Delight on defense:

The Browns faced a fascinating decision when they were on the clock with their second pick of the first round, No. 12 overall, Thursday night during the NFL draft.

They could have traded with the Houston Texans to move down from No. 12 to No. 25 in exchange for Houston’s 2018 first-round pick, or they could have stayed put and selected one of several big-name players who were available.

Of course, head of foot- ball operations Sashi Brown chose the trade.

Still, this is interesting: Coach Hue Jackson told NFL Network’s Michael Silver which player he wanted the Browns to draft had they stayed at No. 12. It was Ohio State safety Malik Hooker, who eventually went to the Indianapolis Colts at No. 15.

“To me, he has a chance to be another Ed Reed,” Jack- son told Silver, who wrote a behind-the-scenes draft recap story for NFL.com after being embedded at Browns headquarters in Berea last week. “When I coached in Baltimore, I saw firsthand what kind of impact a great safety can have.”

So there really was something to the photograph that circulated online showing Jackson shaking Hooker’s hand and wrapping his left arm around the prospect’s shoulder March 23 as they chatted during Ohio State’s pro day in Columbus. And Hooker wasn’t delusional when he told ESPN Cleveland WKNR (850-AM) on March 30 he had a feeling the Browns really liked him as he prepared to visit their headquarters.

Clemson quarterb a ck Deshaun Watson, Alabama defensive lineman Jonathan Allen and Alabama tight end O.J. Howard were among the other high-profile prospects available at No. 12.

With the Chicago Bears taking N orth Caro lina’s Mitchell Trubisky at No. 2 (after trading up from No. 3 in a deal with the San Fran- cisco 49ers) and the Kansas City Chiefs picking Texas Tech’s Patrick Mahomes at No. 10 (after trading up from No. 27 with the Buffalo Bills), Watson was the high- est-ranked quarterback left on Cleveland’s board at No. 12, according to Silver’s story.

Although Silver reported Jackson considered Watson the QB in this class best suited to play right away, the coach still preferred Hooker at No. 12.

But the Browns traded down from No. 12, where the Texans took Watson, and then hoped Michigan’s Jabrill Peppers would still be available at No. 25. Peppers was there, they picked him and now he’s their projected starting strong safety and punt returner who, Jack- son said, will moonlight on offense.

Silver wrote there were “hand-slaps and broad smiles” in the room when Brown called to submit the pick of Peppers.

In a video produced by the Browns, Jackson can be seen walking down the hall- way after they landed Peppers and repeatedly yelling for special teams coordina- tor Chris Tabor. When Jack- son approached his assistant, Tabor reacted as if he had won the lottery. He playfully pushed Jackson, hugged assistant defensive backs coach Jerod Kruse, clapped, fist-pumped and exclaimed, “That’s a big one. Wow!”

This will leave Browns fans asking each other, “Would you rather have Hooker or the combination of Peppers and Houston’s 2018 firstround pick?” It’ll be interesting to see how the decision plays out.

After the Browns failed to help new defensive coordinator Gregg Williams in free agency, they spent their first two picks on Texas A&M defensive end Myles Garrett (No. 1) and Peppers.

Silver described a scene in which Williams greeted Garrett and Peppers when they arrived at team head- quarters Friday. Williams told them not to make any grand promises in their intro- ductory news conference that they couldn’t keep, to respect ownership, the fran- chise and Cleveland and to be prepared to work during rookie minicamp May 12-14.

“I wanted two players out of this draft, and you are my guys,” Williams said. “I look forward to being your father, now and for the rest of your life.”

Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive end Bruce Smith watched video with Garrett and attended his draft party Thursday in Garrett’s home- town of Arlington, Texas.

After the Browns picked Garrett, Smith texted Williams and told him he would love to mentor Garrett. Williams showed the text to Garrett and explained he’s known Smith for 25 years and would invite him to one of the team’s minicamps. and suspended for the SEC Championship game.

“We’ve got a lot of veterans in here who have made a lot of mistakes and got back on the right path,” Dunlap added. “I think that’s somewhat a comfort for (team ownership) and why they felt like we have the right guys to pull him in the right direction and bump him and keep him on the railroad tracks. You know how that mamma dog, any time the little pup gets away, nudges him a little bit. I think that’s what they felt like they have in this locker room because we have a lot of those guys who have made mistakes when they were younger but they’ve learned from their mistakes.”

Hill has more in common with Mixon than just the position they play.

The spring after Hill’s freshman season at LSU, he was arrested and charged with simple battery in con- nection with a fight outside a bar near campus. That incident, like Mixon’s, was captured on video. Hill was suspended, reinstated and hasn’t been in trouble in the four years since.

“It’s definitely a similar situation,” Hill said. “Obviously people throw out the word ‘character.’ Not knowing the person’s character, it’s easy to do that. From what I’ve heard from the coaches and everyone who has spent time with him and been around him, they have nothing but great things to say about him.

“I’m sure I’ll meet him here pretty soon, and I’m sure I’ll have the same feeling about him,” Hill added.

Linebacker Vinny Rey said he thinks the Bengals have the perfect locker room with quality leadership to help Mixon move forward.

“I’m glad he’s here, that he’s on our team,” Rey said. “I hear he’s a great teammate. I’m going to be a great teammate to him. I’m going to serve him anyway I can.”

At the end of every day, the last locker Mixon will walk past on his way home will be Dunlap’s.

And regardless of whether Dunlap is sitting there when Mixon strolls by, the two-time Pro Bowler said he hopes he can be an example of what can happen when you make good on a second chance.

“I was given one, and it paid off for me and my family huge, immensely,” Dunlap said. “His is a lot more extreme than mine. But it’s not the end of the world because the man who’s judging us all (God), he gives us a second chance, so why can’t the men on land give a second chance?

“Now you shouldn’t just give somebody a second chance just because of their talent. But if you show the right people and demonstrate the right steps, I feel like you can earn that second chance. That’s the way it should be. It should never be given, but you can earn it. I feel like he’s going to earn it here, and has probably been earning it every day.”