Andrew Berry won’t let Browns get pigeonholed in the draft

CLEVELAND, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – Andrew Berry put on his poker face Monday morning for a video conference call with reporters.

With three days to go until the draft, Berry wasn’t about to tip his hand.

Holding the No. 10 overall pick, and seven in total, Berry is keeping his options open with the picks and players he plans to select.

“There is a lot of talent within this class,” Berry said Monday.

Everyone believes the Browns are taking a left tackle in the first round – at 10 or wherever they land – because it’s the lone remaining gaping hole on the offensive side of the football.

With all but one of his defensive free agent signings coming in on one-year contracts, it also figures to be a defense heavy class for Berry and the Browns.

Or maybe not.

“I really don’t anticipate us being pigeonholed into any specific direction or any specific side of the ball,” Berry said. “We are going to go into it more with the approach of maximizing the overall talent that we can add to the roster [as opposed to having to fill needs].”

As is the case with every draft, there is plenty of chatter about trade partners and depending how the board begins to fall Thursday night, Berry could move down, collect picks and still fill a need later in round one.

“You never know how the first nine picks are going to fall. There are a number of different scenarios that could mean that we would submit a pick, move up, move back or do whatever,” Berry said. “We are not going to be pigeonholed into a certain decision or a certain mode of operation. We are going to make the best decision that we think is right for the right and will not be pigeonholed into anything specific.”

There have been multiple reports about the Browns getting calls for the 10th pick, which is pretty standard this time of year.

“I do not know if it is any more or less unusual than previous years,” Berry said of the inquiries. “Quite honestly, you never really know until you get a little bit closer to the draft and then certainly on the clock, just because there are a number of different scenarios that can play out. I do think we will have options. You typically do every year in the draft, almost regardless of where you are picking. I think it is probably too early to say what things will look like on Thursday night.”

While the focus of trade speculation has surrounded moving up and down the board, there’s always the potential to add veteran help during the draft as well.

“We will explore any avenue that can improve the roster,” Berry said. “It truly is the approach. Anything that we think can help improve the team, we are going to be actively exploring it and will certainly listen but I can’t say anything specific.”