NFL draft wrapup

Final thoughts on the what the Browns did in the 2022 National Football League college draft . . . 

He has shepherded three drafts now for the Browns and I still haven't figured out Andrew Berry's philosophy of his selections. Is it best player, need or entirely something else? Leaning toward the latter.

Trying to figure out which direction he'll go when it's time to make a pick is daunting at best unless it's so blatantly obvious. It's damn near impossible to climb inside his thought processes and be correct even just a few times. Take his opening shot, for example, near the top of round two of the latest draft Friday night.

The goals, perceived or otherwise, were wide receiver or defensive line, whichever position was highest on the Browns' board at the time. When pick 44 arrived, so did Berry's quick-trigger impulse to trade down (this time with Houston). Twenty-four spots down to the top of the third round!

In doing so, he subtlety gave middle fingers to the well-regarded talents of wide receivers John Metchie III, Skyy Moore, Alec Pierce and George Pickens, as well as defensive linemen David Ojabo, Drake Jackson, Josh Pascal and Nik Bonitto. (The Texans took Metchie with the selection Berry surrendered.)

Something tells me the Browns will regret passing on Ojabo, a solid first-rounder before rupturing his Achilles heel at pro day several weeks ago. The Baltimore Ravens immediately jumped all over him right after Berry traded down, knowing he'll be there ready to roll after his recovery. (The Ravens should send Berry a thank-you note.)

Now when the Browns were placed on the clock at 68, defensive tackle Travis Jones and offensive tackle Bernhard Raimann were still available. Jones is a huge run stuffer at 325 pounds and Raimann a rapid riser. That's when Berry produced the ultimate swerve by selecting Martin Emerson, a modestly-regarded cornerback from Mississippi State.

No wide receiver, No defensive lineman. And a whole bunch of Browns Nation denizens shaking their collective heads in amazement. A short while later, the club announced the trade of nickelback Troy Hill back to the Los Angeles Rams for a future draft choice. 

It was almost as though the Emerson pick then made perfect sense. He would move right in to replace Hill and everything would be just fine. What's the worry? Berry said he liked Emerson's length (a half inch shy of  6-2) and ability to play any kind of coverage. 

If Berry wanted length, though, higher rated (but not on the Cleveland board) Tariq Woolen of Texas-San Antonio was there at 68.  He stopped growing at a lofty and legit 6-4 and is blessed with speed, running a blazing 4.26 40 at the Indianapolis Combine. The Seattle Seahawks scooped him up in the fifth round.

Berry recovered slightly at the end of the third round by taking wideout David Bell, who is not nearly as highly regarded as Moore, Metchie, Pierce and Pickens. Bell's calling card is his reliability when targeted; having dropped fewer than 10 passes in his three years at Purdue. Speed? Only in his dreams.

Round four produced two starters in defensive tackle Perrion Winfrey and placekicker Cade York (that  just sounds liked a kicker's name). Sort of restored my faith in Berry finally making intelligent picks. If nothing else, Winfrey will bring fire and energy to the defensive line. And York will bring energy to the fans when he drills 50+ yard field goals throw blizzards.

My only quibble with Berry thereafter was his ninth and final pick midway through the final round. With Ohio State defensive tackle Haskell Garrett surprisingly still on the board, the Cleveland GM must have fallen asleep and allowed someone else to choose center Dawson Deaton, who has less than no chance of making the final roster. Imagine two Garretts playing together on the D line. 

Several draft sites designated Garrett, projected to go as high as the fourth round, the top undrafted free agent. The Tennessee Titans couldn't sign him quickly enough. How in the world did the Browns miss that opportunity? We'll probably never know.

So in the end, did this draft help? Marginally, A little along the defensive front, a little in the passing game and yet to be determined on special teams. It produced three starters or major contributors, some special teamers and a few not quite ready for the NFL.

***

It will be interesting to see what Berry has in his back pocket between now and training camp this summer. He can't be comfortable with his wide receivers room. It needs a lot of help for new quarterback Deshaun Watson, whose receiving corps at his last stop in Houston included DeAndre Hopkins, Brandin Cooks and Will Fuller V, the latter now a free agent.

Right now, Amari Cooper is WR1 by far with newcomer Bell and Donovan Peoples-Jones jockeying for WR2. Anthony Schwartz, draftee Michael Woods II and Ja'Marcus Bradley round out the room for the time being. That's not going to cut it for Watson. Beyond Cooper, there isn't a Hopkins, Cooks or Fuller in that room now.

As good as Watson is, he needs help. Veterans like Antonio Brown, Julio Jones. T. Y. Hilton, Jamison Crowder, Emmanuel Sanders, A. J. Green and, yes, Jarvis Landry are looking for work. For many of them, it will be a final stop in their careers.

The Browns the last couple of seasons have lured veterans with moderately priced prove-it contracts for  a season. What's the harm in extending such deals to any of the above? Rhetorical question.

***

Here's an interesting question: How many of Berry's nine picks this year will make the final active roster? Care to guess? Here's a clue: He selected 15 young men in his first two Cleveland drafts. Every one of them is still on the active roster. Another clue: There will be at least one this year.

By way of comparison, the previous two drafts, conducted by John Dorsey, produced 16 new faces. Only six remain, including Baker Mayfield. The others are Nick Chubb, Greedy Williams, Sione Takitaki, Denzel Ward and Drew Forbes, who has barely contributed and will probably be a casualty this year.

***

Berry evenly divided his picks among the groups, taking four for the offense and four for the defense with one special teamer. Only one of the four on offense was a lineman, an area that, it says here, is not nearly as good as it was two years ago.

Injuries shut down right tackle Jack Conklin after seven games last season and severely affected and then limited left tackle Jedrick Wills Jr.'s performance all season. His performance as a rookie when healthy also left a lot to be desired. Only the middle troika of center JC Tretter and guards Joel Bitonio and Wyatt Teller delivered standout games. And Tretter is gone.

Problems lurk, though. Either little (barely six feet tall) Nick Harris or big (6-6) Ethan Pocic will replace Tretter and the quality of this important position will suffer as a result. On the plus side, Conklin is reportedly going to be ready to go this season. So, too, is Wills. 

The problem there is while Conklin is an All-Pro tackle, Wills has struggled both seasons to keep his quarterback vertical on passing downs. When Bitonio, a tackle in college, moved over and replaced Wills in one game late last season when Wills tested positive for  COVID-19, he graded higher that Wills ever did.

Thinking out loud here: Why not move Bitonio permanently to left tackle and slide Wills inside to guard where he can be more comfortable and effective? Wills is better in the run game and athletic enough to be effective at pulling and leading the likes of Chubb, Kareem Hunt and D'Ernest Johnson.

***

How drastically will head coach and de facto offensive coordinator  Kevin Stefanski change his offense this season? It sure looks as though that offense will operate with only two tight ends on the active roster -- David Njoku and Harrison Bryant. That means more yardage through the air and less on the ground. And more fun for the fans.