In a deviation from many prior years, the Cleveland Browns found themselves with significantly less picks in this draft class than what you may call “normal”. The Browns completely vacated Day One with zero picks in the first round. Furthermore, they also had no picks in the second round either. In fact, the first overall selection for Cleveland did not come until the third round with the 74th overall selection. The Browns, in essence, felt they had already significantly invested in the future of their franchise when they traded their first round pick away as part of a deal that allowed them to obtain the rights to their franchise quarterback, Deshaun Watson. Meanwhile, their second round selection was traded away as part of a separate deal with the New York Jets which sent wide receiver Elijah Moore to the Cleveland as well as a third round selection. In reality, the Browns’ first selection of the draft I referred to earlier, the 74th overall pick, was, in fact, not their own pick, it was a pick originally owned by the Jets as the third round pick originally owned by Cleveland was sent to Houston as part of the aforementioned Watson trade and was, surprisingly enough, just one pick before their first selection, that being the 73rd overall pick.
Confused enough yet, because I am!
PITTSBURGH, PA - JANUARY 08: Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) looks dejected after throwing an incomplete pass during the game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cleveland Browns at Acrisure Stadium on January 8, 2023 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Photo by Shelley Lipton/Icon Sportswire)
Who did the Cleveland Browns Draft?
Bottom line, the Browns made their first selection of the draft roughly a third of the way through the third round. With that pick they opted to attempt to surround Watson with an additional weapon as they selected wide receiver Cedric Tillman – Tennessee. This selection itself also added to the aura around these trades as the pick made before this one, the pick originally owned by the Browns if you remember, also was used to select a wide receiver, a player who, yes, also played for Tennessee, Jalen Hyatt. Who says the NFL Draft is lacking for drama and twists and turns?
Tillman is an interesting pick, not because of the value he may immediately hold but, rather, because of what it may reveal about the future plans of Cleveland. You see, the three contracts of the current starting wide receivers are structured very uniquely. Amari Cooper and Elijah Moore each have two years left on their contacts while Donovan Peoples-Jones has just a single year left. In each case, there is no easy out for the Browns, as there tends to be roughly midway through the most contracts. In the case of Moore and Peoples-Jones, both players are still on their initial rookie contracts. However, Cooper actually restructured his contract last season, a move that made it more difficult to simply cut him while giving Cleveland the money it needed to pursue the Watson deal and the subsequent new contract he would need to approve the deal. This is important because it appears, for the time being, the Browns’ receiving corps is locked in. However, in both this draft and the draft last year, Cleveland expended third round picks on high-upside wide receivers in the form of Tillman this draft and David Bell last year. This seems to hint that the Browns may have a strategy in place for succession planning.
#Browns Amari Cooper coming off of surgery and going up and making a TD catch pic.twitter.com/o47Gv5OEOo
— Fred Greetham (@FredGreetham9) June 6, 2023
With Peoples-Jones set to become a free agent at the conclusion of this season, I believe Cleveland will attempt to re-sign him. I believe this because, as it currently stands, there does not appear to be anyone behind him that is likely to step into a starting role. Conversely, both Cooper and Moore have Tillman and Bell behind them, respectively. It is unlikely that both wide receivers will be able to be retained by the team, perhaps both may not be re-signed. Their play over the next two seasons and their salary demands may determine who they attempt to keep and, ultimately, who gets elevated to a starting role.
Another possibility is that if Cleveland feels they will not be able to retain Cooper long-term, they could look to trade him to a contender as, essentially, a rental. This could allow Tillman to step into a starting role at some point either this season or next. Either way, there is a path for a starting role in the future for Tillman, just not immediately.
With a second third round pick that the Browns were awarded when they lost Kwesi Adolfo-Mensah to Minnesota as a JC-2A hire, they selected defensive lineman Siaka Ika – Baylor with the 98th overall pick. Ika is one of the largest players selected on either side of the ball in this draft class, standing 6’-3” tall and weighing 335 pounds. Despite that size, the pick was a little surprising as there is no current need for a nose tackle along the Browns defensive line. The closest thing to a true nose tackle the team has is Dalvin Tomlinson, a similarly sized defender that the team signed as a free agent this season. Additionally, Ika is not generally known for his productivity, but rather his ability to eat up space, a feature much less desirable in the defense Cleveland currently utilizes. Ika might rotate in with Tomlinson, however, do not expect a significant number of snaps, and expect much less in terms of productivity.
The Browns then headed into Day Three with five selections, two each in the fourth and fifth round and one in the sixth round. Cleveland selected offensive tackle Dawand Jones – Ohio State (pick 111), defensive end Isaiah McGuire – Missouri (pick 126), quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson – UCLA (pick 140), cornerback Cameron Mitchell – Northwestern (pick 142), and center Luke Wypler – Ohio State (pick 190). Of these selections, Thompson-Robinson intrigues me the most, although all but McGuire appear to be likely to be direct back ups to the starters at their respective positions. While none of the players I listed have particularly high upside, their selection does bolster the overall depth of the team and shows that Cleveland was prioritizing stability in Day Three.
Did the Cleveland Browns have a good draft?
The Browns’ draft is a tough one to evaluate as I can think of no other team whose first selection in the draft came as late as theirs. Additionally, Cleveland had one of the lowest counts of Day One and Day Two picks that I have seen in this draft class, meaning they would need carefully identify talent that could immediately start for them in order to come out of the draft viewed as successful, something I believe they failed to do. That inability to identify even a single immediate starter forces me to give the Browns a grade of a C as it relates to immediate value. However, their ability to broadly find as many as six immediate backups to current starters is quite impressive as it should allow higher end production from those starters since they will be able to stay fresh as they can take breathers without the fear that a play will be missed in their absence, as well as those backups being able to provide solid performances in the event of an injury. All things considered; the team earns a B+ for their efforts in building long-term value.
So much of the long-term planning and building for the Browns has been impacted by their trade for Watson. While only time will tell if the deal was worth it, the team will need to effectively identify immediate value if they have any chance of turning the franchise around. While a single player, especially a quarterback, can add a few more wins to any record, without a supporting cast around them, long-term and sustained success will elude the team.
