BEREA, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – The Cleveland Browns made a pair of picks in the span of a few minutes in the fifth round Saturday afternoon.
The team selected UCLA quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson 140th overall and Northwestern cornerback Cam Mitchell in 142nd overall.
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Thompson-Robinson started 48 of 50 games he appeared in for the Bruins where he completed 63.3% of his passes for 10,710 yards with 88 touchdowns and 36 interceptions over five years.
Thompson-Robinson had many opportunities to work out with Browns starter Deshaun Watson in Los Angeles and that tradition will continue now in Cleveland as the Bruin begins his NFL journey.
“Him allowing me to work out with him has been very beneficial for me throughout my college career,” Thompson-Robinson said. “So now to finally being able to join up with him, I think would be really special for me and my development. I think it'll go a long way. I honestly think as well with his development, I think I can help him out too, giving him an extra set of eyes and ears just from everything I've learned just in college so far.”
Unlike the hosts of rookie quarterbacks to come before him since 1999, with Watson running the show there is no pressure for Thompson-Robinson to come in and save the franchise. His focus can be on developing his skills at the next level.
“I plan on coming in and obviously working as hard as I can to gain the team's trust, but at the same time, my development, I think is going to be the most important part in this whole piece,” Thompson-Robinson said. “Obviously, you guys have Deshaun and he's going to do wonderful things this year. So for me to be able to learn from him and then ultimately be able to take the reins later on, I think would be very beneficial for me.”
Thompson-Robinson was one of the three quarterbacks hosted by the Browns in a top-30 pre-draft visit.
Mitchell, who was a two-time All-Big Ten team member and earned all-academic Big Ten recognition three times, reunites with friend and former college teammate Greg Newsome II, selected by Cleveland 26th overall in 2021, in the Browns secondary.
Shortly after his selection, the two spoke.
“He’s just excited,” Mitchell said. “[He told] me 'Let's go' just hyping it up, talking about how we're about to lock everything down. So he's excited.”
Newsome and Mitchell go back to their pre-teen years.
“It started when we used to play 7 on 7 for midwest boom out here in Chicago,” Mitchell said. “Then he ended up at Northwestern and then he was in the coach's ear about me early on when I was like a freshman in high school so he was big on recruiting me to there. Now I'm here in Cleveland.
“It seems like I can't get away from him.”
Mitchell racked up 119 tackles, 22 pass break ups, two interceptions, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries in 35 games for the Wildcats and believes he is versatile enough to fit into defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz's secondary seamlessly.
“I really don't like to put myself in a box, I feel like I can play outside and inside,” Mitchell said. “I would just say where my game has grown the most is just psychologically. Just understanding all three levels of the game and I feel like that just helps my versatility. Understanding what the safeties, linebackers, and D line is doing it just helps me understand and has given me the versatility to be able to play inside and out.”