clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

2012 NFL Draft: Todd McShay Mock Has Trent Richardson, Jonathan Martin To Browns

Todd McShay has released his latest 2012 NFL Mock Draft - dubbed 5.0 - and it's an interesting take on the mock draft. It's not the first time it's been done of course, but it's still something ESPN doesn't generally dabble in. McShay's latest mock has multiple scenarios, with the top one being what's "best" for the team in their situation or rather, what the time likely believes is the best for them.

Below, McShay's reasoning for pick No. 4, where he officially has running back Trent Richardson out of Alabama as the pick:

Scenario 1: I've said all along that this pick will decide how much of the rest of the first round plays out, and I still feel that way. From an overall standpoint, Richardson ranks ahead of Oklahoma State WR Justin Blackmon and Tannehill, in that order, but from a positional-value standpoint the list would be reversed. The Browns face a tough decision, but Richardson is likely to be the pick.

Scenario 2: Blackmon would offer current QB Colt McCoy the kind of perimeter weapon he has been lacking since entering the league.

Scenario 3: Take Tannehill. It all comes down to how Cleveland feels about Tannehill and his potential, and whether the team is content to stand pat with McCoy and build around him.

Admittedly, those are the three scenarios that were already known to be the most popular picks for the Browns, and they're just assembled, but McShay has created a heiarchy of sorts, so that's worth noting. As he says, the Browns' pick can change an awful lot about how many of the teams around them will be drafting. There's some very coveted guys and some very needy teams that will be affected.

Now, for the Cleveland Browns' second pick in the first round at No. 22, McShay has them taking Jonathan Martin, the offensive tackle out of Stanford:

Scenario 1: Cleveland would like to see Wright fall here to give McCoy another playmaker to work with.

Scenario 2: Not taking Tannehill in the top five shows a willingness to build around McCoy, and with Wright gone Martin offers a plug-and-play option who is familiar with the West Coast offense and zone-blocking principles.

Scenario 3: Reach for a second-tier quarterback. However, not taking Tannehill makes it unlikely the Browns would reach for a player like Oklahoma State's Brandon Weeden, who would be a bigger reach and offer significantly less upside at this point.

Martin is the pick for Cleveland, but it's their No. 2 scenario, according to McShay. Kendall Wright, who he is referring to in scenario one, went to the Cincinnati Bengals the pick prior at No. 21 in McShay's mock. Wright would be a pretty big pickup for the Browns if he were to fall to them, though.

For more on the Cleveland Browns, go to Dawgs By Nature. You can also get all of your professional football news over at SB Nation's NFL hub.

Photographs by spatulated, Triple Tri, and chrischappelear used in background montage under Creative Commons. Thank you.