ESPN's Mel Kiper released his first post-combine mock draft today (insider only), and his pick for the Cleveland Browns is different than his last one in February. After projecting Cleveland would take DE J.J. Watt in February, he now has him falling to the Houston Texans at No. 11. Now he has the Browns passing on DE Da'Quan Bowers and CB Patrick Peterson in favor of wide receiver A.J. Green. His explanation is listed after the jump.
The picks before Cleveland were...
1. Carolina - QB Blaine Gabbert
2. Denver - DT Nick Fairley
3. Buffalo - DT Marcel Dareus
4. Cincinnati - QB Cam Newton
5. Arizona - OLB Von Miller
Cleveland Browns
A.J. Green, WR, Georgia
"Green answered all the necessary questions at the NFL combine, checking in just a hair under his listed 6-foot-4, with a 211-pound frame that could easily take on a little more weight, and his 4.48 speed in the 40 was solid given his size. In Green you have a player with the profile of an immediate impact talent at wide receiver, and a solution on the outside in Cleveland, where they are desperate for a true No. 1 wideout. He's a perfect fit, and it's hard to imagine the Browns passing on him if he's around. (Especially if they ask Colt McCoy for an opinion.)"
Feel free to discuss Kiper's latest mock draft here.