Cleveland Browns Path To The Playoffs - Week 8

AFC Playoff Odds

Who do the sportbooks think is the Browns main competitor for the playoffs?

Rooting Guide For Key Games

I have broken these into three groups moving forward, the ones that are more likely than not to go how the Browns want, those that are possible and then the holding out for a miracle group.

Likely

Ravens @ Bills (-3.5) - Great to see a divisional competitor playing a team as strong as the Bills which could push the Ravens down to 4-4.

Possible

Raiders @ Jets (-1.5) - While the Raiders are 3-4, they aren't out of the wildcard race yet, a loss here could push them too far away.

Chiefs (-1.5) @ Broncos - Hopefully KC can beat Denver and open up more wildcard spots for the Browns if they don't win the division.

Hoping For A Miracle

Titans @ Bengals (-11.5) - I can't see it happening, but we can all hope for a miracle from the Titans here. Wins for the Browns, Bills and Titans this week would push the Browns up dramatically on the divisional odds.

Chargers @ Rams (-6.5) - It is less than a touchdown, so there is a small amount of hope. Chargers breaking their winless start to the season to make the Rams 3-5 would be fantastic for the Browns draft pick.

Patriots (-6.5) @ Dolphins - They are in a wildcard spot, so a loss by the Patriots would really help. Plus Malik Willis putting together a good run of games starting last week creates doubt on what they should do at quarterback this offseason.

Current Draft Order

Here is the draft order within the league as things stand if the season ended today per Tankathon:

Odds For The First Overall Pick

Here are the odds for the the ten most likely teams to finish with the worst record. Each week I will track this so we can see teams entering and dropping out of the top ten too. Green shows most likely to get the first pick. Grey is outside the top ten that week. Red is the Browns odds if they are outside the top ten.

Browns 2027 Draft Picks

Here are the Cleveland Browns 2027 draft picks:

Round 1 (Browns)
Round 1 (Rams) - Myles Garrett trade

Round 2 (Browns)

Round 3 (Browns)

Round 4 (Browns)
Round 4 (Giants) - Draft trade
Round 4 (Seahawks) - Draft trade

Round 5 (Browns)
Round 5 (Texans) - Draft trade

(No 6th rounder, traded to the Texans for Cam Robinson)

Round 7 (Browns)
Round 7 (Texans or Chargers) - Cam Robinson trade

Consensus Draft Board

Here we will look at the top ten players on the NFL Mock Draft Database's Consensus Big Board:

1 - Jeremiah Smith, WR (Ohio State)
2 - Drew Mestemaker, QB (Oklahoma State)
3 - Colin Simmons, EDGE (Texas)
4 - Leonard Moore, CB (Notre Dame)
5 - Dylan Stewart, EDGE (South Carolina)
6 - Darian Mensah, QB (Miami)
7 - Jordan Seaton, OT (LSU)
8 - Charlie Becker, WR (Indiana)
9 - Arch Manning, QB (Texas)
10 - Trevor Goosby, OT (Texas)

Here is a look at all of the quarterbacks in the top 100:

2 - Drew Mestemaker (Oklahoma State)
6 - Darian Mensah (Miami)
9 - Arch Manning (Texas)
12 - Trinidad Chambliss (Mississippi)
14 - CJ Carr (Notre Dame)
15 - Dante Moore (Oregon)
34 - Austin Simmons (Missouri)
40 - LaNorris Sellers (South Carolina)
55 - Jayden Maiava (USC)
84 - Conner Weigman (Houston)

Weekly Mock Draft

What I want to do each week is a day 1/2 mock draft based working off the current draft order so it changes more week to week. The players selected runs off the consensus big board on Mock Draft Database, no trades, no players sliding. As I always say with drafts, don't worry too much about them until free agency has happened but let's have some fun! Age is always a factor for me, so check out the latest 2027 Age Guardrails Draft Board, exclusively for OBR VIPs.

Round 1 (Rams) - #14 CJ Carr, QB (Notre Dame)

The Browns need to get a quarterback and secure a long term future. While there is still uncertainty in this draft class, I'm taking a swing at 14 rather than taking the best cornerback etc.

Round 1 (Browns) - #26 Boubacar Traore, ED (Notre Dame)

It is a bit of reach currently based on the draft boards but he is having a very good season as a disruptive pass rusher. They need to add more to this position room as it is filled with good players but they must chase top talent too.

Round 2 (Browns) - #58 Luke Reynolds, TE (Virginia Tech)

He is having a fantastic season so far, I think he is worth a shot here to get more weapons. Having a second reliable tight end opens up so much for what the Brows can do. He would effectively be the teams tight end with Fannin moving over as the Jeudy replacement in the slot able to do both roles there.

Round 3 (Browns) - #90 Jyaire Hill, CB (Michigan)

Sorry for taking a Wolverine. They need more talent at cornerback so that they are covered for injuries. Even if he can't take the slot job after trying out there, they need to have legit talent as the next man up.