The Cleveland Browns have had some decent picks with Andrew Berry at the helm.
The Cleveland Browns are gearing up for the 2023 NFL Draft and the usual hope of execution is no longer buzzing about the Browns fanbase. The hope that fans have sold themselves on that Andrew Berry, the Ivy Leaguer, could be the one to finally hit in the draft has been dashed. Berry has proven to be no genius when starts picking names.
He has a type of player he thinks works best, and that methodology has not always worked, but it hasn’t always failed either. While he may prioritize age above impact, he has found some guys who can make a case for being a good draft pick.
He’s found some players worth talking about, no one can deny that, but usually, they’re at the top of the draft. He hasn’t found many guys after the second round who have produced and that’s a problem. This is made worse by the fact the Browns are without many first and second-round picks over the next few years. As those are usually where you find starters, the next few years will be hard to judge Berry on.
That said, while other Browns’ GMs have done better, many have done far worse. Through three years’ worth of picks, it’s fair to say that Berry has found some useful additions to the team. Most of them have missed, but the ones who haven’t are worth talking about, but before we do, let’s talk about some fringe players who have done alright for the team.
Almost Good Players
First, you have Grant Delpit, by no means a “good” player but so far not a bad one either. His injury as a rookie has hindered his development but he’s the expected second starter at safety this season, so we’ll find out what he can really be.
Harrison Bryant, our second player to look at, hasn’t been great but he’s been acceptable. Proof that winning a college award isn’t a reason a team should take you, Bryant has failed to make a major impact on the Browns, but as a fourth-rounder, it’s hard to say you’re bothered by that. He’s fine. He can start some games for you, do some work, and have a nice long career. He’s just not going to be a Hall of Famer.
For our third player, Cade York, it’s a bit baffling someone as smart as Berry would draft a kicker, especially one as high as Cade York, but he did it. Considering former Browns kicker Chase McLaughlin had a great year kicking for the Colts, it’s reasonable to say that the ex-Browns’ kickers weren’t the problem, but the stadium was. After all, the stadium is notoriously hard to kick in, yet the Browns wasted a pick on York. York isn’t a bad kicker and could be around for a long-time, but he has to put together a much better second season.
Jedrick Wills will never be a “bust” so to speak, but he’ll always be a miss. The Browns had the chance to draft the best tackle in the class, All-Pro Tristan Wirf, and the team opted not to. It’ll always make Wills look worse than he is, as he was taken over by a Pro Bowl talent. Now, even a good game by Wills won’t be viewed as “enough”, considering who the team skipped over.
2020 – Donovan Peoples-Jones
By this point, the grades are in for the 2020 NFL Draft and the Cleveland Browns whiffed on it hard. Sure, there is still potential in guys like Jedrick Wills and Grant Delpit, but after three years it’s fair to say that the rest of the talent isn’t going to develop any further. Right now the 2020 Draft has only produced one viable, long-term player, sixth-round pick Donovan Peoples-Jones.
Peoples-Jones was a solid player at Michigan but he wasn’t bowling people over. The Browns weren’t really focused on him being anything more than a return man and special teams player but injuries to the receiving corp in 2020 and 2021 propelled Peoples-Jones into a more substantial role.
As a rookie, he caught 14 passes on 20 targets, for 304 yards and pulled in two touchdowns. Not bad considering he was fourth on the depth chart. As a sophomore, he jumped to 34 receptions, on 58 targets, for 597 yards and three touchdowns. His third year saw him enter the season as the second option behind Amari Cooper and caught 61 passes, on 96 targets, for 839 yards and three touchdowns.
I think he’s reached his ceiling, but for a sixth-round pick, Peoples-Jones has proven he can be a player to notice. His best role would likely be as a slot guy and a third receiver in a better offense, but considering where he was taken and how up in the air the 2020 draft class is for the Browns, he’s in pretty good shape all things considered.
2021 – Greg Newsome, Jeremiah Owusuo-Koramoah
The Cleveland Browns landed two very solid starters from the first two rounds of the 2021 NFL Draft in cornerback Greg Newsome and linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah. The hype on these two was unreal from the fanbase when they were drafted, with many decreeing Owusu-Koramoah as a Pro-Bowl caliber linebacker before he ever took the field.
They’re both good players, but neither has shown All-Pro or even Pro Bowl-level plays of yet. For Newsome, he’s already looking at being the third cornerback on the team behind Martin Emerson, after posting two modest years. PFF gave him an overall of 68.1 and a coverage grade of 70.6 in 2021, while in 2022 his overall climbed to 69.1, and his coverage score hopped to 72.3. Not bad numbers, not great numbers, but very solid numbers. That’s what Newsome is, a solid cornerback. You’ll have a nice 10-year, Daylon McCutcheon-type career with Newsome.
As for Owusu-Koramoah, he had a great rookie year in 2021, posting a PFF score of 76.5, a run defense score of 78.7, a pass-rushing score of 70.3, and a coverage score of 67.4. In 2022, however, everything dropped. His overall is just 65.5, his run defense and pass rush scores fell to 58.8 and 48.5 respectively, but his coverage lept to 73.4.
Owusu-Koramoah is an undersized linebacker, barely breaking 220 lbs, and his lack of size will make it hard for him to be a great linebacker, but his speed, and intelligence does open up the possibility of him moving to linebacker and excelling there. He’s not a Hall of Famer, right now, but his future is brighter than most on the team.
2022 – Martin Emerson
The 2020 NFL Draft is settled, the 2021 Draft is mostly settled, but the 2022 Draft is far from settled. There are a lot of players from that draft who wasn’t great, but as it’s only their rookie year, they may improve still. They may not, it’s far too soon to tell for sure how that draft will shake out.
However, most of the picks were third-rounders and on, so the possibility that the Browns hit on any number of starters isn’t likely at all, especially since the team already landed one player who easily could be a starter; Martin Emerson.
If Denzel Ward is healthy and playing with some intensity, he’s the best corner on the Browns. Aside from him, it’s a tie for who’s the next best corner. Emerson had a huge rookie year, with PFF giving him an overall score of 72.5 and a coverage score of 75.1.
Better than Greg Newsome in the same year. Emerson’s not much of a run-stopper and his tackling isn’t great but as a coverage guy, Emerson may be as good as Ward, or whomever you think may be the best coverage guy on the team. Emerson has a huge 2023 ahead of him, as a step forward could see him become a Pro Bowler, or a step back may see people re-evaluate 2022 as a fluke and not as a stepping stone to greater things.
Emerson right now is clearly the bell of the ball for the class of 2022, and he needs to put his best foot forward to continue that momentum in 2023.