Dumb, dumb, dumb

For what it's worth, which right now ranks somewhere between head-scratching and total ignorance, a bonehead decision made about five weeks ago exploded ingloriously in my lap. 

Given that the Browns' roster decisions with regard to the National Football League draft and procurement of a less-than-exciting free-agent class, not to mention General Manager Andrew Berry's questionable decisions, I thought taking a pass was wise until all the dust settled.

After all, Berry's initial selection didn't arrive until midway through the third round after trading for malcontent New York Jets wide receiver Elijah Moore. And with his reputation of mediocre drafting in the latter rounds, it was difficult to generate any kind of excitement.

I couldn't have been more wrong for the most part and missed out on the fun of a Cleveland draft that has a terrific chance of winding up as the GM's best with only one brain cramp in the fifth round that kept it from being a smash hit.

In adding wide receiver Cedric Tillman and defensive tackle Seaki Ika to the roster in round three, offensive tackle Dawand Jones and defensive end Isaiah McGuire in the fourth round and center Luke Wypler in round six, Berry grabbed five players taken well below their original projections.

I've tried several times to understand why Berry grabbed quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson and cornerback Cameron Mitchell in the fifth round with picks 140 and 142. He was well on his way to a dreamed-for finish, but stumbled. Badly.

Did the Browns really need another quarterback? Is there something we don't know about Watson? Is the GM hedging his bets on his $230 million prize, the face of the franchise? Should backup Josh Dobbs be worried because the rookie is certain to make the roster? 

Mitchell, yet another cornerback on a team that does not need another cornerback, will make the team, too. The Browns will open training camp overcrowded at the position with nine. What they have in Mitchell is yet another ex-Northwestern corner who is a stranger at the art of intercepting a forward pass.

Greg Newsome II has yet to pick off one in his first two seasons in Cleveland, He had only one in college. Mitchell swiped  only two in four seasons with the Wildcats. Turnovers are the life blood for a defense. The Browns need a transfusion. Mitchell won't provide it.

Clearly in the nature of a second guess, Antonio Johnson, a productive, hard-hitting free safety from Texas A&M was on the board at 140 and 142. The 6-2, 200-pounder would have looked nice on a team that needed safeties more than corners. Perhaps the recent signing of free-agent veteran safety Ray McLeod Jr. was the reason. 

The Jacksonville Jaguires (yeah, I know) grabbed Johnson, rated by more than a few draft pundits as the second-best free safety in this lottery, at 160. Worth keeping an eye on.

Bottom line: I reluctantly have rationalized DTR's selection. At least he was productive at UCLA in his senior season, running and throwing for 3.800 total yards and 39 touchdowns. 

Now the reasons for the unexpected and unbridled optimism for the 2023 NFL season. Strange feeling for this glass-half-empty observer. Not used to it. Positive thoughts persist.  

Berry has added quality depth -- and maybe a starter or two -- to a team that has not lived up to its talent quotient the last couple of seasons. 

The 6-3 Tillman has a terrific chance of opening the season opposite Amari Cooper with Donovan Peoples-Jones dropping into the WR3 slot, providing  quarterback Deshaun Watson a much better receiving corps than last season.

Ditto for Ika, a boulder of a defensive tackle certain without question to be better at stopping the run than anyone on the roster last season. He and veteran Dalvin Tomlinson are a huge upgrade that will force the opposition to throw the ball more.

I'd be stunned if the ridiculously massive (6-8, 370 pounds) Jones, who swallowed defensive ends with ease for the Buckeyes the last three seasons, will protect Watson by no later than the 2024 season opener. Possibly sooner.

McGuire, on the other hand, faces a more difficult road to playing right away, let alone starting, joining pro sophomores Alex Wright and Isaiah Thomas behind veterans Myles Garrett, Ogbo Okorwonko and Berry's latest trading gem, three-time Pro Bowler Za'Darius Smith.

With Smith, a sack master with 55 on his eight-season résumé on one side and Garrett -- an amazing 75 sacks in just six seasons -- on the other, look for new defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz to employ his highly effective wide-9 look early and often.

Wypler is another of those "we didn't believe he would be there" selections, this time at 190 in the sixth round. The Ohio State center sparkled while anchoring the Buckeyes' line the last two seasons, making 26 consecutive starts as they challenged for the national championship. 

Reason he dropped, say those in the know, was he was not considered big enough at 6-3, 300 pounds. He might not be like 6-6, 320-pound starter Ethan Pocic, but he is smart enough to seriously challenge for a permanent role by next season and make smallish -- barely 6-1 and 293 pounds  -- Nick Harris an ex-Brown somewhere along the way, perhaps as soon at this summer.

Last season, the Browns lost at least three games due to monumental failures by the defense late in games, turning what should have been a 10-7 record and a return to the postseason into a 7-10 disaster that landed them back into the AFC North cellar.

Berry appears to have fixed (corrected?) that the last two months with decisions that should save his job after consecutive losing seasons. Props, with the one notable exception, for finally getting it right.