The Cleveland Browns had two first-round picks, and with each of the picks, they made surprising moves. With the first pick, they took quarterback Baker Mayfield which still kind of a shock, steaming from earlier in the day said that would be the pick. With the fourth pick though they shocked everyone when they took Ohio State cornerback Denzel Ward over NC State's Bradley Chubb.
Expected Cleveland to go with a pass rusher at No.4, but CB Denzel Ward has the high-level technique and speed to transition quickly to the NFL game. Ward is the top cover CB in the draft with the 4.3 speed and footwork to make plays on the ball. https://t.co/mKJalUVfcG
— Matt Bowen (@MattBowen41) April 27, 2018
He is the fifth cornerback taken from Ohio State in the last five years, and although most project him to be a really good player but still a huge surprise that they took him that early. There was a chance they could have traded down, gotten more draft picks and still got their guy. In his last mock draft, Mike Mayock of NFL Network had Ward going ninth overall to the San Francisco 49ers.
According to one of Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk:
“Per a source with knowledge of the situation, the Browns were leaning heavily toward Chubb on Thursday morning. As the day unfolded, however, they ended up changing their minds and leaning toward Ohio State cornerback Denzel Ward.”
Bradley Chubb ended up falling to the Denver Broncos who took him with the 5th overall pick. For the Browns with Ward, they are getting a safe pick, but it might not end up being as splashy as some of the other options that were available. He should come in and start right away at cornerback and help improve even more a defense that is on the rise.
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