Cleveland Browns select Cedric Tillman as their first pick

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - MARCH 04: Cedric Tillman of Tennessee participates in a drill during the NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on March 04, 2023 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - MARCH 04: Cedric Tillman of Tennessee participates in a drill during the NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on March 04, 2023 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) /
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The Cleveland Browns have selected Cedric Tillman as their first pick in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft.

The Cleveland Browns made a bold move on Friday by selecting Cedric Tillman with their first pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. Tillman, a receiver out of Tennessee, is a big target for the Browns, standing at 6’3, and weighing in at 213 pounds.

Tillman isn’t a speedster but he can get down the field pretty easily, with long strides and a 4.54 40-yard dash. He’s got good hands and with his size could be a great red-zone target for the Browns and Deshaun Watson.

That said, PFF doesn’t give him the greatest of grades, with a 57.0 grade in 2020, a good grade of 77.3 in 2021, and a fair grade of 70.3 in 2022. There were better-producing and more efficient receivers in the draft, but Tillman should give the Browns a lop threat with his size, so that may make up for his lack of top-end playmaking.

The Cleveland Browns didn’t need another receiver, at least this early

I’m fine with the Browns getting a receiver, just not in the third round, and not after trading a second for Elijah Moore. What was the point of the trade if you’re just going to then get another receiver? Is this a sign that David Bell and Anthony Schwartz aren’t long for the team?

It seems odd that the Browns would invest such a high pick in a position where the team already has five players ahead of Tillman. Amari Cooper, Donovan Peoples-Jones, Moore, David Bell, and Marquise Goodwin were all names I’d figured would get a lot of reps at receiver. Not to mention David Njoku’s use in the system as well.

Do you think the Browns made the right call by drafting a receiver this early and if you did, do you think Tillman was the right call?

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