The Browns are fresh off an 11-win regular season and a playoff appearance. That doesn't mean they don't have plenty of needs they would like to address with the kind of younger, less expensive talent you find in the draft.
This week, the Browns will get a chance to fill some of those needs with the six picks they currently hold in the NFL draft, which starts on Thursday night. Their first pick won't come until No. 54 overall, which falls late in Friday's second round.
Today starts a five-part series looking at positions the Browns may target over the course of the draft. It will look at five intriguing prospects — listed alphabetically — at those positions who could be of interest at some point during the draft.
First up will be defensive tackle , a spot where the Browns certainly could use some younger legs.
The former Central Michigan University standout transferred to Florida State last year, which was his sixth season of college football due to both injury and the extra COVID year. That's put Fiske at the older end of the spectrum at 24-years old, something that could work against him with an organization like the Browns, who aren't necessarily going to rush a rookie into the lineup unless that player truly pops. However, that age also could help him get on the field earlier because he is more physically mature than most rookies. As far as on the field, Fiske boasts a good frame (6-foot-3, 292 pounds), quickness and physicality. Certainly someone to watch for the Browns on day two of the draft.
The Streetsboro High School graduate's college career took him down to Columbus. Could his professional career start right up I-71 in Cleveland ? The Browns are clearly interested in Hall, who was one of the 30 prospects they brought in for a pre-draft visit. The question may simply come to down whether or not Hall would be there at 54, or in the vicinity of there if general manager Andrew Berry wants to jump up a few spots. The attractiveness to Hall is a quickness off the snap, as well as long arms which help him get off blocks. He is seen as undersized by some at 6-foot-2, 299 pounds, although both Maurice Hurst II and Shelby Harris — whom the Browns re-signed in free agency — fall right in that same range.
Jackson isn't on this list as an option for the Browns at either No. 54 or No. 85 on day two of the draft. However, the 6-foot-1, 326-pound former Aggie obviously has the team intrigued as a potential day-three option by the fact they used one of their 30 visits on him. Jackson possesses a low center of gravity, long arms and good power. He also has issues past the first step, as well as some red flags both in the injury (elbow, 2022) and arrest (possession of a controlled substance, Aug., 2021) columns to make him a risk.
Great bloodlines for the former Wolverine, whose father, Kris Sr., was a two-time All-Pro with the Carolina Panthers and a four-time Pro Bowl selection with the Panthers and New York Jets . The younger Jenkins plays at a much lower weight, at 299 pounds, than his father did. However, he possesses his dad's energy and ability to utilize his hands against offensive linemen. Jenkins did struggle to produce many tackles in the backfield over his Michigan career, with just eight, but the potential is there to improve on that in the pros as he gets more time and coaching to fix the flaws. The question for Jenkins with regards to the Browns, specifically, is much like Hall in terms of whether or not he'll still be there at No. 54.
Smith could be a player who would benefit the most from essentially being redshirted in 2024 with eyes on 2025 as his big break-through. When he arrived at LSU as a freshman in 2021, he was seen as one of the top defensive linemen prospects in the nation and someone targeted as the "next great Tiger defender." However, a knee injury in the first quarter of the 2022 season opener cost him all of what would've been his sophomore season, and contributed a bit to a so-so 2023 season. Still, the traits that made college coaches drool over Smith coming out of high school remain: size, quickness, good hands, quality finisher. Getting a season to work even more on fine-tuning those skills at the highest level of the sport may be just the thing to unlock the ultra-elite player inside of Smith.
Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Browns NFL draft positional needs: Defensive tackles to watch
