The Cleveland Browns had an efficient and successful NFL free agency period. Adding a big named defensive tackle and depth in the room, trading for a young and promising wide receiver in Elijah Moore, landing a true free safety, and bringing back a handful of their own, the Browns managed to stockpile new starters and add depth to their roster. And now this allows for them to enter the 2023 NFL Draft with the mindset of taking the best player available on the board rather than prioritizing a particular position. With players like wide receiver Marvin Mims and linebacker Ivan Pace Jr., there are plenty of mid-round prospects who meet the thresholds the Browns look for in young players as they fall back to pick 74.
Who can they come away with in this 2023 NFL Mock Draft?
Round 3, Pick 74: Marvin Mims, WR, Oklahoma
Even after trading for Moore and signing veteran speedster Marquise Goodwin, the Browns still take a wide receiver with the 74th overall pick in the form of Oklahoma’s Marvin Mims. A true best player available selection, the Browns round out their wide receiver room.
Goodwin is on just a one-year deal, Donovan Peoples-Jones (while an extension is expected) is entering the last year of his contract, and the Browns have a decision to make on the $23 million cap hit of Amari Cooper beyond 2023. Looking beyond this season, Moore is the only player solidly on the roster in 2024. Wide receiver is still a need the Browns take a step in addressing here with the explosive deep threat Mims.
Round 3, Pick 98: Byron Young, DT, Alabama
Despite signing three defensive tackles, the Browns still need at least one more. While the signing of Dalvin Tomlinson is a massive land for the Browns, adding Maurice Hurst and Trysten Hill were moves to do nothing more than breed competition in the backend of the room as neither players are locks to make the roster. They add a talented and refined defensive tackle in Alabama’s Byron Young.
While Young is not a great athlete, he possesses heavy hands, a refined ability to use them as a pass rusher, and a solid base to anchor in doubles. They add another solid rotational piece that can develop into a starter with the 98th pick.
Round 4, Pick 111: Ivan Pace Jr., LB, Cincinnati
One position the Browns did not upgrade in NFL free agency was the linebacker position. While they brought back both Sione Takitaki and Anthony Walker Jr. on one-year deals, the long-term outlook of that room is not sparkling.
They could take a talent like Tulane’s Dorian Williams in the third round, but he was off the board in this mock draft by the time the Browns came back on the clock with the 98th overall pick. Here, they land the in-state productive bowling ball in Ivan Pace Jr.
While Pace Jr. is not a flexible athlete with a nuanced coverage profile, he is more than willing to work downhill into the chest of guards to rack up tackles. At MIKE, this could be what the Browns are looking for. And as Takitaki recovers from a torn ACL early in the season, Pace Jr. could fill the role of SAM as well.
Round 4, Pick 126: CB Riley Moss, CB, Iowa
There are few things more certain than the Browns drafting a cornerback every year. And with Greedy Williams departing for the Philadelphia Eagles, and Greg Newsome II no longer looking to play in the nickel, a hole exists on the roster.
Iowa’s Riley Moss is better than where he is currently getting mocked in a deep cornerback class. The Browns land him here in the fourth round, and at minimum Moss is a nuanced special teamer who can grow into the slot as he learns a new position.
Round 5, Pick 140: TRADE to Seahawks
There is no possible scenario in which the Browns add six players to their roster on the third day of the 2023 NFL Draft. With only six picks in next year’s draft, the Browns have an opportunity to kick some of those picks down the road. They do that here, trading with the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for a fifth and a sixth in 2024, and a seventh in 2025.
Round 5, Pick 142: Ronnie Hickman, S, Ohio State
The Browns replaced John Johnson III with Juan Thornhill in NFL free agency, a true free safety in Schwartz’s cover-3 scheme. However, also needing to replace Ronnie Harrison in the safety room, the Browns now add a box safety in the fifth round in this mock draft with Ohio State’s Ronnie Hickman.
He is not a great athlete, but Hickman has excellent instincts in the box and can fill a role in dime packages for the Browns when they throw a third safety on the field. Hickman takes the trip up I-71 North here in the fifth round.
Round 6, Pick 190: Keaton Mitchell, RB, East Carolina
D’Ernest Johnson has signed a one-year deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars, and Kareem Hunt is still on the market. While Jerome Ford looks like the heir apparent to Hunt’s snaps, the Browns need a third back, potentially one with a different skill set.
East Carolina’s Keaton Mitchell is an explosive and slippery runner who can also contribute in the passing game. Making him a threat to push the run game laterally and make plays in space is a role the Browns do not currently have a solidified playmaker filling.
Round 7, Pick 229: LB Mohamoud Diabate, LB, Utah
Utah linebacker Mohamoud Diabate is a freak athlete who has some work to do in terms of actually playing the linebacker position. He has raw eyes and subpar coverage instincts but has the athleticism to take a dart throw on in the seventh round. Here, the Browns add linebacker depth and a potential long-term special teams piece after signing two special teams aces at the position to one-year deals.
