Cleveland Browns select Cedric Tillman as their first pick

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?