Grading the Cleveland Browns draft class for 2022
By Chad Porto
Round 7, Pick 223 – DE Isaiah Thomas (Oklahoma)
Despite the lateness in the draft selection, picking Isaiah Thomas was a fine pick. The 6’1 point guard out of Indiana, wait…(checks notes). Sorry, wrong Isaiah Thomas. The 5’9 point guard out of Washi…nope still the wrong one.
The 6’5 defensive end out of Oklahoma (nailed it) isn’t anything special. His combine numbers are all middle of the road for a defensive end. He’s got a 4.7 40-yard dash, he only put up 23 reps on the bench press and his vertical leap numbers are better than average for his position (31.5”), his most impressive athletic feet is his long-jump, 117”, which I just don’t see much of a need for.
What he is, however, is consistent. In two years as a full-time starter with the Sooners, Thomas put up near-identical seasons. He had 30+ tackles, 10+ of which for a loss, and at least 7 sacks in both seasons.
He’s not impressive, he isn’t someone to expect anything out of, and he may not even make the team out of camp, but he’ll likely hang around for a while. He’s the kind of guy you can probably get a decade out of as a budget backup and spot-starter.
Anything more than that makes this an all-time pick but we gotta see if he can catch on as a backup first.
Pick: B+