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Cleveland Browns full 2018 mock draft

By Conor Dorney

MOBILE, AL - JANUARY 27: Baker Mayfield #6 of the North team throws the ball during the Reese's Senior Bowl at Ladd-Peebles Stadium on January 27, 2018 in Mobile, Alabama. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
MOBILE, AL - JANUARY 27: Baker Mayfield #6 of the North team throws the ball during the Reese's Senior Bowl at Ladd-Peebles Stadium on January 27, 2018 in Mobile, Alabama. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) /
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INDIANAPOLIS, IN – MARCH 04: Fort Hays State defensive lineman Nathan Shepherd (DL19) participates in a drill during the NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on March , 2018 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN – MARCH 04: Fort Hays State defensive lineman Nathan Shepherd (DL19) participates in a drill during the NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on March , 2018 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /

The Browns have shown a commitment to getting quicker on the defensive line and small school prospect Nathan Shepherd of Fort Hayes State has some of the best quick-twitch abilities in this class of defensive tackles.

Shepherd has plus size and strength and profiles very similarly from an athletic standpoint to 2017 third-round selection Larry Ogunjobi. With Bradley Chubb and Myles Garrett taking care of business on the edge, the addition of Shepherd on the interior would give the Browns an even more formidable front seven. The trade of former first-round pick Danny Shelton to the Patriots earlier this month is further indication that the club is looking to get quicker on the interior with quick-twitch players like Ogunjobi and Caleb Brantley, a mold that Nathan Shepherd seems to fit.

Shepherd is still extremely raw as a prospect and will no doubt face a steep learning curve on the jump from Fort Hayes State to the NFL. The Browns seem willing to allocate the big dollars away from the defensive line and instead fill those spots with young, cost-controlled players in the middle rounds like Ogunjobi, Brantley, and Shepherd. Shepherd’s upside as an athletically-gifted interior player should have Cleveland looking forward to a much-improved pass rush heading into the 2018 season.

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