5 Browns Takeaways Coming out of the NFL Draft

With the NFL Draft over, the Cleveland Browns have plenty of work to do. Five reactions from the draft and where the Browns go from here.

Coming out of the NFL Draft, the Cleveland Browns may get to catch their breath, but they will not be afforded a chance to relax. They immediately have to pivot back to free agency continue to address their roster, both in continuing to try to sign players like Jadeveon Clowney among others while also trying to find a home for Baker Mayfield. 

The Browns added nine players in this draft class and the one that might have the biggest impact, at least initially is Cade York, the kicker. If York's as good as they hope, he might be worth a win or two this season. Here are some of the takeaways from the weekend.

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1. Rookie Impact

Short of injuries, David Bell and Perrion Winfrey might have the best chance to make a rookie impact outside of York. Yes, the fact the Browns didn't have a first round pick and then traded out of the second round is a reason for that, but even if they kept 44th pick, it was likely a similar outcome.

The Browns have a talented roster and at least look the part of a good football team. Like a powerhouse high school or collegiate program, freshmen rarely come in and play right away. It allows the Browns to play them to develop them at their own pace, play them to their strengths, increasing the chances of success.

Bell's gonna have a chance to come in and take over the slot role. If Anthony Schwartz, who head coach Kevin Stefanski stuck up for in the post draft press conference, takes a step forward, Amari Cooper might see a decent amount of snaps from the slot. Otherwise and especially in areas like the red zone, Bell could carve out a productive role.

Short of an injury or Bell coming out in minicamps and looking disastrous, it's difficult to see a scenario where Jarvis Landry makes sense for the Browns at this point. They might keep their eyes open for another potential veteran option, however, as they drafted two wide receivers and reportedly signed three others afterward. 

As a side note, keep an eye on Isaiah Weston out of Northern Iowa. He was more productive than Christian Watson at the FCS level with excellent athletic testing. He just happens to be 24.

Similarly, Winfrey could come in and make an impact as a depth pass rusher. His ability to get off the ball and quickness could enable him to generate quick pressure on the quarterback. Potentially facing off against Wyatt Teller and Joel Bitonio in training camp could prove a humbling experience, but if he can learn from it, he could carve out a niche.

Martin Emerson enters a talented secondary, so he could end up buried on the depth chart initially. That is unless the Browns, who like to cross train corners anyway, decide to put him in the slot. Maybe Greg Newsome ends up there in order to allow Greedy Williams to play the boundary across from Denzel Ward. But given that Ward and Williams tend to miss time due to injuries, Emerson is likely going to be called on at some point and could be who they have in mind to man t he slot for the long term.

Perhaps a coincidence, but the Browns felt empowered enough to trade Troy Hill , who played in the slot, a day after acquiring Emerson.

2. Baker Mayfield

Mayfield remains on the team, which isn't a big deal. At least not yet, because he's not stopping the Browns from doing anything. The NFL's opinion of this year's draft class has potentially opened more doors for trade options. The Carolina Panthers may have drafted Matt Corral, but Matt Rhule might not be there to coach him in 2023 if the team doesn't win more games this year.

The Panthers want the Browns to eat almost the entire salary for Mayfield to make a deal. Some of that is born out of the fact the Panthers have to pay Sam Darnold's $18.5 million contract, whether they keep him or cut him. They also might not be thrilled that the Browns beat them out in trading for Deshaun Watson.

Lastly, all of the owners have used the contract the Browns gave Watson as an excuse to hardball them on this deal. No one wants to help the Browns fix their salary cap issue right now given the future salary cap issues the Browns may have just caused for them in the future.

The Seattle Seahawks, meanwhile, didn't select a quarterback. They might be content to lean into the tank with Drew Lock and Geno Smith, but they could get a look at a quarterback prospect they adored in the 2018 draft, giving themselves additional options for 2023.

The Detroit Lions didn't take a quarterback and employ John Dorsey, the man who selected Mayfield for the Browns. Maybe they are content to ride this year out with Goff, but Mayfield might be a better fit for the talent they've assembled there on offense.

Teams like the Tennessee Titans and Tampa Bay Buccaneers might love to have Mayfield, but they can't afford to pay his salary due to cap contraints.

For Mayfield's part, he hasn't exactly helped himself in this process.

The biggest issue in the way of the Browns moving Mayfield to a team with cap space is most of them may be content to lose. The Atlanta Falcons, as an example, appear to be engineering a season that puts them in position to potentially draft C.J. Stroud, the quarterback from Ohio State who might declare after this upcoming season.

Could it get awkward at mandatory minicamp if the Browns expect Mayfield to be there? Potentially. They could excuse him if they were so inclined. Berry seems prepared to ride this out until July or August if necessary. The chances may be one in a thousand, but Mayfield is better than Brissett. The Browns could have Mayfield play if Watson is suspended and the Browns could be in a better position to make a run for the Super Bowl this year, which would make for one hell of a story. There's just no sense in cutting him.

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3. Age Matters

The first five picks of the Browns 2022 draft class were 21 years old and this is the first season Berry has taken a player who is older than 22 years old, seventh-round pick Isaiah Thomas. So while age may not necessarily be a deal breaker for the Browns, three drafts into this tenure, it's clearly important to them.

The earlier a player experiences success in college, the better the chances they are to be able to translate effectively to the NFL. Denzel Ward celebrated his 25th birthday last week as he enjoys his offseason ahead of his fifth season. There were teams drafting players in this draft class that will be 25 in their rookie season.

Even in the case of Isaiah Thomas, he experienced success before this season, leading the Oklahoma Sooners in tackles for loss and sacks as a redshirt junior. The Browns may be getting him at 23 years old, but he had broken out at 22.

There was some thought that the Browns might be more inclined to draft older this this year in hopes of getting early impact combined with the overall age of the draft class, but the Browns didn't deviate from approach. They have a process they believe in when it comes to identifying talent in the college ranks that has bore fruit for them. Unless they start blowing picks like countless previous regimes, they may continue to tweak and further enhance the process, but they shouldn't make a sea change.

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4. Safety

The Indianapolis Colts traded up to the 96th pick, three spots ahead of the Browns, to select Maryland safety Nick Cross. Whether or not the Colts were worried about the Browns specifically taking Cross is unclear, but he was a player that fit many of the criteria the Browns have for players.

The Browns did not end up drafting a safety in this class. Presently, the Browns have five safeties on their roster. John Johnson III, Grant Delpit, Ronnie Harrison, last year's sixth-round pick Richard LeCounte III and Nate Meadors (who I had to look up). They have reportedly signed undrafted free agent safety D'Anthony Bell out of West Florida.

Meadors and Bell will have a chance to impress enough to make the final roster, but Harrison is only on a one-year deal. For a team that likes to be able to play three on the field at the same time, they could use more depth.

Perhaps in June when teams start to release players, the Browns could look to bolster this position, but if past is prologue, the Browns might wait until August to add more help there, either when teams release players or through trade.

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5. Defensive Line

The Browns drafted three defensive linemen and they needed all of them to upgrade the dearth of talent in that room. They also need to keep working on bringing back Jadeveon Clowney and signing a nose tackle like Akiem Hicks. It's great the Browns were able to bring in some talent on the back end of the defensive line with an opportunity to contribute, but if the Browns had to play a game tomorrow, it's Myles Garrett, Tommy Togiai, Jordan Elliott and probably Chase Winovich as the starting defensive line. Togiai in particular might be an answer there, but it may not be this year. That's not a defensive front with realistic expectations to contend.

Maybe this changes this year, but defensive end will likely still be a priority after this season and could be an early target in next year's draft.

With that in mind, arm length is a big deal to the Browns when it comes to the defensive end position. This is the first year as general manager where Andrew Berry has actually selected a defensive end, so it's a data point that wasn't yet available even if there were bread crumbs. While Perrion Winfrey has the longest arms at 35 1/4" and plays on the interior, there isn't a meaningful correlation to the Browns past selections where Berry has been heavily involved in the selections. Togiai, drafted in the same round last year, has 31 3/4" arms.

Here are the players the Browns have drafted at defensive end that Berry as general manager or working as Sashi Brown's top evaluator.

Player	Draft Year	Arm Length
Emmanuel Ogbah	2016	35.5"
Carl Nassib	2016	34"
Myles Garrett	2017	35.25"
Alex Wright	2021	34"
Isaiah Thomas	2021	33.5"

In terms of free agent signings, Jadeveon Clowney's arms measured 34", Takkarist McKinley's were 34 3/4" and Joe Jackson came in at 34 1/8".

So if the Browns were given the choice at the top of the draft between Travon Walker and Aidan Hutchinson, it's possible that Walker's 35.5" arms might have put him over the top.