How Many Buckeyes Should/Will The Cleveland Browns Draft?

Before beginning this article, I’d like to preface this with a few disclaimers.

1. Of course the Browns should not “only” draft a guy because of where he went to school.
2. I’m not a draft analyst or a scout, but I covered Ohio State’s 2016 season closely. I wasn’t at practices and didn’t travel with the team, but did cover every home game at the Horseshoe and had the opportunity to get face-to-face interviews with these players and see how they carry themselves up close.
3. Just because I believe the vast majority of these guys will turn out to be solid NFL players, if not better, does not mean the Browns should draft each of them.
4. Save your comments like “The Browns would just ruin these guys anyway,” for the satirical Browns fan pages, which wallow in self-pity.
5. There are great schools throughout the country and stars come from every corner of college football, but there’s something to be said for the culture built up by Urban Meyer at Ohio State. It’s not a coincidence that Ohio State has been a pipeline for the NFL and many of Meyer’s players turn out to be impactful contributors. The Browns could probably use some players with winning attitudes, who come from a culture of leadership. But that’s part of why they’re in this hole to begin with.

Now let’s get started.

We’ll start with the premise that the Cleveland Browns need to take Myles Garrett with the first overall pick. It’s blatantly obvious and the right choice is staring the team in the face.

I, for one, believe the time to try to outsmart everyone is long gone and the Browns need to just take the best available player with that No. 1 overall pick – which the general consensus of draft analysts concludes is Garrett.

Here’s where the picks start to become more challenging.

Malik Hooker

The Browns need to do serious homework on Malik Hooker. If he’s there at No. 12, he has the potential to be a game-changer in an awful secondary.

He’s known as a ball hawk and intercepted seven passes in his redshirt sophomore season, tied for third-most in NCAA Division I FBS.

It’s not like all of those interceptions came against cupcakes…

He intercepted two passes against Bowling Green in his first college start. Yes, it was Bowling Green. But talk about a grand entrance.

The next week, he ran back a pick-six against Tulsa.

After those two games, the schedule got much tougher for the Buckeyes, and Hooker went on to intercept passes against Indiana, Nebraska (which was unbeaten at the time), Michigan and Clemson.

He ran back touchdowns against Nebraska, Michigan and Clemson – all of which were marquee matchups.

His big play ability and tendency to show up in big games has to be an encouraging sign heading into the NFL.

Draft analysts will talk about his athletic gifts, his big hands, wingspan and quickness.

What impresses me most is his ability to seemingly read plays as soon as they develop.

Cleveland has holes all over the place on its roster, but its secondary was one of the most glaring weaknesses in 2016. By all accounts, Hooker was a humble guy who took advantage of an opportunity in his first year starting at an elite level of college football.

If that’s what he did in his first year as a starter, I only expect bigger and better things ahead for the 20-year-old and the leader of the Silver Bullets would fit right in with a new era of Brown and Orange.

Should the Browns take Hooker at 12? Yes, if he’s there.

Will they? Probably not because he’s not likely to fall that low.

Marshon Lattimore

Lattimore and Hooker might both be gone by the No. 12 pick.

Lattimore, a native of Cleveland, Ohio and a graduate of Glenville High School, put together an outstanding sophomore season, recording four interceptions and deflecting nine passes.

The duo of Lattimore and Hooker was largely responsible for making Ohio State’s secondary one of the best in the nation, if not the best.

Lattimore enters the draft as arguably the top cornerback prospect.

He’ll likely be gone by the No. 12 pick, but for argument’s sake, let’s say he’s still available.

The Browns should at least consider what this guy can bring to the franchise in the event he’s there.

A lockdown cornerback to pair with Joe Haden and Jamar Taylor wouldn’t be a bad way to go.

Haden’s career trajectory is not trending upwards. No one is calling Taylor a number one cornerback at this point.

If Lattimore is there, I wouldn’t be opposed to the Browns selecting him, but if both Hooker and Lattimore are available, my preference is the free safety.

Hooker has more potential to be a superstar game-changer in my opinion. His tendency to deliver big plays in the clutch leads me to believe he’d make a bigger impact bringing a team from the basement to the top.

However, Lattimore could very well turn out to be a lockdown corner for years to come and could prove to be the best NFL product of this Ohio State draft class.

Should the Browns take Lattimore at 12? If Hooker’s not there, yes.

Will they? It’s unlikely. He could be a top ten pick.

Curtis Samuel

Samuel appears to be the most attainable of these top three Buckeye prospects. While Hooker and Lattimore are unlikely to be there at No. 12, Samuel should be available in the earlier stages of the second round.

The Browns have picks 33 and 52 overall in the second round.

Cleveland has so many holes and Samuel may not be the best player available at 33, but picturing what he could do alongside Corey Coleman and *hopefully* Terrelle Pryor, makes for an imposing trio.

Coleman showed flashes and already looks like he can contribute at a high level. Pryor gained 1,000 receiving yards in 2016. Put a true slot receiver in the middle of those two and also incorporate Samuel into the running game. Big play ability would be all over the field with those three.

Wide receiver is not Cleveland’s biggest need, but if Samuel turns out to be an effective slot receiver, would taking him at 33 really seem like that much of a reach in the long-run?

Barring an unexpected move involving a quarterback, it looks like Cleveland’s first two draft picks will be used on defensive players. The team could afford to mix in an offensive weapon in the second round. Samuel’s been compared to a Swiss Army knife and his explosive speed should translate to the NFL level.

Should the Browns draft Samuel? At 33, it’d be a good pick. At 52, it’d be a great pick.

Will they? Once again, it looks like he’ll fall in between those two areas. If they take him at 33, some would say the team reached. If they wait until 52, there’s a good chance he’s gone.

Gareon Conley

The Massillon, Ohio native was not as flashy as Hooker and Lattimore, but may have been the best number two cornerback in the NCAA in 2016. Various notable mock drafts have Conley going anywhere from late in the first round to late in the second round. If he’s there at 33, he would be another candidate worth considering because of Cleveland’s weak secondary.

He’s probably not going to make headlines with unbelievable interceptions or pick-six’s, but he’s a skilled man coverage cornerback who will get the job done quietly.

Playing in the same Silver Bullets’ secondary as Lattimore and Hooker may have caused him to be overshadowed in his junior season, but he made timely plays all season and didn’t get beat often.

He wouldn’t immediately enter the league and be expected to cover the opposing team’s stud wide receivers, but given time, he could develop into that role, while Haden’s time with the Browns either runs out or his level of play diminishes to the point where he’s a number two option.

Should the Browns draft Conley? The Browns should do their homework on him (which they already are doing on every prospect to some extent). If he’s there at 33, I’d be glad to see him in Brown and Orange, but he doesn’t seem to jump out as someone who would become an elite cornerback.

Will they? Given other Browns’ needs, they’ll probably look to address more gaping holes than cornerback at 33.

Raekwon McMillan

The 20-year-old is a born leader. He leads vocally and by example. A young Browns defense is starting to develop its own group of leaders, like Christian Kirksey, Danny Shelton and now Jamie Collins, but McMillan’s experience in big games has trained him to be ready for this level.

He started as a freshman, won a national championship, was named a team captain as a sophomore, and was named second team All-American and first-team All Big Ten selection in 2016.

Unlike his college career, he probably won’t start early on, but Cleveland might be the type of place where he would get a chance to start his rookie season because of lack of depth at linebacker. It could be an imposing linebackers corps including McMillan, Kirksey and Collins, who all bring a level of energy and fire needed for a young, hungry team.

Pair those guys with new defensive coordinator Gregg Williams and a much improved defensive line with the addition of Garrett – it has potential to be a quick turnaround from one of the worst defenses in the league to one that is respected by its AFC North peers.

McMillan is projected to go between the second and early fourth rounds.

Although grabbing him with the 33rd pick might be a reach, those next two picks could be an area where the Browns grab McMillan.

52 or 65 are possible options, but after that, it’s tough to see him being available with the Browns’ picks after the end of the third round.

Should the Browns draft McMillan? 65 would be ideal, but if he turns into a valuable starter in the near future, will anyone complain about jumping 13 picks sooner?

Will they? They need linebackers. This is one of the more realistic targets the Browns can attain. I’d lean closer to the Browns drafting McMillan than any of the other four previously named players.

Noah Brown

We’re not going to spend too much time on Brown. Wide receiver isn’t one of Cleveland’s biggest needs, especially if the team re-signs Pryor. Brown will likely go in the third round or later and unlike Curtis Samuel, he doesn’t provide another dimension to Cleveland’s offense. He could develop into a more than serviceable receiver, but with so many holes, the Browns can afford to address other areas first.

Should the Browns draft Brown? No, but he could turn into a good player and it wouldn’t be a surprise to anyone who saw his flashes of brilliance at Ohio State.

Will they? Doubtful.

Pat Elflein 

The versatile offensive lineman had an impressive performance at the combine and has caught the attention of many teams. He has a good head on his shoulders and was unfazed in his four years playing at Ohio State, starting 40 games.

Elflein could go in the second or third round and while pick 33 would be awfully high for an offensive lineman in this draft, 52 or 65 might be more tempting to grab the Pickerington, Ohio native.

There are many ways the Browns can address the offensive line, but one way or another, it needs bolstered.

The group suffered injury after injury last season. Joe Thomas is not getting any younger. Aside from Thomas, Joel Bitonio, and John Greco, there’s not much to write home about with that group.

If Cleveland does find its long-term solution at quarterback somewhere in this draft or via trade/free-agency, Elflein has the potential to be a starting center or guard with that guy for his entire tenure in Cleveland.

Insert your jokes about how that tenure will last three weeks, but adding a solid offensive lineman like Elflein would certainly help any quarterback’s chances of staying off the ground and on the field.

Just ask Cody Kessler about that.

Should the Browns draft Elflein? Yes. 33 would be too early. Would prefer him to be there at 65.

Will they? If the Browns bolster most of their offensive line with free-agent additions, we’ll probably know that answer well before the draft. If they leave room for one or two starting-caliber offensive linemen, there’s a good chance he’s on their radar.

In review

Of course the idea of the Browns drafting multiple Buckeyes is far-fetched. But the point of this article is that nearly every single one of the incoming Buckeyes could play a valuable role in the rebuild of the Browns.

The odds of Cleveland even selecting one Buckeye are slim. But if there were a list of Buckeyes who excite me the most in a Browns uniform, here’s the pecking order:

1. Malik Hooker at 12
2. Marshon Lattimore at 12
3. Curtis Samuel at 52
4. Pat Elflein at 65
5. Raekwon McMillan at 65
6. Gareon Conley at 33