The Browns are set at left guard with Joel Bitonio, but the right guard position is a huge question mark. Wyatt Teller would be the starter if the season began today. It could be worse, but Teller’s uneven play leaves the door open for improvement.
Drew Forbes enters his second season still making the position change from tackle, a process hindered by spending half his rookie season on IR. Eric Kush is gone and nobody else should be seen as a potential long-term starter.
That leads to the draft. Expect the Browns to tab an interior offensive lineman at some point. Aside from needing a stable long-term solution at right guard, the cupboard behind veteran center JC Tretter is bare. Finding a guard who can also play center, or vice versa makes sense in the later rounds if they elect to roll with the Teller/Forbes combo fighting for the starting spot in 2020.
Here is a guard prospect for each round for the Browns in the 2020 NFL Draft.
1st round: Cesar Ruiz, Michigan
Ruiz isn’t worthy of the 10th overall pick, where the Browns currently sit. But with a trade back, or a move up from the second round into the bottom of the first, Ruiz makes sense.
He primarily played center for Michigan but does have the strength and temperament to move back to guard. Ruiz is one of those blockers that does everything pretty well, nothing extraordinary. His ability to engage and stick with targets in space would be a nice upgrade to help Nick Chubb get more yards more often.
With Tretter approaching 30 and with a team-friendly contract long-term, Ruiz could start at right guard for a year or two and then slide over as Tretter’s replacement in the middle.
2nd round: Lloyd Cushenberry, LSU
Another collegiate center, Cushenberry offers a stronger base inside than Ruiz — or just about anyone. He can engage with either hand and then sink his hips and explode through his shoulders extremely well.
Cushenberry plays in a more limited space than the Browns might prefer at guard in the anticipated zone scheme. He’s not quick laterally, but the whipsmart Cushenberry understands the geometry of engagement and how to move in coordination with the linemen around him quite adeptly. Offensive line coach Bill Callahan would love him. So would Baker Mayfield when Cushenberry stonewalls all the bull-rushers with his rock-solid form and base strength.
3rd round: Jonah Jackson, Ohio State
Jackson proved his NFL value in his one season with the Buckeyes after transferring from Rutgers. He’s smart, versatile and at best in pass protection while picking up second-level rushers and EDGEs coming inside.
His movement skills are inconsistent on game tape, but the base athleticism works for what the Browns will ask of Jackson at right guard. He’s not a people-mover and can sometimes play too carefully.
4th round: Nick Harris, Washington
Harris stands out on tape for his ability to get out to the second level and seal a crease. He played both center and guard for the Huskies, and his athletic range and movement skills are exactly what the Browns project to desire. Harris is undersized and underpowered, and he’ll need to sustain his pass blocks more consistently.
5th round: Logan Sternberg, Kentucky
Smart, tough, functionally capable blocker who wins (and loses) with his initial punch and first step thereafter. When Sternberg hits and drives behind the punch, he’s an NFL starter. When he’s high or late or leans too far, Sternberg’s not ever getting off the practice squad. His stronger, more consistent senior season gives hope for higher development potential.
6th round: John Molchon, Boise State
Crafty and quick but short-armed, and it causes him to lose leverage too often in pass protection. Molchon moved inside from tackle and still has his pass protection footwork. At his best when he’s the aggressor and in wider splits where the surrounding noise doesn’t impact him.
7th round: Kyle Murphy, Rhode Island
If the Browns are interested in a developmental guard who probably won’t make the 53-man roster as a rookie, Murphy would be a good choice. The tools are there in terms of movement, frame and attitude, but he needs more core strength and more consistent technique with his hands and feet before he’s ready for the NFL.
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