2012 SB Nation NFL Mock Draft: Round 1, Pick 4

The SB Nation two-round NFL mock draft continues along with each lead NFL team bloggers making the pick for their team. Up now is the Cleveland Browns with the No. 4 overall pick.

With the fourth pick in the 2012 SB Nation NFL Writers Mock Draft, the Cleveland Browns select Oklahoma State wide receiver Justin Blackmon.

Chris Pokorny explains: Losing out on Robert Griffin III (in the attempted trade with St. Louis) couldn’t have been easy to stomach for team president Mike Holmgren and general manager Tom Heckert. That doesn’t mean the draft is a loss for the Browns, though. They have two first-round picks at No. 4 and No. 22 overall, and if the chips fall Cleveland’s way, they’ll still be able to improve upon an offense that was downright unbearable last season.

I’m not making excuses for quarterback Colt McCoy, but the only way he is going to have a chance at getting better this coming season is if he has better talent around him. That’s where Justin Blackmon comes in. The Browns are thin enough at receiver where Blackmon would start immediately, probably alongside last year’s second-round pick, Greg Little. In the long-term, hopefully fans can look back at last year’s trade with Atlanta that allowed the Falcons to select Julio Jones and say, "Cleveland was better off because they still got a defensive player in 2011 and got a solid receiver in 2012."

The other positions to consider here are quarterback and running back. The Browns’ front office wanted to trade the farm for Griffin, not another quarterback (Ryan Tannehill) at such a high pick. Running back Trent Richardson is an option too after the departure of Peyton Hillis, but Cleveland needs receivers more than they need a running back.

Dan Kadar responds: The pick for the Browns is likely down to either Blackmon or Richardson. So whoever is the pick will point to the philosophical direction of Pat Shurmur's offense. While McCoy does need targets, he'll always be an average quarterback from a talent standpoint. With that in mind, the Browns may want their offense to focus on the run. With Montario Hardesty, Brandon Jackson, Chris Ogbonnaya and Armond Smith in the backfield, it's clear the team needs help in that area. Richardson is an elite talent and the rare running back worth a top five pick.

Mocking the Draft's Top 5 Remaining Prospects