Mock draft watch: Browns land a great player but an odd fit in Draft Wire’s latest

Alabama WR DeVonta Smith is a great talent and value in the middle of the first round

The latest 2021 NFL mock draft from our friends at Draft Wire makes an interesting projection for the Cleveland Browns.

With the No. 16 overall pick, an order based strictly on the current Super Bowl odds, the Browns tab Alabama wide receiver Devonta Smith. He’s a very talented, complete-package type of wideout who should see even more action now that former running mates Jerry Jeudy and Henry Ruggs are in the NFL.

However, he’s a wide receiver. The Browns happen to have one of the best 1-2 WR punches in the league in Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham Jr., and both are locked up through 2023. New head coach Kevin Stefanski’s offense used two TEs far more than it utilized three WRs in his Minnesota days, and that leaves Smith as a bit of a superfluous choice. Now if Landry or Beckham suddenly decline or get hurt, Smith’s a fantastic selection and good value in the middle of the first round.

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