The Cleveland Browns kept things somewhat close in the AFC North early on last season, but ultimately fell behind the Pittsburgh Steelers, Cincinnati Bengals and Baltimore Ravens. Cleveland is a tougher team than most give it credit for and is a danger to take out the best teams in the league on good days. But the Browns have a lot of holes across the depth chart.
2015 NFL depth chart: Browns find starters on offensive, defensive lines in NFL Draft
The Cleveland Browns found multiple starters on both sides of the ball in the NFL Draft.
Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports
As is the case each offseason, the Browns set out to try to fill those holes in free agency and the 2015 NFL Draft. With three AFC North teams making it to the postseason and the Ravens, Bengals and Steelers all receiving high marks for their offseason moves -- from free agency to the NFL Draft -- the Browns certainly have their work cut out for them.
Fortunately, the Browns grabbed several good players in the draft. Those players should be able to contribute early and often as rookies, which isn’t always ideal for teams looking to compete but there’s a pretty strong consensus that the Browns hit more than they missed over the course of their 12 draft picks. Below, we’ll take a look at some positions on the depth chart that have been altered due to the draft.
Defensive line
This one is obvious, given that the Browns used the No. 12 overall selection on defensive tackle Danny Shelton of Washington. But it doesn't stop there, with Washington State defensive tackle Xavier Cooper being picked in the third round (96 overall) and a couple of outside linebackers who will be looking for snaps on the line.
Shelton is a day one starter at nose tackle for the Browns, and it's not even a question. He's physically dominant and immediately improves what is already a solid defense. Then there's Cooper, who should be able to start next to Shelton, though he's a bit more raw. Cooper fell in the draft, with many expecting he'd go in the second round. Speaking of second round, the Browns got pass rusher Nate Orchard out of Utah and he figures to get a lot of playing time with his hands on the ground, at least initially.
Offensive line
Many people panned the selection of center Cameron Erving of Florida State, given the fact that the Browns already have Alex Mack. But many have pointed to the fact that Erving is versatile and can start in multiple places on the interior if need be. It's actually quite a bit more interesting than that -- Erving has spent time at Cleveland's rookie minicamp playing the tackle positions as well, so he could end up in a number of places.
On top of that, if the Browns ultimately feel that Erving is best at and makes most sense playing the center position, then they can always move him there next season if Mack decides to leave. Mack can void his contract after this season and Erving is good insurance there, but his selection was for more than peace of mind at the position. He’ll start somewhere as a rookie, and he’ll likely be good at it.
Running back
The Browns have been searching for the answer at running back for a few years now. The Trent Richardson selection was a bust and last season, Terrance West, Isaiah Crowell and Ben Tate managed to rush for just over 1,600 yards combined, but none of the three fit the bill as a feature back in the NFL.
This was a strong draft for the running back position so it makes sense that the Browns did target the position. They targeted it a bit later than expected but they still came away with a great player in Miami’s Duke Johnson. He has all the tools to be a feature back in this league and should compete with West and Crowell for carries from the onset.
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