Cleveland Browns Select Isaiah Thomas, DE Oklahoma with 223rd Pick
With the 223rd pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, their first selection in the seventh round, the Cleveland Browns select Isaiah Thomas, a defensive end from Oklahoma. Thomas becomes the oldest member of the draft class at 23 years old, the first player in three seasons as general manager that is older than 22 years old.
Thomas is tall with size and long arms, which has become a trend for the Browns on the defensive line, Thomas is a hair under 6'5", weighing 266 pounds. Of the three defensive linemen the Browns have selected in this draft class, Thomas's arms are the shortest at 33 1/4".
It was Thomas, not Nik Bonitto that led the Sooners in sacks this past season, recording eight sacks against Bonitto's seven. Bonitto did have more tackles for loss with 15 compared to 11.5 for Thomas. Thomas led both categories in the 2020 season.
Thomas is a base end, which fits what the Browns have looked for with their defensive scheme. He has good strength at the point of attack. He's not all that explosive off the snap, so unless that can improve, he might be someone that can kick inside to rush the passer. At least as a rookie, that might be difficult to do with the Browns having players like Taven Bryan and now fellow rookie and fellow sooner Perrion Winfrey on the team.
With Thomas, Winfrey and Alex Wright, who was selected Friday in the third round of the NFL Draft, the Browns have drafted almost an entire defensive line for depth to develop with an eye towards the future.
