With the second round pivotal to the future of the Cleveland Browns, both Todd McShay and Mel Kiper Jr. have released their mock drafts for the first half of Friday night before the third round kicks off.
The Browns' needs are well documented, and it isn't so much a question of IF they take a DE and a WR, but when. This is where McShay and Kiper disagree, as they often do. McShay has Da'Quan Bowers falling to Cleveland at 37, with Titus Young of Boise State coming with their other second round selection. Neither of these picks are surprising, and both make a lot of sense. By the same token, Kiper sees things in a similar light, but flipped.
The Godfather of the Draft thinks the Browns will reach in the second round to select Titus and target Justin Houston of Georgia. Kiper writes:
Houston is a great value this late in Round 2. He's a tweener but offers a lot of potential as a pass rusher.
Either of these scenarios seem positive for a team that desperately needs more help on the defensive line and a playmaker out wide.
But a lot relies on whether or not there will be a Fantasy Baseball Closer Rush on quarterbacks at the beginning of the second round from teams like Arizona and Cincinnati, as well as the looming, almost inevitable, deal that New England will make to trade the 33rd pick.