Browns mock draft 2.0: Abdul Carter in Round 1, Ohio State-heavy on Day 2

The NFL Scouting Combine is over.

Across the league, teams are focused on the start of the player movement period on Monday and the race to fit veterans into budgets and under the salary cap.

The Cleveland Browns two primary offseason storylines are unchanged and unsettled.

Myles Garretts trade request that feels more like a demand lingers, and the Browns need to add two quarterbacks as part of their attempt to rebound from last seasons 3-14 disaster.

The team insists that Garrett is unavailable, and it feels like landing the right quarterback or quarterbacks would be the best way to get him to change his mind.

GO DEEPER The Browns could be facing a total rebuild, even if they keep Myles Garrett We dont know which direction general manager Andrew Berry and the Browns will go in adding a veteran quarterback next week.

While we wait, well go back to projecting their plans for April with mock draft 2.0, the post-combine edition.

At the combine, Berry said the Browns are working under the idea that theyll have 11 picks.

Wed previously followed Over the Caps projection that Cleveland would end up with five sixth-rounders and 12 total selections after compensatory picks were awarded.

Advertisement The draft order will be finalized as soon as the compensatory picks are made official, but that hadnt happened by Wednesday.

So for this exercise, well project the Browns with 11 selections, four sixth-rounders and pick numbers settled only on the drafts first two days.

Round 1, No.

2: Abdul Carter, Edge, Penn State The Browns need a quarterback.

They have a lot of needs, as youre keenly aware, and Im fairly certain theyd like to start their draft with a QB.

If Miamis Cam Ward is available at No.

2, Im 99 percent confident he will be the Browns pick.

But everything I continue to hear reinforces that they have the second pick in a draft that has one top-tier quarterback.

So, Im guessing that the Tennessee Titans will either select Ward at No.

1 or auction off the pick.

In the post-combine mock draft by The Athletic s Dane Brugler, he projects the New York Giants to nab Ward at No.

1 after a trade.

Might the Browns be involved in a trade-up scenario if they really covet Ward? Sure, especially because I dont believe any other quarterback is worthy of a top-10 selection.

But before we make any real judgments, I want to see what happens in the veteran quarterback market next week and also see if Cleveland holds firm on its stance that Garrett is not available for trade.

Carter is not a bad consolation prize, and he fits the long-term plans whether Garrett is on the team or not.

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1 pick? Round 2, No.

33: Donovan Jackson, OL, Ohio State Jackson played guard at Ohio State before talented left tackle Josh Simmons another potential Browns target suffered a season-ending knee injury in October.

That pushed Jackson to left tackle, where he played at a high level as part of a national championship run.

With seven-time Pro Bowl guard Joel Bitonio picking one more season over retirement , the team could start Jackson at left tackle with the option of having him replace Bitonio inside in 2026 if it doesnt work out.

Either way, left tackle is a position the Browns almost have to address early in this draft.

With the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Rams among the teams late in the first round likely to be watching tackle prospects, keep an eye on a potential trade back into the first round by Cleveland either for a left tackle or quarterback.

Advertisement Round 3, No.

67: Quinshon Judkins, RB, Ohio State The Browns have to get back to running the ball effectively, and even in the unlikely event that they end up having one more dance with Nick Chubb, they need to plan for the future with Jerome Ford entering the final year of his rookie contract.

Judkins followed up an outstanding college career with an impressive combine showing, and he appears ready to be an immediate NFL contributor.

Honestly, Im not sure if Cleveland will prioritize running back, wide receiver or tight end.

But I think adding playmakers and big-play ability to the offense has to be emphasized, and Judkins near the top of the third round would feel like a steal.

Round 3, No.

94: Riley Leonard, QB, Notre Dame I know you raised your eyebrows at this one.

And trust me, you cant call me anything that my mother didnt call me for decades.

But at this stage, I believe Ward is going No.

1, and I think the Browns are mostly going to put their faith for 2025 in whichever veteran quarterback they land next week.

I also believe they think Leonard is a legitimate NFL prospect with brains, athleticism and upside.

Hes been on NFL radars since his time at Duke and finished his college career at Notre Dame last season.

In Indianapolis, I heard that Leonard and Ohio States Will Howard have fans across various front offices and will be under the spotlight over the next several weeks in their formal pre-draft visits and private workouts.

Im not sure anyone knows when the quarterbacks will come off the board after Ward at the top, and I wouldnt be shocked to see Cleveland wait rather than try to trade back into the second round.

A lot of this, of course, depends on the quarterback movement across the league next week and which teams fall in love or force themselves to fall in love with Shedeur Sanders, Jaxson Dart and Tyler Shough over the next month or so.

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2 Round 4: Isaiah Bond, WR, Texas As noted above, the Browns need offensive pop.

Bond didnt set the combine 40-yard dash record despite saying publicly that he might, but he still has plenty of speed.

With Jerry Jeudy the clear No.

1 wide receiver and tight end David Njoku and wideout Cedric Tillman set to serve as the big targets for at least one more season, my guess is Cleveland will be looking for speed first in its mid-round wide receiver target.

Advertisement Round 5: Emery Jones Jr., OT, LSU Jones is just 21 and isnt a finished product, but he has athletic gifts and three years of starting experience at LSU.

The Browns hope Jack Conklin can continue to play at a high level and Dawand Jones can find a way to remain healthy enough to reach his ceiling.

But, considering the way things have gone the last two years, the team would be wise to continue to invest in the tackle position.

Round 6: JJ Pegues, DT/FB, Ole Miss One of the most fun prospects to know and watch in this draft, Pegues had seven rushing touchdowns last season.

Yes, youre reading that correctly.

Ole Miss listed Pegues at 325 pounds and used him as an offensive weapon, mostly a short-yardage battering ram.

Though hes primarily viewed as a potential rotational player whos part of a stacked defensive tackle class, Pegues also worked out at the combine in Indianapolis as a fullback last week.

Round 6: Caleb Ransaw, DB, Tulane Ransaw played one year at Tulane after transferring from Troy and played in the Senior Bowl in January.

He impressed in the athletic testing portion of the combine with a 4.33 40-yard dash and a 40-inch vertical jump.

The Browns need to bolster their safety room and are always looking to add top-level athletes to their special teams units.

Round 6: Luke Kandra, G, Cincinnati The Browns have selected Cincinnati players in three of the last four drafts.

At a listed college weight of 323, Kandra is the kind of bigger lineman the Browns have liked in the past and could immediately slide in as a top backup with Michael Dunn and Nick Harris set to hit free agency.

Round 6: Danny Stutsman, LB, Oklahoma Officially, the team is saying nothing about the playing status of its best linebacker, Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, who suffered a potentially serious neck injury in October .

But adding youth and athleticism to the linebacker group has to be a priority for the Browns, even if they think Owusu-Koramoah will be on the field in 2025.

Advertisement Round 7: Kurtis Rourke, QB, Indiana Rourke got Indiana to the College Football Playoff before doctors discovered that he did while playing through a torn ACL.

Why not reinvest in the games most important position in this situation with Rourke on a redshirt year? (Top photo of Abdul Carter: Scott Taetsch / Getty Images).

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