Grading the Cleveland Browns 2020 draft class at the mid-year point
By Chad Porto
C Nick Harris (160th Overall)
The Cleveland Browns let J.C. Tretter go in the offseason for one reason and one reason alone (maybe), and that was that Andrew Berry drafted Nick Harris and he wanted Kevin Stefanski to start him. Harris was an interesting player prior to his injury. He played a few relief outings at guard, replacing Wyat Teller in 2020, and had solid run-block outings.
Yet, he was awful in the pass-blocking aspect. The Browns then saw him more reps in 2021, specifically at center, but he played against the Green Bay Packers, and they aren’t known for their all-out, blitz-the-quarterback type of defense. So it wasn’t exactly an accurate showing of what Harris could be or would be.
So 2022 was a huge year for the fifth-rounder, and ultimately he earned the starting job over Ethan Pocic. Then Harris suffered an injury that put him on the shelf for the entire 2022 campaign. Now the Browns are stuck in a situation where they have to decide if they can properly evaluate Harris after just one season before re-signing him.
Harris will be a free agent in 2024, and at the rate, he’s going, the Browns would be wise to not bring him back. He’s been unreliable and he hasn’t shown anything concrete.