Grading the Cleveland Browns draft class for 2022
By Chad Porto
Round 7, Pick 246 – C Dawson Deaton (Texas Tech)
I wasn’t that familiar with Dawson Deaton when he was drafted but after reading several draft articles on him, I’m left wondering how he fell to the seventh round. Most of the outlets that covered him said the same thing, “needs to work on technique but strong and quick enough to play in the NFL.”
Isn’t coaching a thing in the NFL? If that’s the only thing holding back Deaton from being a success in the NFL, then shouldn’t he have gone higher? He’s a dad, he’s a good blocker and he played in a tough conference. Unless there’s something I’m overlooking, and that’s always a possibility, shouldn’t he have gone higher?
That’s concerning but from what I’ve read and what I’ve seen, he seems like a steal. The Browns need a center, as Nick Harris isn’t the answer, and the newly signed Ethan Pocic wasn’t good enough for the offensive line starved Seattle Seahawks to retain.
That’s like a starving man saying no to food. If that’s the case, there’s something very concerning there.
Deaton may have a chance to compete for a starting job in Cleveland with how things look post-draft. Maybe Pocic is Wyatt Teller 2.0 and just needs a good offensive line coach to get the most out of him. Maybe there’s a reason why a second-round pick, on a bad offensive line, got let go of too.
Grade: B+