Notre Dame football: Could JOK be headed to the Cleveland Browns?

The Notre Dame football team has been one of the more consistent programs in the country as of late, winning ten or more games in each of the last four seasons. Led by some star power on both sides of the ball, the Irish were able to run through their regular season undefeated last season, making a second appearance in the College Football Playoff in the last three years.

On defense, we have seen the rise of linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, who arrived in South Bend back in 2017, spent a year on the scout team, and then had injury issues as a sophomore. Since then, he has made a steady rise in terms of his play on the field and is now considered one of the top-2 linebackers in the 2021 NFL Draft class.

As we inch closer to April’s first round, there are a lot of mock drafts being put out, and JOK seems to be listed in every single one that focuses on the first round.

Notre Dame football star lands in Cleveland in recent PFF mock

In their latest 2021 NFL Mock draft, Pro Football Focus has Notre Dame football star Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah landing in Cleveland. The Browns are a few pieces away from being a legitimate contender in the AFC, and landing a player of JOK’s caliber would be one of the final pieces of the puzzle on the defensive side of the ball.

Cleveland has some nice young players on defense, led by guys like Denzel Ward and Myles Garrett, but Owusu-Koramoah would be that player in the second level that they are missing right now. The Browns had not been in the playoffs for a league-high 18 years before last season, so JOK would be landing in a perfect situation.

Cleveland picks at No. 26 overall this April, and most 2021 NFL Mock Drafts have Owusu-Koramoah off the board by then, possibly going around pick No. 17 or 18 to the Las Vegas Raiders or Miami Dolphins. However, if he is still available this late in round one, the Browns are getting an absolute steal.