Cleveland Browns 2020 NFL Draft: Complete seven-round mock draft

Safety is probably the biggest need for the Cleveland Browns on the defensive side of the ball. Damarious Randall has struggled throughout the year at free safety and no one has really solidified themselves as a reliable strong safety and third safety/nickel guy that defensive coordinator Steve Wilks loves to utilize.

Brandon Jones would come in and compete for the starting strong safety position in 2020. Randall is set to be a free agent, but last year’s fourth-round pick Sheldrick Redwine showed promise towards the end of the season and could take on a larger role at that position. Although Morgan Burnett has one more year on his contract and Juston Burris was impressive at times this season, the Browns go strong safety with Jones in this scenario.

Brandon Jones isn’t a ball-hawking, middle of the field roaming safety. He is almost more a linebacker at times, excelling around the line of scrimmage. He is a force against the run and as a blitzer, using his power and explosion to disrupt plays and quickly bring down ball carriers.

Although he doesn’t excel in coverage, his quickness and instincts allow him to be effective in zone and his physicality is a benefit when it comes to covering tight ends man-to-man as a safety. He is a little tight in the hips to cover receivers man-to-man and lacks the true ball skills to be a single high, deep safety, but that’s not the role that he will be asked to fill.

While safety is a big need for the Cleveland Browns, the linebacker position is a big question mark as well. Will they be able (or willing) to retain Joe Schobert for 2020? Will Christian Kirksey come back and stay healthy? Will Mack Wilson and Sione Takitaki solidify themselves as reliable options? With so much uncertainty surrounding both positions, the Browns grab a guy that can fill in a little at both in the 2020 NFL Draft.

More defensive line depth from the Alabama Crimson Tide. The suspension of Myles Garrett in 2019 made it clear that the Cleveland Browns severely lacked depth on the outside of the line. Add in some injuries to Olivier Vernon and the unwillingness of the coaching staff to utilize Genard Avery before trading him away and you end up seeing Porter Gustin and Bryan Cox Jr. receiving a large bulk of snaps at defensive tackle.

Chad Thomas performed very well when on the field in 2019, so the Browns may have a valuable piece there. But it never hurts to add a promising, up-and-coming edge rusher like Anfernee Jennings in the third round.

Jennings has grown year after year at Alabama, turning into one of the most reliable edge presences in the nation. While he doesn’t have the super long frame or freaky athleticism that some other edge prospects do in the 2020 NFL Draft, Jennings does just about everything well and it shows on film and on the stat sheets.

In 2019, Jennings recorded a career-high eight sacks as a senior, to go along with 83 total tackles. Jennings his powerful enough to anchor down against the run and be a three-down player at the next level and dynamic enough to move around blocks and get to the quarterback.

Adding another proven pass rusher who can run onto the field and make an impact on any down would be huge for the Cleveland Browns. If an injury or suspension were to happen in 2020, or a starter just needs a breather, the Browns could be confident that Jennings would be able to go in and play nearly as well as the starters, right of the bat as a rookie. Learning from a guy named Myles Garrett would be pretty helpful for his future, too.