The Cleveland Browns entered this draft with an eye toward the future and to bolster the areas they invested heavily in. They did not retreat from that position. In their abbreviated two-day draft, they didn’t take a breather.
For the first time in his five drafts as a general manager, Andrew Berry did not make a trade. Berry considered the Browns to be in a position to prepare for the future and not feel pressured to make a single move or fill an immediate need. Because rushing defenses are hard to come by, Berry started and ended the draft with them. The Browns love to stockpile offensive linemen and know that the core won’t play forever, so they added Zach Zinter to the collection.
Defensive tackle Mike Hall Jr. is a Cleveland native who could make a dream come true, but the Browns didn’t select Hall because of geography or familiarity. They think he’s a good fit for Jim Schwartz’s defense and athleticism and will be a disruptive pass rusher for years to come. In November’s Ohio State-Michigan game, Hull took a nasty fall on Zinter, causing Zinter to suffer a broken tibia and fibula. Now, Zinter and Hall are teammates. The Browns view Zinter as a talented, intelligent and athletic linebacker who will be a future starter.
“Mike’s passion and energy and Zach’s constant presence (will) add to our locker room,” Berry said. I look forward to seeing them on the practice field.
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Berry said the Browns explored a trade at the draft deadline, but the Browns chose not to add a lot of picks and extra punches because their team mostly has them in place for 2024 — and they like it. They completed Saturday’s draft by selecting wide receiver Jamari Thrash in the fifth round, linebacker Nathaniel Watson in the sixth and two players in the seventh round, cornerback Miles Harden and defensive end Jowon Briggs.
If Thrash can figure out the way he did in his college career, he could figure into the team’s long-term plans, and Watson could have a direct path to making the Browns’ special teams units this season. Watson led the SEC in sacks and tackles last fall, but early in 2023 he was arrested on suspicion of DUI and an earlier arrest in a drag racing incident while in high school. Berry said he wouldn’t comment on how other teams viewed Watson, but the Browns were comfortable with his behavior.
Hall is only 20 and was never a full-time starter at Ohio State. But the Browns have come far enough to know what they want, believing Schwartz will be in his role long-term and applying long-term thinking to every draft and trade decision they make and don’t make. The next step for the Browns is to translate stability, organizational efficiency and competitiveness into long-term success and postseason success. That’s a realistic goal, but the chances of getting there right away weren’t going to change much this weekend.
Choices
2nd Round 54th: Mike Hall Jr.DT, Ohio State
3rd Round 85th: Zak ZinterG, Michigan
5th Round 156th: Beginner trashWR, Louisville
6th Round 206th: Nathaniel WatsonLB, Mississippi State
7th Round 227th: Miles HardenCB, South Dakota
7th Round 243rd: John BriggsDT, Cincinnati
Choosing the best price
Watson is a no-guaranteed sixth-rounder. But he gives the team a shot to make the ball in coverage, and his combination of size, speed and physicality make him one to watch. The Browns know there’s a chance they’ll get some immediate help from this draft, but in Watson, they’ll get a player who led the SEC in sacks last fall. That’s at least familiar, right? After six years in college and a long wait in the draft because of his arrest record, Watson comes to Cleveland with a chance to make a name for himself — and possibly stick with a thin linebacker group. Berry said Watson could eventually be considered a player smart enough to call defensive signals.
A very surprising choice
Trash is what we’re getting here with a draft like this and it looks like the Browns are getting there too. Thrash wasn’t a return specialist in college, and although he was effective at the college level, he lacks one trait that stands out at the NFL level. The Browns were going to add to their wide receiver corps, but after losing prospects at a few levels, it looks like the Browns will instead go with a running back, edge rusher or cornerback. The Browns chose Zinter over the wide receivers they’ve seen in the Senior Bowl — and at least a few could be second- or early-third-round picks. In this draft, the team prioritized Zinter and the interior of the offensive line at wide receiver.
The big question mark
The Browns don’t feel their roster is perfect, but they don’t see many holes or have many questions. They knew they didn’t have a lot of draft capital – and they considered it a good thing they were mostly designing for a year (or more) down the road. Still, it should have been hard to resist Berry’s desire to trade up Friday night and add at least one pick in the fourth round. We won’t have any definitive answers as to whether sticking with Hall and Zinter is the right move for a while, but for now, we’re assuming the Browns really value those players — and we never believe they’ll be more than a few starters. They made a 53-man roster this season. Zinter said he’s been cleared to return to football, and maybe the foot injury has caused him to fall a few spots. Maybe the Browns will end up with a long steal.
Residual needs
In the year If you believe that 2024 is worth the salary cap for Deshaun Watson, Nick Chubb and the team’s core defensemen and players, you won’t find much of an argument here. The Browns’ top-heavy roster has enough talent and experience to return to the postseason, and the team’s performance over the past two years suggests that more veteran players will be added in the coming months. The Browns need more help at tight end, have no proven depth at linebacker and no certainty in the receiver corps. But as last year’s post-draft additions of Zadarius Smith, Rodney McLeod and Shelby Harris proved, Berry isn’t done. The Browns focused on keeping their team together in March and insuring some veterans at running back. We’ve seen franchises willing to spend big to keep the front office in control of the salary cap and continue to add experienced players if Berry feels he has a realistic target. “In any (position) department, we don’t feel like we’re done,” Berry said.
A post-draft look
The Deshaun Watson trade is finally done — for the best, anyway. The Browns gave up three first-round picks and six overall picks in the last three drafts, but ended up picking 123 in this draft. The Browns own picks in the first four rounds next year and have a draft window that lasts only if Watson can play healthy. While most teams in the league added depth and young talent the Browns didn’t this weekend, the Browns have been prepared for this limited season. They bought picks for Smith and Jerry Judy in this draft, and they mostly like what they have given the health and positive rehab reports in the coming months. The Browns didn’t want to trade future draft picks on Saturday, and Berry continues to get the green light to add to the middle of the roster in the coming months.
(Top photo of Nathaniel Watson: Michael Wade/ICON Sportswire via Getty Images)