2023 Cleveland Browns Draft Review
Without first and second round picks in the 2023 NFL Draft, the Cleveland Browns put together a forward-looking draft class that still addressed some of the current roster holes.
Two of the most pressing needs that were addressed were at defensive tackle and slot corner. Siaki Ika is the type of player that can come in and contribute immediately at a position that was arguably the weakest on the team in 2022. Cameron Mitchell was a productive player at outside corner in college, but is projected to play inside at Nickel for the Browns. They need to find a reliable slot corner this summer, and Mitchell could end up being that player for them.
Cedric Tillman and Dawand Jones were great picks with the potential to fill crucial roles in the 2024 season and beyond. Both Donovan Peoples-Jones and Amari Cooper become free agents after the 2023 and 2024 seasons, respectively. There's a good chance that at least one of them won't be resigned, so Tillman provides the team with an excellent insurance policy on the outside. The Browns have until Tuesday to determine whether or not they're picking up Jedrick Wills' 5th-year option. If they choose not to, Dawand Jones has the potential to be the left tackle of the future starting in 2024.
The overall player grades are based on a combination of positional need, pick value at the spot that they were selected, and team fit.
Round 3 Pick 74 - WR Cedric Tillman, Tennessee - 6'3", 213 Lbs.
Cedric Tillman is a big-bodied receiver who is physically dominant in both open space and at the catch point. He has big, strong hands that he uses to consistently reel in tough catches. Though he's not incredibly fast, he is effective as a deep threat due to his physicality throughout the entire duration of his route. He knows how to use his strength and large frame effectively to shield defenders away from the ball.
Tillman's excellent body control, balance, and upper body strength allows him to maintain a smooth release against press coverage. He's consistently able to out-muscle defensive backs at the snap, and has the foot speed to manipulate defensive backs in the open field. This bodes well for Tillman because he projects as an "X" receiver at the NFL level, which typically sees more press matchups on the field side.
Outlook: The Browns got a great player at pick 74, and most likely one that will end up being a solid contributor in the near future. He adds size and physicality to the Cleveland wide receiver room, and should step into the rotation at "X" immediately as a rookie. Tillman is a contested-catch machine, so he'll also be effective in red zone packages for Cleveland where he can use his size to gain advantageous positioning on jump-balls. He's also a great blocker on the boundary as well, which is going to be extremely important in Kevin Stefanski's offense going forward.
Cleveland wide receiver coach Chad O'Shea will have to work with him on expanding his route tree, but his potential is through the roof with Deshaun Watson at the helm. Donovan Peoples-Jones hits free agency after the 2023 season, so this move most likely signals that the Browns won't resign him.
Grade: A
Round 3 Pick 98 - DT Siaki Ika, Baylor - 6'3", 335 Lbs.
Ika is a mammoth-sized nose tackle that's dominant at the point of attack against the run. He's effective when taking on double teams due to his elite strength and anchoring ability. Ika also displays a surprising motor when pursuing the football down the line of scrimmage. He'll be most useful at the next level as a two-down run stuffer that can occasionally use his power to bullrush his way into the backfield on passing downs. He also times his push-pull, swim, and rip moves really well when disengaging from blocks. According to SIS, Ika had an ATD+ (Average tackle depth plus) of 135, which was 3rd in college football. This compares average tackle depth to the expected tackle depth based on personnel, intended run gap, and Ika's pre-snap alignment.
Outlook: Ika could end up being exactly what the Browns' defense needs in terms of stopping the run. In 2022, Cleveland had one of the worst run defenses in the NFL due to the lack of "beef" and strength up front. Jordan Elliott and Perrion Winfrey were driven three to four yards off the line of scrimmage on some occasions, and this should be almost impossible to do with Siaki Ika.
Ika might be able to come in and automatically improve the overall efficiency of Cleveland's run defense on 1st and 2nd downs, as well as short-yardage situations.
Grade: B
Round 4 Pick 111 - OT Dawand Jones, Ohio St. - 6'8", 374 Lbs.
Jones is a hulking offensive lineman that completely engulfs most of the defensive lineman that he faces. He has an incredibly long and strong upper body with heavy, accurate hands that he uses to punch and latch on to his opponents in order to control them with ease. Due to his elite length, his snatch technique is almost perfect in the passing game. Pass rushers are naturally forced to lean and overextend in order to combat him, which allows him to take them to the ground more often than not. Though he doesn't have the most nimble feet, he's still able to stay in front of speed rushers with his long kick-slide strides. He was one of the best overall pass blockers in all of football in 2022 according to both PFF and SIS.
Jones is also a dominant run blocker as well in both the power and zone game. He's a devastating gap blocker due to his mass and strength, oftentimes being able to completely remove defenders from the play. Due to his less than average footspeed, it's sometimes hard for him to stay in front of and run defenders off the ball when zone blocking. He makes up for this with excellent hand usage and technique. Jones will take his first two steps, latch onto the defender, and then use his strong upper body to torque or turn the defender inside in order to wall them off from the ball carrier on the play side.
Outlook: It's unclear whether or not the Dawand Jones selection has any bearing in terms of Jedrick Wills' 5th-year option situation. Though if they wanted, Cleveland could definitely try to develop Jones into a player like Bengals' left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. He has the tools and talent to do so, as long as he's able to manage his weight at the NFL level.
If nothing else, Jones gives the Browns a top notch swing tackle for the foreseeable future.
Grade: B
Round 4 Pick 126 - DE Isaiah McGuire, Missouri - 6'4" 268 Lbs.
McGuire was one of the top pass rushers in the SEC in 2022. He has long, powerful arms with an impactful punch that he uses to jolt offensive lineman backward on a consistent basis. He's stout against the run and is effective when setting the edge against outside zone. His excellent play strength and hand-fighting prowess allows him to shift the momentum of offensive lineman in order to manipulate their movement in the run game. He has excellent range as well, constantly chasing down and being around the ball, regardless of his alignment.
He has a bevy of pass rush moves that he utilizes in combination with great head fakes, but his most effective moves are his power-rip and two-hand swipe. McGuire's block shedding ability in both phases of the game is one of his most sought-after attributes. One of McGuire's best games of the 2022 season was against Pittsburgh Steelers' 1st-round Left Tackle Broderick Jones.
Outlook: McGuire could end up being one of Cleveland's better rotational edge players in 2023 and beyond. It's going to be exciting to see how he performs in Jim Schwartz's wide-9 alignment. He thrived in space while at Missouri, so there's a good chance that he'll continue to do so in the NFL.
Quite a few draft experts had him as a "3rd-round lock", so Andrew Berry might have gotten a steal here in mid to late round 4.
Grade: A
Round 5 Pick 140 - QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson, UCLA - 6'2", 203 Lbs.
Thompson-Robinson is an experienced quarterback with a great arm and exceptional athleticism to go with it. He's really accurate on short to intermediate throws, and does a great job of extending plays when things start to break down. 74% of his throws were on-target according to SIS, which was tied with C.J. Stroud.
Outlook: "DTR" projects to be a perfect, long-term backup for the Cleveland Browns with similar athleticism to Deshaun Watson. The offense that he played in while at UCLA is similar to the style of offense that Kevin Stefanski will be implementing in 2023.
It looks like Cleveland will be keeping three quarterbacks on the roster as both Joshua Dobbs and Thompson-Robinson seem to be roster locks.
Grade: B
Round 5 Pick 142 - CB Cameron Mitchell, Northwestern - 5'11", 191 Lbs.
Cameron Mitchell is an athletic, smart corner with excellent field vision. He shows great instincts when tracking the football in the air, and works to get into an advantageous position to disrupt receivers at the catch point. He's excellent in press-man coverage because of his scrappy demeanor and jolting punch at the line of scrimmage. He's an aggressive player that loves to contribute in run support as well.
He' doesn't have the best overall length, so he might fit best as a slot corner at the next level. Mitchell was also effective in college when blitzing from the boundary.
Outlook: Mitchell is an instinctive corner that loves to hit, and that's just what Cleveland needs in the slot. The Browns desperately need to find a Nickel this offseason, and it looks like Cameron Mitchell was added to provide the team with another option there.
He's a great athlete and has the potential to be a solid contributor for Cleveland in both the slot and on special teams due to his aggressive nature.
Fun fact: Cameron Mitchell is best friends with current Browns CB Greg Newsome, and they've known each other since they were 11 years old.
Grade: B
Round 6 Pick 190 - C Luke Wypler, Ohio St. - 6'3", 303 Lbs.
Wypler is a technically sound center prospect that shines as a pass blocker and in zone-blocking schemes. He's an excellent reach blocker due to his quickness and foot speed. He does a great job of taking correct angles and paths when moving to the 2nd level in order to cut off linebackers and safeties on stretch plays as well.
One of his best traits is how quickly he's able to snap the ball and explode out of his stance. This allows him to effectively make blocks on larger defensive tackles, despite only possessing average strength. If he's able to get his hands on these larger players first and manipulate their momentum early, he can steer or wall them away from the quarterback when pass blocking. Overall, Wypler is one of the most athletic center prospects in this year's draft class.
Outlook: Though he was incredible value in terms of where he was selected, Wypler was an interesting selection for Cleveland. The team already has a backup center that they're apparently pretty "high" on in Nick Harris.
He doesn't really have the length to play guard on a consistent basis at the NFL level, so it would seem as though he's going to challenge Harris for the backup center position in camp as of right now.
Grade: C
