Quarterback talk tends to dominate draft conversations in Cleveland. Every mock draft gets checked first for which passer the Browns land, and for good reason. But with 2 1st-round picks in 2027, Andrew Berry may have room to address more than one need near the top of the draft. The latest projection from PFF takes advantage of that, starting with a fix for one of the defense’s biggest problems.
Dalton Wasserman of PFF sent Oregon defensive tackle A’Mauri Washington to the Browns with the 16th pick in his latest mock draft.
“Aside from Mason Graham, Cleveland’s defensive tackles have struggled to stop opposing rushing attacks this season. Washington is an athletic 325-pounder who earned an excellent 83.8 PFF run-defense grade in 2024 and has followed it up with a 69.8 mark this season. He also has a knack for knocking down passes at the line of scrimmage, having done so 12 times since the start of 2024,” Wasserman wrote.
The need is easy to see. The Browns are allowing 130.6 rushing yards per game, which ranks among the worst marks in the league, and opponents have run for 501 yards over the last 3 games. Maliek Collins missed the Saints game with an elbow injury, and the interior has had trouble holding up at the point of attack.
Washington is built for that job. The Detroit native stands 6’3 and 325 pounds, and his calling card is stopping the run. His run-defense grade was elite in 2024, and while it has dipped this season, he remains one of the more reliable interior defenders in the Big Ten.
If you want a defensive tackle that's going to stop the run and maintain gap integrity, A'Mauri Washington from Oregon is your guy.
He's 6'3, 325 lbs. and an absolutely elite level athlete that's been clocked moving at 20.7 mph.
Washington has a 35 inch vert, vertical-jumped… pic.twitter.com/MNW9AMGnIa
— Reason (@the_real_reason) November 6, 2026
Through 9 games this season, Washington has 24 tackles and no sacks. His value shows up in other ways, including 5 pass breakups this year. Getting his hands up at the line has become a big part of his game, and that kind of disruption can stall drives even without a sack.
Wasserman’s mock also gave the Browns a quarterback. With the 18th pick, Cleveland took Washington’s Oregon teammate Dante Moore, a passer once viewed as a likely top 5 pick before an uneven start and a concussion ended his season. Landing both Ducks would give the Browns a run stopper and a potential franchise quarterback in the same night.
It was a quarterback-heavy 1st round overall. Drew Mestemaker went 3rd to the Miami Dolphins, CJ Carr went 6th to the New York Jets and Arch Manning went 9th to the Arizona Cardinals. Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith went 1st overall to the Los Angeles Chargers.
The Browns hold 11 picks in 2027, so they have the ammunition to address several areas. Pairing Washington with Graham would give Mike Rutenberg a young interior built to handle the run for years.
For now, the Browns’ current defensive line will try to slow down the Houston Texans on Sunday.
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