One of the consensus biggest needs for the 2022 Cleveland Browns has been a playmaking wide receiver. Mock drafts furiously projected a variety of wideouts to the Browns at the No. 13 overall pick in the first round of April’s draft.
But now the Browns have agreed to trade for Amari Cooper, a viable No. 1 target from the Dallas Cowboys. The draft cost to acquire Cooper is just a fifth-round pick and a swap of sixth-rounders this year, but Cooper’s $20 million-per-year salary represents a major investment. He’s the fourth highest-paid receiver in the league in 2022, per Over The Cap.
That changes the calculus for what sort of further draft investment GM Andrew Berry and the Browns might devote to the wide receiver position. It’s especially true if Jarvis Landry and his $15 million-plus obligation remains on the books (which is extremely unlikely).
The mock drafts have been very big on Ohio State’s Garrett Wilson to the Browns at 13 overall. Some have projected USC’s Drake London or Treylon Burks from Arkansas as well, though the post-combine mocks have already turned away from those two for the most part. Now that Cooper is on board, the urgency of drafting a premium wideout figures to diminish.
Cooper is one of the NFL’s top receivers, and he should help youngsters Donovan Peoples-Jones and Anthony Schwartz develop without nearly as much pressure upon them to deliver big-time results. There is still room for more help at WR, however. If/when Landry leaves, he joins Rashard Higgins as free agents who won’t be back. Ja’Marcus Bradley and Ryan Switzer aren’t more than depth options with limited upside.
If Berry and the Browns are looking to use more 3-WR sets, then a player like Wilson at 13 still makes sense. He’s a very talented prospect who would help the offense get even more dynamic. Yet it’s much less of an urgent option, especially with the recent decision to franchise tag TE David Njoku, who often operates in a WR-type role; over 200 of his 600 snaps were played in the slot or as a full-fledged wide receiver in 2021.
It’s more likely the Browns wait until later in the draft to tap into a deep WR class. Candidates should include Purdue’s David Bell or Christian Watson from North Dakota State in the second round, Skyy Moore from Western Michigan or Jalen Tolbert from South Alabama in the third, or later-round prospects like Alec Pierce of Cincinnati, Rutgers’ Bo Melton or Erik Ezukanma from Texas Tech.
Doing so would allow the Browns to address the holes at EDGE, defensive line or even offensive tackle with a more premium pick. A player like Georgia athletic freak Jordan Davis or Purdue pass rusher George Karlaftis becomes more likely at 13 than it was when wide receiver was a more pressing need.
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