NFL Cleveland Browns

2015 NFL Draft: Pick By Pick Mock With Cleveland Browns At No. 12

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By @rickstavig

DeVante Parker, NFL Draft

Rob Foldy-USA TODAY Sports

With the regular season now in the rearview mirror, it’s officially mock draft season. Yes, mock drafts are entirely and utterly useless. It’s all speculation loosely based on rumors and projections, with no mock draft ever being anywhere near perfect. It’s like making a bracket for the NCAA tournament: you’ll get a few right but you’ll never get them all right. Still, they’re fun to make, they’re fun to read, and it fuels hope for a good offseason and a better future for whomever you cheer for.

Here’s an update of the mock so far: no. 1 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon); no. 2 Tennessee Titans (Jameis Winston, QB, FSU); no. 3 Jacksonville Jaguars (Brandon Scherff, OT, Iowa); no. 4 Oakland Raiders (Amari Cooper, WR, Alabama); no. 5 Washington Redskins (Leonard Williams, DE/DT, Southern Cal); no. 6 New York Jets (Shane Ray, DE/OLB, Missouri); no. 7 Chicago Bears (Randy Gregory, DE/OLB, Nebraska); no. 8 Atlanta Falcons (Vic Beasley, DE/OLB, Clemson); no. 9 New York Giants (Alvin Dupree, DE, Kentucky); no. 10 St. Louis Rams (Andrus Peat, OT, Stanford) and no. 11 Minnesota Vikings (Ereck Flowers, OT, Miami). Who do the Cleveland Browns take at no. 12?

DeVante Parker, WR, Louisville.

There should be no doubt how glaring of a hole the Browns have at WR, especially given the new situation arising (again) with Josh Gordon. Gordon failed yet another drug test and will likely be suspended for the entire 2015 season, this after being suspended twice in 2014 and once in 2013. There’s a very good chance Gordon, as immensely talented as he is, has already played his last game in C-Town.

The receivers left on the roster after Gordon have some talent, but none is a number one-type threat who defenses game plan around. They also don’t have any receivers with size on the roster: Andrew Hawkins is 5-foot 7, Travis Benjamin is 5-foot 10 and Taylor Gabriel is 5-foot 7. Sure, Miles Austin is 6-foot 2, but he struggled mightily in 2014 and is a free agent who may or may not be brought back on the cheap, but he’s nowhere near the player he was in ’09 or ’10.

This receiving unit needs a game breaker with some size, and that’s where Parker comes in. Parker is 6-foot 3, 210-pounds with good speed and excellent acceleration. He has good hands, catches the ball away from his body and has excellent leaping ability, consistently high-pointing jump balls. Plus, he’s an explosive threat after the catch, constantly turning short passes underneath into huge chunk plays throughout college. He’d fit nicely in the Browns receiving corps and would provide a nice weapon for whoever is under center in 2015.

It’ll be tempting not to look long and hard at Dorial Green-Beckham (WR, Oklahoma) with this pick as he just may be the most talented WR in this years draft class, but off-the-field problems have plagued him for years now and the Browns just can’t afford to replace one troubled-yet-talented WR for another.

The Browns have two first round picks in this draft, so they could also wait until no. 19 to address WR. Danny Shelton (NT, Washington) could also be an option here to help out a surprisingly thin defensive line. Phil Taylor has battled constant knee injuries and has just one year left on his current deal and Ahtyba Rubin is currently a free agent. Neither played at a high level in 2014 and Shelton absolutely erupted last week during Senior Bowl practices, looking like he could be a Pro Bowl-caliber DT in the NFL. He could also potentially play the 5 in Mike Pettine’s scheme as well, providing some added versatility.

Rick Stavig is an NFL Draft Columnist for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @rickstavig or add him to your network on Google+.

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