Drafting just isn’t as fun when there’s no first-round pick. Considering the state of the Cleveland Browns since 1999, this time of year is when the fan base collectively looks to their new, highly regarded first-rounder as the franchise savior.
Ultimately, we come back the next year, ready to try again, and again and again.
Alas, no first rounder. Heck, not even a second rounder after the Browns traded the 44th overall selection away, striking yet another deal with the Texans.
So the Browns didn’t make their pick until the third round.
This draft took me back to 2008, when the Browns took Beau Bell in the fourth-round. The UNLV product was the team’s first selection that year, as the organization sold out to move up to select Brady Quinn in 2007.
I remember the local media giving Bell so much ink upon arriving in Berea, that even his grandmother had to be surprised by the coverage. However, in a boring draft, he was the Browns shiny new toy and everyone was ready to enshrine him in Canton.
We all just hope the Browns are going to be smarter than everyone and unearth a Hall of Famer in the fifth-round, when in reality, it’s just such a long shot. The great players with starter potential go early. Obviously, guys who get drafted later do rise above their expectations, it just becomes harder to find them, because everyone is looking to find the next hidden gem.
With that I mind, here’s a look a three rookies will will play a lot in 2022, in addition to a forecast for the rest of the team’s picks.
1. Cleveland Browns surprise: Martin Emerson, CB, Miss St.
The Browns began the draft with a surprise when they finally their first pick, selecting Martin Emerson in the third round.
It was puzzling then, considering corner is probably Cleveland’s deepest position. However the pick made more sense following the organization’s trade of Troy Hill to the LA Rams.
Following the trade of Hill, some are expecting Emmerson to compete for time covering the slot. The SEC product said he practiced the position in college and played it in high school, but never played it in college.
So, if he’s not a slot guy and the Browns have Denzel Ward, Greg Newsome and Greedy Williams ahead of him, how he going to get on the field.
Injuries, injuries and injuries. The corner back room is ripe for those soft tissue injuries that cause Ward to miss 2-3 games a season. Williams and Newsome aren’t immune either.
Emerson falls to the back of the depth chart, but do look for him, especially after some of the corners ahead of him on the depth chart start adding miles.
As for the slot…perhaps the Browns have him workout there, but I wonder about A.J. Green’s ability to play the spot. Something to watch once camp starts.
2. Cleveland Browns fourth-rounder David Bell, WR, Purdue
The Big Ten receiver of the year should receive ample opportunity to crack the lineup once the regular season begins and he’s good enough to receive snaps from day one.
His 40-times are less than optimal (4.65 seconds), but he does other things very well. You don’t luck into winning a major award in an elite conference by simply showing up. I think he can be a better Rashard Higgins. The former Brown wasn’t a burner, but found ways to get open.
It’s been said Bell could instantly contribute at the slot receiver position and that’s not a reach. A lot depends on what Cleveland gets from Donovan Peoples-Jones and Anthony Schwartz.
It’s time for DPJ to make good on some of his potential. We thought we’d see a breakout last season. Perhaps the play of the quarterback position hindered his development.
Schwartz has to develop better route running skills. He just can’t be a burner. He should be better in 2022, but only time will tell.
3. Cleveland Browns 4th-rounder, Cade York, K, LSU
The Browns drafted Cade York with the intention of the fourth-round pick to win the kicking job. They’ll hold onto Chase McLaughlin throughout camp to compete, but make no mistake: This is York’s job to lose.
It’s the highest a kicker has been taken since 2016.
The rumor of the Browns warming up to drafting York proved to be true. Props to Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot, who correctly wrote the Browns would draft him in the third or fourth round. I thought it would be way too early, but after the Browns picked up an additional fourth-rounder for trading out of the 44th pick, why the heck not?
York owns the LSU record with 15 career field goals of 50-plus yards. He also owns the school record for longest kick, which went for 57 yards, in 2020.
The Browns were the worst field-goal kicking team in the NFL last season, making just 72.7 percent of their attempts with McLaughlin handling most of the work.
Where do rest of Cleveland Browns picks fit in?
1. Alex Wright, DE, UAB: Some may be surprised to see the third rounder (78) here, but I just think he’s took big of a developmental project to pencil him in for playing time. Would love to be wrong, but we’ll have to see how things go.
If Jadeveon Clowney comes back, it will be harder for Wright to see the field. If he doesn’t, snaps are there to be earned, but even then, it wouldn’t happen until the back half of the season.
2. Perrion Winfrey, DT, Oklahoma: The fourth-rounder (108) could become a starter one day and may see some snaps toward the back half of the season. The Browns really like Taven Brown–especially his pass rush abilities. Jordan Elliott and Tommy Togiai have been incubating. Winfrey is a name, but he’ll have to wait. Many had him going in the second round. It turns out, the NFL viewed him as a fourth rounder.
3. Jerome Ford, RB, Cincinnati: Got to be honest, not sure what 2022 holds for Ford. He joins a crowded running back room with Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt as the stalwarts. D’Ernest Johnson’s future is still questionable, and don’t forget about Demetric Felton. He has explosive potential and can catch the ball, much like Ford. I think this player has to bide his time next season but we’ll see more of him in year two.
4. Mike Woods, WR, Oklahoma: Probably enters camp as the seventh receiver.
5. Isaiah Thomas, EdGE, Oklahoma: Developmental prospect, could see practice squad.
6. Dawson Deaton, OG/C, Texas Tech: Center seems to be in good hands with Nick Harris and Ethan Pocic. Wyatt Teller and Joel Bitonio may be the best guard combo in the league. That said, you need to cultivate backups. It’d be great to get this seventh-rounder through to the practice squad.