisco 49ers outcast quarterback in Jimmy Garopollo whose play in San Francisco, while occasionally disappointing, is better than anything Baker Mayfield did last season and without the drama that Baker causes. The Cleveland Browns a run-heavy ground and pound offense with the makings of an elite defense when all of the pieces are working together, just like the NIners, and when the team doesn't have to rely on Jimmy Garopollo to win the game JImmy can keep a great party going for an offense. The Cleveland Browns have always been a drama oozing tire-fire as an organization but draft picks they have used and free agent signing they have put under contract got them into the playoffs and at one point they looked like a potential Super Bowl team. Jimmy Garopollo has been a relatively good playoff quarterback and has played under the bright light of the Super Bowl and if the Browns want to make to the big game they may need to make this trade a reality. The Baker Mayfield experiment may not be over just yet but the results of years past are telling us their present and future and Cleveland needs true veteran leadership at the top. It would cost Cleveland a tremendous amount either considering that the 49ers have Trey Lance behind Garopollo and need to see what he can do but Jimmy G's book isn't written yet and Clevelands playoff chances aren't gone. I would give San Francisco a 2nd round pick and call it a day to see if they would bite and I wouldn't be shocked to seem go for it.