The Browns draft for 2022 started with seven picks available, but Berry continued to do his magic and traded a second-round pick for additional selections. Allowing Cleveland to maximize their options during the heat of the moment and catch other teams off guard.
Their first draft was Martin Emerson, a CD. As the Browns are letting go of
Troy Hill, this choice made complete sense and was the best player for the position they needed to cover down on.
Since the Browns couldn’t secure Drake Jackson, they went with DE Alex Wright, and he is a substantial defensive end with excellent production value. I feel he will grow into a critical role in Cleveland’s defense.
After that, the Browns secured their 1st wide receiver in David Bell. He
played great at Purdue and will move into the slot position, expanding the
wide receiver talent pool.
Moving on at 108, the Browns secured DT Perrion Winfrey, a rough and tumble pass rusher who charges up the middle and will have a role in his first season.
This is where I think Berry showed his intelligence because their next pick was a kicker. Going in this early, they were able to snag Cade York, who is highly skilled and talented. If the Browns are wise, York is already in the stadium practicing kicks and learning to deal with those lakefront winds. He is critical to the Browns having a successful season.
At pick 156, the Browns decided to expand their RB cartel and scooped up Jerome Ford, a machine for the Bearcats, who showed versatility in moving the ball on the ground and extending the field with pass-catching. While the Browns have some of the best rushing in the league, I’m not sure if this move was to make someone else nervous or build for the future so that time will tell on this one.
Moving on to pick 202 and taking their second player from the Sooners, the Browns brought in another WR in Michael Woods II; he is fast and will be great on special teams and add a deep threat option if he can prove himself and become a starter.
The 3rd Sooner pick for the Browns was DE Isaiah Thomas at 223. Thomas played with Winfrey and added more comraderies to the locker room, capturing a youthful depth chart to last the Browns additional seasons.
Their final pick from the draft at 246 was Dawson Deaton Center out of Texas Tech, who was a multi-season All-Big 12 pick. He will be fighting for the backup center gig at this time.
Altogether a pretty decent draft for the Browns in Vegas. They had secured some of their other positions in the off-season, scoring huge in gaining Deshaun Watson, who has tremendous potential if you can get him behind the right O-line.
Cleveland still needs to handle the Mayfield debacle, but with plenty of cap space and their preferred players locked in, they seem to be able to weather the storm and wait for the right moment to let him go. There are many expectancies here, and I can foresee the Browns and Bengals being threats to each other in the AFC North for the first time in a long time.
