The Cleveland Browns need more help offensively than anywhere else, but that doesn't mean they don't also need to patch things up defensively.
Yes, the Browns were the top-ranked defense in the NFL two years ago, but they showed serious slippage in that area this past season, falling to 19th.
While Cleveland's issues were more against stopping the run than anything else, the Browns could stand to improve their secondary, which has a couple of cornerbacks slated to hit free agency after next season.
As a result, Cleveland may look to add a cornerback in the NFL Draft, and Jacob Infante of Pro Football Network has linked the Browns to a dynamic ball hawk: Kentucky Wildcats star Maxwell Hairston.
Infante is predicting Cleveland to select Hairston in the second round later this month, which would certainly represent an interesting selection given the Browns' more pressing needs.
Still, Hairston is a terrific prospect and is coming off of a 2024 campaign in which he was limited to just seven games due to a shoulder injury. During his time on the field, he managed to log 19 tackles and an interception that he returned for a touchdown.
Hairston is also just a couple of seasons removed from racking up 68 tackles, five picks and a couple of defensive scores, leading the SEC in the two latter categories.
Cleveland probably isn't going to spend a second-round pick on a corner, but Hairston—who ran a 4.28-second 40-yard dash at the Scouting Combine—is so gifted that the Browns may be tempted to nab him if he is available at No. 33.
