As the 2015 NFL Draft nears, ClevelandBrowns.com is ramping up its coverage to ensure fans know everything about the team's potential picks.
The Browns have two of them in the first round, of course, so there's plenty of turf to cover.
"Browns draft radar" will give you a glimpse at the nearly two dozen names being mentioned in the same breath as the Cleveland Browns. Our latest installment looks at Louisville wide receiver DeVante Parker, who is among the top at his position in the 2015 class.
Vitals: 6-3, 209 pounds
Who's linking him to Cleveland?
Why the Browns would be interested: The additions of Dwayne Bowe and Brian Hartline certainly addressed an area of need, but the Browns likely aren't done filling Joker Phillips' room with playmakers heading into the 2015 season. Parker is among the top-rated wide receivers in the draft for multiple reasons. In just six games this past season, Parker hauled in 43 catches for 855 yards and five touchdowns. Only once did he rack up less than 100 yards. He has the prototypical frame for a No. 1 wide receiver and soft hands to boot. In most other years, Parker would be a sure thing to be the top-selected player at his position, but uncertainty caused by the injury he dealt with throughout his senior season and his competition at the position -- Amari Cooper and Kevin White -- have made him the consensus No. 3 wide receiver in the 2015 class.
Why he could be around at 12 or 19: Forget about the 19th pick. All indications are Parker will be off the board before the first half of the first round is complete. For a while, a good chunk of projections were linking Parker to the Browns at No. 12 but that was before the team signed Hartline and Bowe. The reason it made sense outside of Cleveland's need to address the position a few months ago centered on Cooper and White landing in the top 10 and Parker settling into a comfortable spot at 12. It seems realistic, as three of the five teams ahead of the Browns that could potentially take a wide receiver in the first round -- Oakland (4), New York Jets (6), Chicago (7), St. Louis (10) and Minnesota (11) -- could very well wait to bolster the position in the second round and beyond. The Jets and Bears have been linked to defensive players just as much as wide receivers while the Rams seem to be the favorite to select an offensive lineman.
Why he won't be around at 12 or 19: Scan the "big boards" among the mock drafters and you'll find Cooper, White and Parker all in the top 10. The most buzz surrounding Parker has been centered on whether or not the Vikings will reunite him with Teddy Bridgewater, who was a star quarterback at Louisville. The Vikings addressed the position in free agency with the acquisition of Miami's Mike Wallace but, like the Browns, it wouldn't shock anyone if they further addressed the position early in the draft. There's even a shot the Vikings don't have to make that decision, as three of the four teams ahead of Minnesota -- Oakland, New York Jets, Chicago and St. Louis -- could conceivably address wide receiver in the first round.
Quote to note: "I'm a big, physical kind of player. I go up and get the ball. I go in the middle. Anywhere, I go and get it." - Parker
Stat to know: Parker ranked 59th in college football in receiving yards this past season despite playing in just six games.
The last time: … Louisville had a wide receiver selected in the first round was … never. Harry Douglas was the last Cardinals wide receiver to be drafted (3rd round, 2008).
