When the NFL Draft resumes Friday night with the start of the second round, a bunch of really good players will get to exhale after waiting through the first round without hearing their names called.
The Cleveland Browns, who hold the 11th pick of the second round at No. 43 overall, have to find somebody who can catch passes and challenge defenses while doing that.
Have to.
Ater six receivers were picked in the first round, another mini-run early on Friday night could leave the Browns needing to either trade up or be at the mercy of what's left. In a potentially very interesting twist, they could also find themselves needing to make a decision on Dorial Green-Beckham, a gifted former Missouri star who has two marijuana-related arrests and other questions on his record.
A robbery investigation involving Green-Beckham was closed last spring without an arrest, primarily because of reluctant witnesses who feared retaliation and harassment for bringing a criminal complaint. A woman told police Green-Beckham pushed her down four flights of stairs after she tried to prevent him from entering an apartment to see his girlfriend; a police report said the girlfriend asked the woman not to press charges because the incident could ruin his football future.
He was dismissed from Missouri's team soon after the incident and transferred to Oklahoma, where he practiced but did not play last season before entering the draft.
Green-Beckham is 6-foot-5, 237 lbs., and ran the 40-yard dash in 4.49 seconds at the NFL Combine in February. He was the top-ranked recruit nationally coming out of high school and played to his ranking in two seasons at Missouri, but the off-field issues have teams -- not just the Browns -- facing a heck of a decision.
It's a little more complicated for the Browns given the Josh Gordon situation. Would the Browns be willing to go down that road? Is the organization strong enough to take on a talent like Green-Beckham and keep him on the right path?
The night after the Browns went safe and solid with two linemen, they could be in a spot to take on a high-risk, high-reward situation.
Among the other receivers projected to come off the board early Friday night are Ohio State speedster Devin Smith, Arizona State's Jaelen Strong, Kansas State's Tyler Lockett and Auburn's Sammie Coates. The Browns could also be interested in Minnesota tight end Maxx Williams and Michigan wide receiver/tight end Devin Funchess.
All but Lockett are big targets. Strong is 6-2, 217, and though Coates is 6-1 he has a long wingspan and seems to play bigger. Williams entered the draft after a strong finish to last season and is considered the top tight end in the draft.
The Browns also need to upgrade their pass rush and could have options including Virginia's Eli Harold, UCLA's Owamagbe Odighizuwa and Nebraska's Randy Gregory, a projected early first-round pick whose stock has fallen due to marijuana issues.
