The Cleveland Browns will have Mike Rutenberg as the team's defensive coordinator. With a new defensive coordinator may come a different set of priorities. One of those could be on the safety position and specifically what they want from the free safety.
Under Jim Schwartz this past season, the Browns played a significant amount of Cover-1, often with Ronnie Hickman as their deep single-high safety.
This past season with Rutenberg as the defensive passing game coordinator, the Atlanta Falcons ran a significant amount of Cover-1. They had Jessie Bates III as their free safety. Bates was an All-Pro this past season.
Hickman is a decent player, one who could continue to grow this coming season, but having Bates might want him to get more from that position. That could be even more important if he intends to utilize a large amount of pre-snap disguises, changing the look of the defense.
So much of the conversation with the Browns is about Caleb Downs from Ohio State. There are some other talented options that could go in the first round, but if the Browns want to prioritize those spots for offense, one potential mid-round option could provide the Browns both flexibility and upside.