Wide receiver Keon Coleman, offensive tackle Kingsley Suamataia, and more could likely hear their names called when the Cleveland Browns come on the clock with pick No. 54 in the 2024 NFL draft.
With team needs at both wide receiver and offensive tackle (two premium positions in the NFL) beyond 2024, this could be where the Browns place most of their emphasis early on in the draft this weekend. Given their six Day 3 picks in a class with the lowest number of participants in the history of the draft, general manager Andrew Berry may even have the incentive to package them up and make a move up the board for the first time since 2021.
Their last year with no first round selection, the Browns do not come onto the clock until the middle part of the second round after making the postseason a year ago. Berry and the Browns have had great success with their mid-round picks in recent drafts, landing the likes of linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah in the second round, cornerback Martin Emerson Jr. and defensive end Alex Wright in the third round, and offensive tackle Dawand Jones in the fourth round.
When they come on the clock with pick No. 54 on Friday night, who are the best prospects for the Browns to pick from a scheme and profile perspective? Here are five ideal selections Berry and his team could target this weekend.
1. WR Keon Coleman, Florida State
Perhaps the most overthought player in the entire 2024 NFL draft, Florida State Keon Coleman checks off every box the Browns would look for in an early selection.
Early production: Check.
Coleman was a standout for Michigan State in 2022 before transferring to Florida State, where he was the leading receiver for the pass-lacking Seminoles.
Age: Check.
Entering the draft at just 20 years of age, Coleman is one of the youngest players to hear his name called this year. The benefit of this is potentially hitting that second contract by the time he is just 24 years old, and potentially a third contract by age 28.
Game speed data: Check.
While Coleman ran a 4.6 40-yard at the NFL Scouting Combine, a drill that is rendered predominantly obsolete, he was one of the fastest and smoothest players when working through live drills in Indianapolis. Pair this with his 93rd percentile ranking in in-game play speed data according to PFF, and there is nothing to worry about in terms of Coleman’s ability to win on the field.
Premium Position: Check.
Outside of the quarterback position, offensive tackle, cornerback, edge rusher, and wide receiver are seen as the premium positions. The Browns have never selected a player who did not play a premium position with their first selection under general manager Andrew Berry. Do not expect that to change this year (with potentially a couple of exceptions).
The stars aligned for the Browns to trade up for linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah in the 2021 NFL draft, and the draft profile of Coleman makes him a prime candidate for the Browns to come up and get if he begins to slip far enough down the board.
2. OT Kingsley Suamataia, BYU
The Browns currently have three starting-caliber offensive tackles on their roster and another who has started double-digit games for the Browns throughout their careers. The problem? Two of them are free agents after the season, and one is coming off of his second major injury in three years and is not a lock to be on the roster by the end of training camp.
Jedrick Wills and James Hudson III (their swing tackle) have a lot of starting experience, and Jack Conklin is likely near the end of his time with the Browns. This leaves just second-year player Dawand Jones as the only long-term figure at the offensive tackle position beyond 2024. While Wills could still have a nice year, turn it around, and earn an extension, it may be time to plan for life without him given his sample size the last three seasons after a promising rookie campaign.
While a run on offensive tackles could push him up the board into the range of an early second round pick, BYU’s Kingsley Suamataia would be a stellar selection for the Browns. He is the most likely pick for the Browns according to ESPN Analytics as well.
He is a bit raw, but the beauty of the strategy the Browns employ in the draft of drafting for the future and not for today is that Suamataia would not be rushed into action right away barring an injury. If the Browns plan for life after Wills, Conklin, and Hudson III early in the 2024 NFL draft, Suamataia is a prime target.
3. LB Junior Colson, Michigan
The Browns replaced Anthony Walker Jr. with Jordan Hicks on a two-year deal. They replaced Sione Takitaki with former first round pick Devin Bush on a one-year deal (who is not a lock to make the roster, by the way). They have a Pro Bowl WILL linebacker in Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah.
However, finding a long-term running mate for Owusu-Koramoah who isn’t a short-term veteran like Hicks may rise to the top of the list for the Browns. Besides, it worked out pretty well for them the last time they drafted a linebacker in the second round.
And Michigan’s Junior Colson may just be too tempting to pass up if he’s on the board.
Missing less than five percent of his tackles a year ago, he is as sure of a tackler as they come from the college level. At 6-foot-2 and 238 pounds as well, Colson has just what the Browns look for as their long-term MIKE linebacker who can make an impact in a limited role as a rookie as he learns under Hicks.
The Browns typically look for linebackers with low missed tackle rates to play MIKE, and Colson is the ideal player in this class to hit that benchmark. His athleticism and ability to get sideline-to-sideline is icing on the cake.
4. DT Michael Hall, Ohio State
Defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz loves him an explosive, gap-shooting pass rusher. And Ohio State’s Michael Hall Jr. is just that. While he admittedly has some work to do as a run defender and in his ability to leverage out gaps to keep second-level defenders clean, there are few better pass rushers in this crop of interior defensive linemen. And two of them likely go first round in Texas’ Byron Murphy II and Illinois’ Jer’Zhan Newton.
By every advanced metric, Hall is a menace at getting after quarterbacks. While he accumulated just three sacks this past season for the Buckeyes, he was second of all college football defensive tackles in pass rush win rate a year ago, and sixth in pass rush productivity.
With Maurice Hurst on just a one-year deal, Shelby Harris on a two-year deal, and Quinton Jefferson on a one-year deal, another body is likely to be added to the defensive tackle room. Hall would be an outstanding fit for what he asks of his defensive tackles.
5. OG Christian Haynes, UConn
An absolute mauler with plenty of starting experience in the outside zone run scheme, UConn’s Christian Haynes is a certified people-mover. With a firm base and strong hands in pass protection as well, Haynes has the makings of a day-one starter and a long-time fit along the Cleveland offensive line.
The beauty, however, is that the Browns would not need the UConn standout to play right away. But there is a strong chance they are already thinking about the future of their interior offensive line.
Joel Bitonio, as rock solid as he has been, is on the wrong side of 30 and suffered the first significant injury of his career last year. While that injury could have been a fluke, it was evident a year ago that time is starting to catch up to Bitionio. Wyatt Teller was the Browns’ best offensive lineman a year ago and has yet to hit 30, so there is no need to rush him off the roster at this point.
There is no better contingency plan for this offense in this draft class along the interior offensive line than Haynes.
