We are now inside three weeks until Cleveland hosts the 2021 NFL draft. It’s getting to be crunch time for the Browns and all the other teams as pro days wrap up and scouting boards get finalized.
Mock drafts are a good chance to explore different scenarios, so in this edition, we’ll play with a new concept. What happens if the Browns traded out of the first round?
For that to happen, it takes a motivated buyer to come up to No. 26 overall. And I found one in the Miami Dolphins, who rocket back into the first round to snag Miami EDGE Jaelan Phillips, a perfect fit for their “multiple” defensive front.
In this hypothetical, Miami agrees to send the Browns both of its second-round picks in 2021, No. 36 overall (from Houston) and No. 50, in exchange for the No. 26 pick. The teams also swap seventh-round picks, with Cleveland moving up from No. 257 to No. 231, the Texans pick also owned by Miami via trade.
The trade leaves the Browns with the following 10 selections:
- 36
- 50
- 59
- 89
- 91
- 110
- 132
- 169
- 211
- 231
If you want to track the progression of the mock drafts, here are the first three editions: