SI Mock Draft Sends Notre Dame QB CJ Carr to Browns
The short version
- Sports Illustrated's Gilberto Manzano projects the Browns to draft Notre Dame QB CJ Carr in the 2027 NFL mock draft.
- With their second pick, the Browns are projected to take Clemson edge rusher Will Heldt.
- Manzano cites the need for pass rush help after Myles Garrett was traded to Los Angeles, with Jared Verse needing a partner on the other end.
- Heldt, 6-foot-6 and 260 pounds, has 10 tackles and four sacks this season.
- The 2027 NFL Draft will be held in Washington, D.C.
Sports Illustrated's latest 2027 NFL mock draft projects Cleveland to take Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr and Clemson edge rusher Will Heldt.
Sports Illustrated's Gilberto Manzano has released a new mock draft for the 2027 NFL Draft, and it delivers help on both sides of the ball for the Cleveland Browns. In the projection, Cleveland uses its first-round pick on Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr, then adds Clemson edge rusher Will Heldt with its second selection.
The 2027 draft is scheduled to be held in Washington, D.C. Cleveland still holds its first-round pick, though the source notes that a great deal can change in the roughly eight months leading up to the event. The draft class has been widely described as unusually talent-rich.
On the Heldt projection, Manzano writes that Cleveland needs more pass rushers after sending Myles Garrett to Los Angeles. The trade brought Jared Verse to the Browns, but Manzano sees a need for help on the opposite end of the defensive line.
Manzano describes Heldt, listed at 6-foot-6 and 260 pounds, as possessing impressive strength with the potential to develop into a consistent disrupter of opposing quarterbacks. The Clemson defender has recorded 10 tackles and four sacks so far this season, per the mock draft analysis.
Beyond rushing the passer, the projection positions Heldt as a player who can contribute against the run as well, giving Verse a complementary partner on the edge in Cleveland.
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