Browns Draft Stock Watch: 5 Players Rising and Falling on Cleveland's Board

The Cleveland Browns have 10 picks in next month's NFL draft, including three in the first two rounds. While the Browns may or may not spend all those picks, the 10 picks clearly give them a lot of flexibility in a fairly deep draft class.

Though the Browns' draft targets are more than likely set in something resembling stone, players can still rise or fall on the draft board based on roster needs, the uncovering of new information or the signings of free agents.

With that in mind, here are five players who are moving up or down the Browns' draft board. 

Stock Up: TE Maxx Williams

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The Browns' search for another tight end continues. The free-agent pool is thin, and unless the Browns try to trade for another team's veteran, they will have to address the position in the draft. The pool of rookie tight ends, however, is also thin. If the Browns want to find a playmaker, they will have to use one of their first-round picks to get one.

That's why Minnesota tight end Maxx Williams' stock is on the rise in Cleveland, even to the point that he could be the team's main target at 12th overall. Williams, who had 61 catches for 986 yards and 13 touchdowns in two years of college, may not be the most experienced tight end in the draft class, but NFL Network draft expert Mike Mayock ranks him as the top tight end of the 2015 draft class.

Williams can stretch the field like a receiver, which is what the Browns need now that they have lost Jordan Cameron in free agency. While Jim Dray and Gary Barnidge can both catch passes, they can also serve as blockers in an offense that includes Williams. 

Stock Down: WR Sammie Coates

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In a draft rife with wide receiver talent, eventually some of that talent's draft stock will fall. One of those receivers is Auburn's Sammie Coates, who has gone from a potential first-round selection to a second- or third-rounder, thanks to his predilection for dropping passes.

ESPN draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. said (via Joel A. Erickson of Al.com) that Coates, "Tests like a 1, but the drops are a concern. Here's the kind of guy, if concentration level improves, he's got the frame, he's got the physical qualifications I've said to be a first-round pick."

Coates caught 34 passes last year for 741 yards and four touchdowns and averaged 21.8 yards per reception, but he had 83 targets. Drops were an issue.

Kiper notes that Coates' inconsistency means that his first-round measurables make him "a second or third-round pick guaranteed." Nevertheless, no longer should he be on the Browns' first-round short list; rather, he's a potential Day 2 or 3 target should they believe his dropped passes will be less of an issue with NFL-level coaching.

Stock Up: WR Jaelen Strong

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Though the Browns brought on Dwayne Bowe and Brian Hartline in free agency, neither is a long-term solution at wide receiver. Instead, both players bring a veteran presence to the field and the locker room that will help the younger wideouts become further acclimated to the game.

Therefore, it's not a stretch to assume that wide receiver is on the Browns' draft radar this year, especially given how deep the position is and how impressive it is at the top. And if the Browns want to take a receiver in Round 1, there may be no better fit than Arizona State's Jaelen Strong.

At 6'4", 212 pounds with a 4.44-second 40-yard dash, Strong brings the size and speed of Josh Gordon without all the baggage (or the minimum one-year suspension). He caught 157 passes in college for 2,287 yards and 17 touchdowns, including 82 catches for 1,165 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2014.

Strong had an impressive pro day to help back up his good showing at the scouting combine, with a 4.19-second short shuttle and a 7.33-second three-cone drill. He also caught every pass thrown to him in the receiving drills.

Large, fast and reliable—that's just the kind of young receiver the Browns need to add to their roster this year. Strong is easily on their first-round short list this year.

Stock Down: NT Danny Shelton

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Not that long ago, the Browns were considered one of the front-runners for the services of Washington nose tackle Danny Shelton. The Browns had moved on from Ahtyba Rubin, who had held down their nose tackle position last season, so it seemed only logical to add a young and large player like Shelton to join Ishmaa'ily Kitchen in replacing Rubin and improving the position.

However, that seems less likely to happen now, particularly in Round 1. Browns head coach Mike Pettine, speaking at the NFL owners meetings in Arizona, said that Phil Taylor will be the team's primary nose tackle this season, backed up or spelled by Kitchen in the rotation. Last year, Taylor played out of position at defensive end before being placed on injured reserve in November with a knee injury.

This year, it looks like Taylor will be back to taking on double-teams in the middle of the defensive line. With him and backup Kitchen, the Browns no longer have an immediate and glaring need at nose tackle. Though they may draft defensive line depth, no longer does Shelton—or any of the top defensive tackle prospects—seem in the cards for the Browns in Round 1.

Stock Up: WR/TE Devin Funchess

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Will he be a tight end? Will he be a receiver? For the Cleveland Browns, Michigan's Devin Funchess could be both. And he could be a first-round selection after his scouting combine numbers bounced back at his pro day earlier this month.

After posting a 4.70-second 40-yard dash at the scouting combine in February (something he attributed to exhaustion), he ran a 4.47 and 4.53 at his pro day. He also had just one dropped pass and, according to NFL.com's Gil Brandt, he "showed he's a very good athlete and smooth in his routes."

Funchess totaled 126 catches for 1,715 yards and 15 touchdowns in three seasons at Michigan, the first two spent as a tight end and the final one as a wide receiver. That versatility could appeal to the Browns, who could kill two positional birds with one stone by taking Funchess with their second of two first-round picks or in Round 2.