The Cleveland Browns have nine rookies but who’s going to make the biggest impact?
The Cleveland Browns may not have had picks in the first two rounds of the 2022 NFL Draft, but they did walk away from that draft with nine new rookies for the team to develop. These nine new rookies aren’t all going to turn out to be studs, most won’t be on the team in four years’ time. Yet, if you can find a few starters and a couple of solid backups, then you may have a pretty draft class to look forward to.
As rookies not much will be expected from many of the players in this draft, most of the fourth and fifth rounders will be on special teams, while everyone after will largely be healthy scratches on game day due to roster restrictions. It’s the first few that will be most expected to produce and perform right out of the gate.
Yet, we have to look at the positional depth that the teams have when trying to decide which of the rookies will have a more immediate impact than the other.
It should be noted, that this isn’t a final indication of who’s going to be good or not, just a perceived estimate on which rookie will have the most impact on the day-to-day gameplan based on positional need, draft position, and preseason expectation.
Some of these players will be better than the others and it’s entirely possible that some of these later picks are better than some of the earlier picks. We don’t know for sure.
9. K Cade York
Cade York starts off the list for obvious reasons. While he very well may be a great addition to the team, the fact is you don’t draft kickers. The fact that so many keep pointing to the Bengals as a reason why a team should, but not to the Rams is proof that people just want to believe what they want.
If you don’t know, the Bengals drafted their current kicker, and he ended up being a nice get for them. This one time drafting a kicker paid off has now convinced everyone to do just that, after all, the Bengals went to (and lost) the Super Bowl. Yet, the team that won the Super Bowl signed their kicker. They won. One would think you’d follow the trend of successful teams.
This isn’t a dig on the Bengals, no, it’s a dig on the Browns. They’ve drafted three kickers since 2017, so clearly drafting kickers hasn’t panned out so well.
York may be a great kicker and you can cite all the reasons why he’d be great. All I’ll reply with is Mike Nugent. A kicker so “can’t miss” the Jets took him as their first pick in the 2nd round. There is no such thing as a guarantee and taking a kicker in the draft is almost as narrowminded as taking a long-snapper.
We’ve done that too.
Even if York is a good kicker, he’s still just a kicker and you only need him when everyone else has failed to do their job. Otherwise, you’d never need a kicker.
8. RB Jerome Ford
I would really love to see what Jerome Ford has in store for the Browns and its fanbase. It is, however, a bit baffling that Andrew Berry took yet another late-round running back after just taking Demetric Felton in 2021, but here we are. Ford isn’t the receiving back that Felton is. Felton could easily switch positions in 2022 and no one would really blink an eye at him doing so.
He’s a duel threat for a reason.
Ford, on the other hand, is more known for his running prowess. So far Berry hasn’t found any real talent at running back through three draft classes, so we have no idea if Ford will be anything, but we should point out that Berry has found some gems in free agency via fellow running back D’Ernest Johnson and Blake Hance. A pair of former AFL and XFL players who have shown, at times, some real talent.
So we know that Berry can find guys who can play at this level. Sure, you can argue Blake struggled at tackle and that’s fair but he’s more of a guard anyway. Regardless, for Ford, he’s likely to not see much, if any time, in 2022 due to the logjam ahead of him. If he is playing a large number of snaps, it’s because something awful has happened. I’d be surprised if he made the 48-man game-day roster at all this year.
7. WR Michael Woods II
Michael Woods certainly has a better chance of playing in 2022 than Jerome Ford does but considering he’s in the same position, his arrival to the starting lineup would be a disastrous sign of how things have gone with Andrew Berry’s past draft classes. Keep in mind that Berry has drafted four wide receivers since he took over the team, so If Woods is getting massive reps, then that means those guys ahead of him are either hurt or ineffective.
The other receivers ahead of Woods that Berry has drafted are Donovan Peoples-Jones, Anthony Schwartz, and David Bell. That’s not all though, as he also has Demetric Felton and Harrison Bryant as other pass-catchers who need to prove their worth as well. That doesn’t factor in guys like Amari Cooper, David Njoku, or Kareem Hunt; let alone any potential signings or trades that could still be coming the Browns’ way.
Woods was taken as late as he was for a reason and guys taken that late often don’t produce or turn into something worthwhile. Guys like Peoples-Jones and Byrant are going to be lucky to get a second contract offer. The Browns are going to want to see what these guys look like with a new quarterback in the system, assuming he even plays this year, and that emphasis on finding out what you have on the team already before going to a guy like Woods will push the rookie receiver down the ladder.
6. DE Isaiah Thomas
I see a lot of Jordan Elliot here. Isaiah Thomas isn’t someone who’s going to be a world-beater and he’ll likely spend the next four years serving as a backup until he finds his way to another team. Like with others on this list up until now, Thomas isn’t going to get a lot of action. While the defensive end position is very much in turmoil, it’s not like they don’t have young options to try before Thomas becomes a real consideration.
Obviously, you’re not benching Myles Garrett for anyone, let alone Thomas. Then you have Chase Winovich, the perceived defensive end starter across from Garrett. After him you may see Porter Gustin back in the fold, Elliot is certainly nimble enough to play end in a pinch, then you also have rookie Alex Wright.
So clearly there are guys on this team that may be in Thomas’ way in getting reps.
That doesn’t even factor in the possibility of seeing Jadeveon Clowney back with the team, who has of the writing has yet to sign a new contract anywhere, least of all with the Cleveland Browns. It’s possible that Thomas does pop a number and lands as a starter with the defense, it’s just not likely.
5. DE Alex Wright
While this isn’t the former WCW cruiserweight, television, and tag team champion, this Alex Wright could be another “wonderkid“. It’s unlikely, as the draft is far more accurate these days with all the advanced scouting than it was 20 years ago, but there’s always the possibility that a third-round pick emerges and becomes a stalwart.
The odds are, however, that the Browns continue their pursuit of Jadeveon Clowney, turning Wright into a backup of some sort, or a role player who comes in to spell Clowney or Myles Garrett (or Chase Winovich) for a few reps while the rest of the starters.
Wright will likely be given more opportunities to play as opposed to others prior on the list, namely due to the fact Wright was a third-round draft pick in a draft where the Browns didn’t have any first or second-round picks. So the emphasis to hit on those three third-round picks is far more important than in years past.
Wright may not be a pass-rushing force, but if he can at least seal the edge on non-passing downs and navigate rushers back up the middle like ends are supposed to do, then he may have a solid career with the Browns.
4. CB Martin Emerson
This is where we get into it. Every single player from here on out, I predict, will see a lot of action. Martin Emerson won’t get more reps than any other corner ahead of him, as the team will rely on Denzel Ward, Greedy Williams, and Greg Newsome more than Emerson but Emerson will get the chance to prove he can replace veteran Troy Hill, who the Browns laughably traded away.
Without Hill, and the expiring contract of Williams, the Browns have a reason to hope for the best with Emerson. They need him to step up and show off what he’s capable of if the Browns are going to continue to implement defensive coordinator Joe Wood’s defense.
If you can’t have a pass rush that suffocates a quarterback, then you have to have a defensive back group that can stifle receivers long enough for the defense to get to the quarterback another way. Emerson is going to be part of that type of defensive secondary.
That said, the corners are going to have to be better in 2022 than they were in 2021, mostly due to them not being able to rely on the safeties. John Johnson was not worth the money in his first year in Cleveland, and the team lost M.J. Stewart in free agency; making the safeties another point of concern, as they were in 2020.
The corners will need to step up to help negate that issue.
3. C Dawson Deaton
Despite being the last pick in the Browns draft and a seventh-round draft pick, I think Dawson Deaton is going to get a lot of reps this year. Does that mean he should? Probably not, but that’s not what we’re talking about here. The Browns made the boneheaded move of cutting JC Tretter in the offseason and have no real center in place to replace him.
Tretter was the anchor and was easily one of the best centers in the game of football. So why did the Browns let Tretter go? Probably just due to his contract, but him being part of the NFLPA probably didn’t make him too many fans with the Browns. Especially since Tretter told the Browns players to boycott volunteer practices and workouts in 2021.
It’s really no surprise he got axed after that.
The Browns are going to try and replace him with another Andrew Berry product, Nick Harris but the Browns are already not sold on Harris, having signed former Seattle Seahawks center, Ethan Pocic. The Browns clearly don’t think Harris is the answer and Pocic was at best, a spot-starter in Seattle.
A spot-starter on a team with a notorious bad offensive line. Was Pocic a victim of the offensive line being poorly built around him or was he part of the problem? It’s too soon to say but regardless, Deaton is in line to get some serious reps at this rate behind those two.
2. DT Perrion Winfrey
The Browns’ defensive tackles have not been good since Andrew Berry took over the team, and he’s attempted to address that issue by drafting Jordan Elliot in 2020, Tommy Togiai in 2021, and now Perrion Winfrey in 2022. Elliot has yet to break through into the starting lineup since being drafted, and that’s with a turnstile of guys ahead of him.
If Elliot hasn’t succeeded by now, he likely won’t. Hence why Winfrey was taken, as the interior pass-rush specialist has the speed to be a real problem for opposing offenses. If Togiai and Winfrey can live up to the hype both men had/have, then the Browns’ front four may have some serious issues for opposing offensives to deal with.
Winfrey will likely start, simply due to the lack of talent ahead of him, but the Browns could always go get a veteran or two to put ahead of him. If that does happen who knows how much time Winfrey ends up getting in 2022 but assuming things stand pat then you can count on Winfrey to at least get a shot at starting this season. If not actually starting.
Even if he is a rotation guy, his pass-rushing skills should make him very valuable.
1. WR David Bell
No, former Cleveland Guardian third basemen David Bell wasn’t selected in the 2022 NFL Draft, although, that would be hilarious. Plus, that Bell can at least catch balls at a professional level. Granted, they’re shaped differently and he uses a bigger glove but still. This David Bell, the one from Purdue, isn’t an athletic specimen like others from this draft class, but he’s got good route-running and a good pair of hands of his own, so it’s likely he gets real-time in the Browns’ offense.
The Browns are relying on a pretty rough-looking receiving corp, led by Amaro Cooper, a once top-flight receiver hoping to prove he still is in Cleveland. Then there’s Anthony Schwartz and Donovan Peoples-Jones, two past draft picks who will vie for playing time as well.
Since the Browns intend on running fewer two-tight end sets, and not carrying four tight ends like they used to, Bell will get a lot of reps as the third or fourth receiver behind Peoples-Jones and maybe Schwartz.
I fully expect Bell to see anywhere from 50% to 70% of the snaps this season, just due to the lack of receiving talent on the team. Bell may be a hidden gem or he may be another Peoples-Jones, a receiver who’s asked to do too much too soon.