In his latest mock draft, veteran ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. offers yet another endorsement for the Cleveland Browns taking Tulsa LB/EDGE Zaven Collins with the team’s first-round pick at No. 26 overall.
Kiper is the latest to project Collins, who can play off-ball LB but also has demonstrated he can line up as stand-up pass rusher, to the Browns. It’s a pick we made in our latest Browns Wire mock draft as well, and Kiper cites a similar rationale with Collins projecting as the possible replacement for Olivier Vernon.
If Cleveland can find a pass-rusher to put opposite Myles Garrett, that’s a huge win, which is why I considered Oklahoma’s Ronnie Perkins and Texas’ Joseph Ossai here. But Collins is a versatile defender who could play linebacker or defensive end, and I like his fit with the Browns. Get him on the field and watch him make plays.
Collins is the runaway leader in mock draft projections to the Browns, and that forecast is only gaining momentum after the Browns added impact DBs John Johnson and Troy Hill in free agency.