Greetings from the Padded Cell, everyone. We’re on the verge of the 2022 NFL Draft and our beloved Brownies aren’t scheduled to be on the clock until the 44th overall pick . . . at least for now, anyway. While that could very well take the early excitement away from us Browns fans, you never know exactly what GM Andrew Berry has up his sleeve.

As for me, I’m waiting to see which NFL GM is going to pull a Brian Gutekunst type of move. By that, I mean which GM is going to pull off a day one move/selection that makes the entire audience say, “What the @#$% was he thinking?!” There have been plenty of moves like that over the years, and it happens almost every year. The Minnesota Vikings drafted Florida State QB Christian Ponder 12th overall in 2011. The Cleveland Browns traded Chip Banks and their first and second round picks in 1987 to San Diego for the Chargers first and second round picks to select Duke LB Mike Junkin with the 5th overall pick when Penn State All-American LB Shane Conlin was still on the board. The Browns reasoning was that they just drafted “a Mad Dog in a Meat Market.” Junkin played a total of 20 games in the NFL between Cleveland and Kansas City, then was never heard from again. Gutekunst’s contribution is trading up to the 26th overall pick in 2020 to select Utah State QB Jordan Love when now three-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers was still under contract for four more years. At least one NFL team is going to pull a Gutekunst in the first round. The question is, “Which one is going to do it?”

With that brief history lesson, it’s time to get this mock started. Here are the rules.

• This mock will consist of two rounds with subsequent Browns picks following.
• Trades are allowed. I have no idea if I’ll put any in, but they’re allowed.

ROUND ONE

1 – Jacksonville Jaguars: Travon Walker – DE – Georgia

2 – Detroit Lions: Aiden Hutchinson – DE – That School Up North

3 – Houston Texans: Kayvon Thibodeaux – DE – Oregon

4 – New York Jets: Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner – CB – Cincinnati

5 – New York Giants: Ikem Ekwonu – OT – North Carolina State

6 – Carolina Panthers: Evan Neal – OT – Alabama

7 – Pittsburgh Steelers (from Giants): Malik Willis – QB – Liberty

8 – Atlanta Falcons: Garrett Wilson – WR – Ohio State

9 – Seattle Seahawks: Charles Cross – OT – Mississippi State

10 – New York Jets: Jermaine Johnson – DE – Florida State

11 – Washington Commanders: Kyle Hamilton – S – Notre Dame

12 – Minnesota Vikings: Derek Stingley – CB – LSU

13 – Houston Texans: Drake London – WR – USC

14 – Baltimore Ravens: Jordan Davis – DT – Georgia

15 – Philadelphia Eagles: Trevor Penning – OT – Northern Iowa

16 – New Orleans Saints: Kenny Pickett – QB – Pittsburgh

17 – Los Angeles Chargers: Devin Lloyd – LB – Utah

18 – Philadelphia Eagles: Jameson Williams – WR – Alabama

19 – New Orleans Saints: Chris Olave – WR – Ohio State

20 – New York Giants (from Steelers): George Karlaftis – DE – Purdue

21 – New England Patriots: Zion Johnson – OG – Boston College

22 – Green Bay Packers: Treylon Burks – WR – Arkansas

23 – Arizona Cardinals: Boye Mafe – DE – Minnesota

24 – Dallas Cowboys: Tyler Linderbaum – OC – Iowa

25 – Buffalo Bills: Andrew Booth – CB – Clemson

26 – Tennessee Titans: Kenyon Green – OG – Texas A&M

27 – Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Devonte Wyatt – DT – Georgia

28 – Green Bay Packers: Bernhard Raimann – OT – Central Michigan

29 – Kansas City Chiefs: Trent McDuffie – CB – Washington

30 – Kansas City Chiefs: Jahan Dotson – WR – Penn State

31 – Cincinnati Bengals: Kyler Gordon – CB – Washington

32 – Detroit Lions: Matt Corral – QB – Mississippi

ROUND TWO

33 – Jacksonville Jaguars: Nakobe Dean – LB – Georgia

34 – Detroit Lions: Tyler Smith – OL – Tulsa

35 – New York Jets: George Pickens – WR – Georgia

36 – New York Giants: Daxton Hill – S – That School Up North

37 – Houston Texans: David Ojabo – DE – That School Up North

38 – New York Jets: Daniel Faalele – OT – Minnesota

39 – Chicago Bears: Christian Watson – WR – North Dakota State

40 – Seattle Seahawks: Desmond Ridder – QB – Cincinnati

41 – Seattle Seahawks: Breece Hall – RB – Iowa State

42 – Indianapolis Colts: Kaiir Elam – CB – Florida

43 – Atlanta Falcons: Sam Howell – QB – North Carolina

44 – Cleveland Browns: Travis Jones – DT – Connecticut

45 – Baltimore Ravens: Roger McCreary – CB – Auburn

46 – Minnesota Vikings: Skyy Moore – WR – Western Michigan

47 – Washington Commanders: David Bell – WR – Purdue

48 – Chicago Bears: Perrion Winfrey – DT – Oklahoma

49 – New Orleans Saints: Nicholas Petit Frere – OG – Ohio State

50 – Kansas City Chiefs: Arnold Ebiketie – OLB – Penn State

51 – Philadelphia Eagles: Christian Harris – LB – Alabama

52 – New York Giants (from Steelers): Jaquan Brisker – S – Penn State

53 – Green Bay Packers: Kenneth Walker – RB – Michigan State

54 – New England Patriots: Logan Hall – DE – Houston

55 – Arizona Cardinals: Tariq Woolen – CB – Texas San Antonio

56 – Dallas Cowboys: DeMarvin Leal – DE – Texas A&M

57 – Buffalo Bills: Abraham Lucas – OG – Washington State

58 – Atlanta Falcons: Drake Jackson – DE – USC

59 – Green Bay Packers: Trey McBride – TE – Colorado State

60 – Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Leo Chenal – LB – Wisconsin

61 – San Francisco 49ers: Quay Walker – LB – Georgia

62 – Kansas City Chiefs: Lewis Cine – S – Georgia

63 – Cincinnati Bengals: Jalen Pitre – S – Baylor

64 – Denver Broncos: Darian Kinnard – OG – Kentucky

Note: There was only one trade in this two-round mock. The Pittsburgh Steelers acquired the seventh overall pick from the New York Giants in exchange for their first and second round picks this year and their first round pick next year. Personally, I don’t think that any of these quarterbacks are first round material. However, this is a quarterback driven league; and teams without a franchise caliber quarterback often find themselves reaching for one in hopes of finding that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. When they miss on the pick, it can cost them their jobs. If this is the only one that takes place in real life, I’ll be shocked. The Chiefs and the Jaguars each have twelve draft picks; and the Green Bay Packers and Houston Texans come into the draft with eleven picks. There’s no way that the Chiefs and Packers use all their picks to select players. Somewhere in the draft, perhaps in multiple places, I can see both of these teams using some of this year’s draft capital to move up and draft someone they think they’ve got to have.

OTHER BROWNS SELECTIONS

78: Alec Pierce – WR – Cincinnati

99: Sam Williams – DE – Mississippi

118: Jelani Woods – TE – Virginia

202: Isaiah Thomas – DE – Oklahoma

223: Nick Muse – TE – South Carolina

246: Mark Brown – LB – Mississippi

FINAL COMMENTS

Do I think the Browns will make any trades this weekend? I do think there are scenarios that can arise where the timing is right to land a player that they think is a difference maker.

Will any of those scenarios actually happen? Who knows? I wouldn’t put it past Andrew Berry to make something happen, whether it’s trading up or down; particularly early in this draft. We’ll just have to tune in and see. This is Bill Wunkle signing off from the Padded Cell. Happy Draft Weekend, everyone!