BEREA, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – The Browns had to wait nearly three hours before making a selection Saturday as Andrew Berry wrapped up a rounding out the roster and build depth draft class.
“Everyone’s going to say they accomplished what they intended to accomplish, but the truth is none of us actually know,” Berry said of his draft class. “All we can say is we tried to make the best decisions that were at the moment that they were placed in front of us. I think we had some goals in terms of pick management or resource management that weren’t afforded or weren’t afforded the right opportunity to execute on. But that being said, we’re happy with the group of players that we’re bringing in.”
Here’s the top Brownie Bites from Day 3 of the NFL Draft.
Let’s not make a deal – For the first time since Berry took over as the top football executive, the Browns made zero trades during the NFL Draft. It was a stunning lack of movement for Berry, who loves moving around the board. “It wasn’t for a lack of effort, I can assure you,” Berry said. “We were talking about that as we were coming downstairs. Like, man, this is the first draft that we haven’t executed a trade. I blame it on Kwesi [Adofo-Mensah], and you can quote me on that because Kevin [Stefanski] was joking. He’s like, ‘I’ve never heard two people talk more about trades involving seventh round picks than the two of you and not get a deal done.’ But we had a number of opportunities where we were either trying to move around today and like we talked about yesterday, we had a couple opportunities, but it just didn’t make sense for whatever reason. But I would not say that’s going to be the new M.O.”
Picks today to help tomorrow – Berry made six total selections this weekend and the reality is that one or two of them realistically will help significantly on gamedays immediately. “These are not finished products,” head coach Kevin Stefanski said. “Some of them are very young. Obviously, Mike [Hall Jr.] is 20 years old. So these guys, these people are developing off the field. Obviously, we’re going to spend a lot of time with them on the field to develop them and their skill set. But that’s a huge, we talked about it yesterday. That’s a huge part of our job as coaches is to get as much out of these players as we can, and we’re eager to get to work with them in a couple weeks.” With the top 45 or so spots on the 53-man roster spoken for, the goal this weekend was to fortify the roster by identifying and adding young players that have the ability to develop into role players or starters in the coming years of their rookie contracts. “We feel good about the health and depth of the roster,” Berry said. “We won’t know until we get to the fall because, as I say, every year guys surprise you in both directions, and things change fast in the NFL, you know, as we see. So, as we sit here today, though, we’re happy with where we stand. We’re not satisfied, and we know that we still have work to do and areas to bolster and supplement, but we do feel good about the health as we stand today.”
Thrash in 5 – Louisville receiver Jamari Thrash was selected in the fifth round, No. 156 overall. “I'm blessed and honored to be at Cleveland Brown. It means a lot to me right now,” Thrash said. Thrash led the Cardinals with 63 catches for 858 yards and six touchdowns in 2023, which earned him second-team All-ACC honors, after transferring from Georgia State to improve his NFL prospects. “I feel like my tape just speaks for itself,” Thrash said. In the previous four years Thrash appeared in 37 games with 104 catches for 1,752 yards with 12 touchdowns. “We liked his route skill and his separation ability,” Berry said. “This is a guy that both was very productive at Georgia State and then transferring up to Louisville, really answered the bell there and then really, even through the Senior Bowl in January. We view him as a guy who can play outside and inside. You know, he’s good with the ball in his hands. So as we think through our offense and our fit within that receiver room, we’re looking forward to seeing him compete for reps, and we think he’s a guy that has position flex.”
Streak goes on – Berry has drafted a receiver every year – Donovan-Peoples-Jones (2020-6th round), Anthony Schwartz (2021-3rd round), David Bell (2022-3rd round) and Cedric Tillman (2023 3rd round). Peoples-Jones and Schwartz are no longer with the team. “I think it’s probably a little bit more coincidence,” Berry said. “I think you see more, you know, that’s going to be one of the more plentiful positions in terms of just overall quantity year over year. And then also, just like as you think about different positions and where you select them. Like, I don’t – I wouldn’t, I wouldn’t read too much into that.”
Watson in 6 – In the sixth round, Berry took Mississippi State linebacker Nathaniel Watson, a Butkus award finalist, 206th overall. Watson tied for the SEC lead with 10 sacks last season. Watson, who was named third-team AP All-American and first-team All-SEC in 2023, tallied 377 tackles – 35 for loss, 21 sacks, five pass breakups, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and two interceptions over six seasons at Mississippi State. According to Dane Brugler of The Athletic’s Draft Guide, Watson was arrested on suspicion of DUI last May and arrested during high school where he was charged with felony first degree assault and traffic violations after a drag racing incident.
Two in 7 – The Browns selected South Dakota defensive back Myles Harden with the 227th overall pick and Cincinnati defensive tackle Jowan Briggs with the 243rd overall pick in the round. “Myles is a small school corner who we thought actually has a pretty well-rounded skill set,” Berry said. “I think he probably has maybe a little bit more from our perspective, you know, a nickel profile with even maybe some potential to flex at safety, but really smart kid, was productive, you know, out of South Dakota, you know, good enough tools for the position.”
Full house – Don’t expect the Browns to add a fifth quarterback this offseason, including an undrafted free agent. “I’d say that’s unlikely,” Berry said. The Browns signed Jameis Winston and Tyler Huntley this offseason to join Deshaun Watson and Dorian Thompson-Robinson.