by It’s the closest thing that the Cleveland Browns get to a Super Bowl every year: The NFL draft. Last season, the Browns walked away with arguably the best overall rookie class after bringing in Mason Graham, Carson Schwesinger, Quinshon Judkins, Harold Fannin Jr., and yes, I’ll even throw in Pro Bowl quarterback Shedeur Sanders. With all seven rounds now in the books, let’s take a deeper dive into how Andrew Berry and company fared this time around.
Round 1
Pick #9 – Spencer Fano, OT, Utah
Big Board Rank – #10
Overall Grade – B+
I’ve been adamant in my stance that the Browns should go with a wide receiver with their first pick, and address the offensive line later in round one. However, given the way the board started to fall I do not fault their strategy here. Carnell Tate went earlier than expected, and with Jordyn Tyson’s injury concerns I could understand not wanting to take him all the way up at pick #6.
Andrew Berry was able to trade back three spots with Kansas City, and still get their pick of any offensive lineman in the draft. They went with Utah tackle Spencer Fano, a true technician in the trenches with a motor to match. He’s slightly undersized for a tackle, and because of that he’ll struggle at times against elite power rushers early in his career. However, he’s an incredible athlete at his size, and has natural instincts as a lineman that will ease his transition in the league and give him a solid floor. He has elite grip strength, and is always prepared to counter rushers after their first move. He has experience playing both right and left tackle, though he started on the right side his last two years at Utah. His fluidity and natural feel for space will also allow him to kick inside to guard if he’s unable to develop the necessary strength to stick at tackle long term.
Fano is by no means a sure thing, but he was my top rated offensive lineman in this class and the Browns got him at the appropriate spot. Most importantly, they addressed one of the team’s biggest weaknesses right up front. Fano will likely slot in at left tackle, and provide some much needed stability on the offensive line.
Pick # 24 – KC Concepcion, WR, Texas A&M
Big Board Rank – #30
Overall Grade – C
Now before we break out the pitchforks, let me provide some context. I liked this pick significantly more once we paired him with Denzel Boston later in the draft, but at the time this pick was made I was not the biggest fan.
While Concepcion was within the proper range according to my big board, this just was not the proper fit at the time. The Browns were in desperate need of a true “X” receiver, a big bodied reliable pass catcher that can work the outside and open things up his teammates in the middle of the field. While KC started plenty on the outside at Texas A&M, his strength comes from creating separation in short yardage situations. His shorter arms are a hinderance when catching the ball in traffic, which lead to several drops over his college career.
Concepcion is plenty talented, but his drop issues and lack of physicality were not going to be enough to take the pressure off of Jerry Jeudy. Once Jeudy had to make the switch to consistently matching up against CB1s, he struggled to remain productive. Concepcion will find ways to get open and make a difference, but lacks the body type and play style to attract the attention of top tier outside corners. This pick was disappointing, until…
Round 2
Pick # 39 – Denzel Boston, WR, Washington
Big Board Rank – #36
Overall Grade – A+
…Denzel Boston joined the fray. I’m not entirely sure if this was Berry’s plan, or if Boston just fell into their lap after a slight slide, but the pairing of him and Concepcion was a masterpiece.
Now again, you’ll see my big board ranking is not exactly lining up with the grade. This comes back to team fit, since Boston profiles as a more traditional WR1. He’s 6’4, and has a catch radius the size of a black hole. Drops have never been a problem for Boston, and he’s consistently looking to keep moving down field once he has the ball in his hands. Where he starts to struggle is when his assignment isn’t obvious, specifically when it comes to diagnosing zone defenses. However the beauty of this receiver pairing is that Boston’s weaknesses match up with KC’s strengths, and vice versa.
If both live up to their potential, they could become one the most well rounded and productive tandems in the NFL. This also takes a significant amount of pressure off of Jerry Jeudy, allowing him to settle back into a true WR2 role. This also gives the Brown’s the flexibility to move on from Jeudy in the near future if he does not regain his previous form.
Pick # 58 – Emmanuel McNeil-Warren
Big Board Rank – #18
Overall Grade – A+
I don’t know when Toledo became DB-U, but I’m here for it. The Brown’s defense was it’s strength last year, but an aging secondary still needed to be addressed.
Safety continues to be an undervalued position in the NFL, and because of that we saw McNeil-Warren slide despite being an incredibly strong prospect. He’s a true playmaker at the position, racking up six interceptions and nine forced fumbles during his time at Toledo. He’s got above average size and arm length for the position, making him a physical and willing tackler. He shows no hesitation on the field, sometimes to a fault, and is never caught flat-footed. If anything, he can be overaggressive at times and miss reads over the top.
Even with the occasional blown assignments, the positives far outweigh the negatives. The Browns got a player 40 spots later than his grade would justify. Great move by Berry to get aggressive and trade back up into the second round to take advantage of a slide.
Round 3
Pick #86 – Austin Barber, OT, Florida
Big Board Rank – #158
Overall Grade – C+
The Browns were active on day two of the draft, trading up twice to grab prospects. Austin Barber of the result of trade up #2, and the team continued to look to build trench depth.
Like Fano, Barber was a multiyear starter who played both tackle positions. Also like Fano, he has the technical and movement skills to kick inside if necessary. Barber does not have any physical traits that will jump off the page, but he’s a solid developmental tackle with the ability to fill in at multiple positions if necessary. Especially considering the injury history of newly acquired right tackle Tytus Howard, the pick makes a lot of sense.
The only reason this grade is a but lower is because there were still better offensive line prospects available at this point in the draft. It was also likely unnecessary to trade away extra capital to move up for Barber, and I had projected him to be available at least one round later.
Round 5
Pick #146 – Parker Brailsford, C, Alabama
Big Board Rank – #188
Overall Grade – B
Can’t fault the Browns for continuing to add depth the offensive line group.
Brailsford brings everything you’d want from a center from a technique perspective, but he’s a true outlier when it comes to his size (6’2, 290lbs). He’ll need to bulk up a bit to succeed at the NFL level, but the intangibles are all there. If he can come along quickly, it could allow free agent center addition Elgton Jenkins to move back to his natural position at left guard. Not only has head coach Todd Monken been vocal about wanting Jenkins to move back to guard, he also a two time pro bowl selection at the position while in Green Bay.
Pick #149 – Justin Jefferson, LB, Alabama
Big Board Rank – #225
Overall Grade – C+
I’ll avoid the obvious joke, no we did not get THAT Justin Jefferson. But the Browns did double dip on Alabama prospects, which generally isn’t a bad strategy.
Jefferson is a good athlete with good instincts. He’s versatile enough from the Will linebacker spot that you’d feel comfortable giving him blitz, spy, or coverage assignments without him being a liability, but he lacks the size and strength to be a true difference maker. He projects to be a rotational depth piece with some upside on special teams as well.
Pick #170 – Joe Royer, TE, Cincinnati
Big Board Rank – #139
Overall Grade – A
Another pick that receives high marks for value. Royer is a true receiving threat at tight end, bringing excellent speed and catching ability for the position. He’s not going to contribute much as a blocker, but with the departure of David Njoku he’ll slot in as the second tight end option behind Harold Fannin Jr. Oh, and if you’re worried about the lack of blocking ability in the tight end room, we’ll get to that here soon.
Round 6
Pick #182 – Taylen Green, QB, Arkansas
Big Board Rank – #162
Overall Grade – B
I’m not necessarily a fan of further mucking up an already messy quarterback room, but Taylen Green is a lottery ticket worth scratching. He is an absolute athletic freak, and showed out at the NFL combine:
Height: 6’6
Weight: 227 lbs
40 Yard Dash: 4.36s
Vertical Jump: 43.5 in (all-time record for QBs)
Broad Jump: 11 ft. 2 in (all-time record for QBs)
Top Speed: 23.4 mph
If you’re looking for another quarterback to compare these numbers to, you’re not going to find it. In fact, the best comp I could find was actually Calvin Johnson, the hall of fame receiver for the Detroit Lions. Take a look for yourself.
Green is far too inconsistent as a passer to expect him to start at quarterback anytime soon, but the Browns may have just gotten Anthony Richardson without the Anthony Richardson price tag. Don’t be surprised if he ultimately transitions to wide receiver or tight end, but regardless he can find a way to contribute to this offense.
Round 7
Pick #248 – Carsen Ryan
Big Board Rank – Not Ranked
Overall Grade – B
While picking another tight end with both Fannin and Royer already on the roster may not sound appealing, Ryan is a different style of prospect than either of those players. He’ll primarily slot in as a blocker at the TE3 position with some receiving upside. He’ll also get some run as a special teamer.
Overall Draft Grade – A
While I’m not willing to call this a perfect draft, the final class shaped out to be one of my favorites among NFL teams. The top of a draft was a bit of a rollercoaster, but at the end of the day the Browns managed to bring in a haul of talented and complementary players at positions of need. I would have loved the see them bring in at least one corner prospect, especially considering how many highly rated players slipped in this draft, but the steal of McNeil-Warren late in round two does more than enough to atone for those sins. Only time will tell how good this class truly is, and this entire article could be held over my heard a year from now as I beg to keep my job as a draft analyst, but early projections have me feeling as if Andrew Berry put on a master class for the second year in a row.
