2023 NFL Draft grades for Cleveland Browns vary wildly
The 2023 NFL Draft is in the books, and the Browns came away from this year's selection process with seven picks. The draft started for the Browns this year in the third round after the trades for quarterback Deshaun Watson and wide receiver Elijah Moore.
A day after the draft, Browns general manager Andrew Berry is receiving wildly mixed grades for his picks. One site gives the Browns an A- grade while another thinks the Browns had the worst draft in the NFL. Here's a look at what some had to say. We'll add more here as draft grades are released on Sunday.
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Trades for Deshaun Watson, Elijah Moore sink Browns 2023 draft grade
Nate Davis of USA TODAY shredded the Browns draft, tying their overall grade to what he perceives as bad deals for Watson and Moore. Davis ranked the Browns draft as the 31st best in the league, giving them a D grade. Only the Denver Broncos got a worse mark. Here's what Davis wrote:
They spent this year's first-round pick (plus two others) on Watson and what's quickly projecting as an ill-considered, fully guaranteed, $230 million contract. Their second-rounder was used on underachieving Jets WR Elijah Moore in a pre-draft trade. In Round 4, they took massive Ohio State RT Dawand Jones – hard to see where he fits in, but maybe he's a microcosm of larger plan that will (hopefully) make more sense in time. Third-round WR Cedric Tillman and DT Siaki Ika appear like they could contribute immediately.
Selection of Ohio State football center Luke Wypler a steal for Browns
The team at Pro Football Focus was much nicer to the Browns, giving them an A- grade. The PFF team particularly liked the Day 3 selection of Ohio State center Luke Wypler:
Wypler was the 54th-ranked player on the PFF big board, making this one of the better value selections in the draft in our eyes. He earned 79.0-plus PFF grades in each of his seasons as a starter for the Buckeyes, excelling as a zone run blocker (89th percentile over the last two seasons) specifically. Pair that with plus athleticism, and this looks like a steal for Cleveland.
Mel Kiper draft grade favorable for Cleveland Browns
Mel Kiper of ESPN was also fond of the Browns draft, giving them a B+ overall grade. Kiper liked the moves Berry made addressing premium positions and finding good value. He was another fan of the Wypler pick, saying the OSU center could have gone two rounds earlier in the draft.
Again, for what Berry had in this draft, he did a great job. He never reached, and he used his selections on premium positions.
Dorian Thompson-Robinson pick by the Browns 'wasteful'
Sports Illustrated gave the Browns a C+ grade for their draft, but liked the pick of wide receiver Cedric Tillman in the third round. But one pick really bothered the SI crew:
However, the pick of (Dorian) Thompson-Robinson seems wasteful considering the holes across the Browns’ roster, and his relative low upside behind (Deshaun) Watson.
The Browns got a draft sleeper in Missouri football edge Isaiah McGuire
Count Danny Kelly of The Ringer among those who liked what the Browns did in the draft. He gave Cleveland a B+ grade, and especially liked what the Browns did late:
I really liked the value Cleveland got on day three: Ohio State tackle Dawand Jones has a truly gargantuan frame, giving the Browns a quality backup for right tackle Jack Conklin who could eventually develop into a starter at that spot. Missouri edge Isaiah McGuire was one of my favorite sleepers coming in this draft, offering elite length and plenty of explosiveness as a pass rusher. He should factor in on the team’s defensive end group early in his career.
Did the Browns have the worst 2023 NFL Draft?
DraftKings Nation thought the Browns had the worst draft in the NFL. That site — typically dedicated to sports gambling — gave the Browns a D+.
Tillman and Ika are the only players that could carve out a decent number of snaps for themselves as rookies while the rest will be fighting to simply stick as members of the 53-man roster.
Harsh.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: 2023 NFL Draft grades for the Browns mixed
