Cleveland Browns hope draft class adds more competition in must-win season: 3 takeaways
BEREA — Andrew Berry made a trade.
It took the Browns general manager until their eighth and final pick, No. 229 overall in the seventh round, to finally get rid of one of the picks he started the weekend holding. For a general manager who has garnered a reputation for wheeling and dealing on draft day thanks to seven draft-day deals the previous three drafts, it was a tame couple of days.
Ultimately, the only move made was a minor one to dump their last pick this year to pick up a late-round pick for next year. It'll give them eight more picks for the 2024 draft, the last one without a first-round pick due to the Deshaun Watson trade of last year.
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It still leaves them with seven new rookies on this year's roster. That's seven relatively young players to add to a still relatively young team that is faced with expectations of winning in the fall.
"Well, hopefully, we have taken a big step there," Berry said Saturday after the conclusion of the draft. "I mean, I think any player that you bring into the organization, whether it's through draft, whether it through free agency, whether it's through a trade or some other means, you are hopeful that you can easier raise the floor and/or ceiling a position group. We have the same aspirations for this class of seven players, but we have to wait and see until they hit the grass."
So what about this draft class? With it now completed, here are a three takeaways on the seven new Browns.
Size was clearly a factor in Andrew Berry's decision making
Berry talked after taking Tennessee receiver Cedric Tillman and Baylor defensive lineman Siaki Ika in Friday's third round about their size. Then he turned around with the Browns' very first pick in Saturday's fourth round, at No. 111 overall, and took mammoth Ohio State offensive tackle Dawand Jones.
Jones checks in at 6-foot-8¼ and 374 pounds. Berry referred to him as a "modern-day Goliath" and said he's "human orca big."
The other fourth-round pick, Missouri defensive end Isaiah McGuire, also is big-framed. He stands 6-4⅜ and weighs 268 pounds.
"All four players that we liked at their respective slots and I would also say that even though drafted some bigger bodies, it's not just like they're big guys that can't move," Berry said of the first four picks. "That's something that we will always prioritize, because I do think the NFL is becoming more and more of a space game. If you have big athletic players at any position group you'll take them."
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New defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz isn't just being asked to revamp the Browns' scheme. He's doing it to their personnel as well.
That started with the free-agent signings such as defensive lineman Dalvin Tomlinson and Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, as well as safety Juan Thornhill. It continued as the Browns drafted two big defensive lineman in Ika and McGuire, while also adding a cornerback in Northwestern's Cameron Mitchell, the fifth-round pick taken at No. 142.
It was similar to the moves made to bolster the offense, both through free agency and the draft. Watson has been given three new targets in the former, while Tillman provides another weapon to be used.
"The idea that Jim is pushing for size, that's really not true," Berry said. "He's looking for good football players. With Deshaun, I think any team that has a quarterback and feels set at that position, wants to make sure to surround that with individuals that can help accentuate his skillset. I wouldn't necessarily say we went into it with a specific plan that was going to drive the offense or the other side was going to drive the defense. We were looking for good football players that, ultimately, fit our vision."
SEC remains one of Andrew Berry's favorite conferences from which to mine talent
The Browns shed some of the criticism that they've ignored the football factory down the road at Ohio State by taking Jones and then center Luke Wypler in the sixth round at No. 190. Those two Buckeyes raise the total number drafted by the team since their 1999 rebirth to six.
What they continued to feed into is the belief that Berry is quite fond of players who have played in the Southeastern Conference. Of the seven players they picked, three had a connection to the SEC.
Ika spent his freshman season playing on LSU's 2019 national championship team before following Dave Aranda, his defensive coordinator there, to Baylor. Tillman and McGuire, meanwhile, obviously played their full careers in the conference.
Those four give the Browns 19 players on the roster from the SEC.
"The SEC, I feel like it's the best conference," Tillman said. "Week in and week out, you're going against top teams, top competition. Tennessee was great. Like you said, a great fan base. They really care about their Volunteers. I appreciated my time there, but now I'm a Brown. Now, I'm going to embrace this fan group, and let's go.”
Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on Twitter at @ceasterlingABJ.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cleveland Browns looks to draft class to add competition to roster
