The Browns, lacking a slam-dunk starter opposite of Joe Haden at cornerback, added a young corner to the roster in Round Three, drafting San Diego State’s Leon McFadden with the No. 68 pick.
McFadden (5-10, 193) joins Buster Skrine, Chris Owens, Trevin Wade, Johnson Bademosi, Prince Miller and Kevin Barnes as contenders for the other starting CB spot. Sheldon Brown, the starter opposite Haden in 2012, is an unrestricted free agent.
The Browns have focused significant efforts on their defensive front seven this offseason, signing DL Desmond Bryant and OLB Paul Kruger and spending the No. 6 overall pick on LSU edge rusher Barkevious Mingo. In the secondary, the Browns have added Owens and now McDonald, who intercepted eight passes in four seasons with the Aztecs and earned a Senior Bowl invite.
With Haden a Pro Bowl-caliber talent, teams are sure to test the Browns’ other cornerbacks. Training-camp practices and preseason games could be quite important in sorting out the depth chart.
