It's a weird feeling in Northeast Ohio when April rolls around and Cleveland Browns fans are not immersed in talk of the NFL Draft.
That'll happen when three years' worth of first-round picks are traded away for what the powers that be envisioned to be a franchise quarterback in Deshaun Watson .
The jury's still out on that one.
Of course, there are other factors at play for the buzzless draft that is 2024 — the primary one being the Browns don't pick until No. 54 overall. Imagine doing a happy dance over that as a fan.
That doesn't mean Browns general manager Andrew Berry will be able to pull a rabbit out of a hat — not that a quality player won't be available at that slot. History states otherwise.
Browns fans, however, are more interested in this team and its draft moves. But with Berry there exists history and a sense of method to the mayhem. Here is what he's done in the past and what he might do this year:
Needs:After a disastrous 2019 season led by general manager John Dorsey, who hitched his wagon to coach Freddie Kitchens, owner Jimmy Haslam cleaned house – again. As for the Browns needs heading into the next season, other than defensive end, go ahead and pick a spot, including the defensive backfield where only Denzel Ward remains from that team. The offensive line talent and depth that exists currently had not been established and the wide receiver room, beyond Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry , needed more. Newly anointed general manager Andrew Berry recognized as much.
Players drafted: Jedrick Wills (left tackle), Grant Delpit (safety), Jordan Elliott (defensive tackle), Jacob Phillips (linebacker), Harrison Bryant (tight end), Nick Harris (center), Donovan Peoples-Jones (wide receiver)
Who remains:Wills, Delpit and Phillips
Needs:Defense across the board remained an issue in all three groups as far as depth. While the running back room was solid, again the receiver position needed work.
Players drafted: Greg Newsome II (cornerback) , Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (linebacker), Anthony Schwartz (wide receiver), James Hudson III (offensive tackle), Tommy Togai (defensive tackle), Tony Fields (linebacker), Richard LeCounte (safety), Demetric Felton (running back)
Who remains:Newsome II, Owusu-Koramoah, Hudson III, Fields
Needs:There was not a lot of wiggle room for Berry in the 2022 draft considering the organization made a huge bet on the acquisition of quarterback Deshaun Watson – legal troubles and all. Still, the team had playoff aspirations, albeit with significant issues. That was especially on defense with a porous line, a backfield beleaguered by miscommunication as well as issues still at wide receiver.
Players drafted: Martin Emerson (cornerback), Alex Wright (defensive end), David Bell (wide receiver), Perrion Winfrey (defensive tackle), Cade York (kicker), Jerome Ford (running back), Michael Woods II (wide receiver), Isaiah Thomas (defensive end), Dawson Deaton (offensive lineman)
Who remains:Emerson, York, Ford, Wright, Bell, Woods, Thomas
Needs:The Browns needed to bolster the interior of the defensive line along with the linebacking corps. Wide receiver remained a concern as former draft picks failed to develop. Offensive line depth proved to be an issue.
Players drafted: Cedric Tillman (wide receiver), Siaka Ika (defensive lineman), Dawand Jones (offensive tackle), Isaiah McGuire (defensive lineman), Dorian Thompson-Robinson (quarterback), Cameron Mitchell (defensive back), Luke Wypler (offensive lineman)
Who remains:Tillman, Ika, Jones, McGuire, Thompson-Robinson, Wypler
The Browns by any measure were stacked roster-wise last season. But with departures come potential holes. Two spots on the defense make sense as linebackers Sione Takitaki and Anthony Walker Jr. are both gone. Beyond wide receiver Amari Cooper , the corps is once again suspect. The running back position has been a source of strength for years, so it's strange that needs consideration, but with Nick Chubb unlikely to be ready to start the season it suddenly takes on a sense of urgency.
But did the realization finally hit Berea last season regarding the need for a dominating defense? When you consider that unit compensated for offensive inefficiency (due primarily to significant injuries) last season, it very well may be. Berry has a tendency to play it safe in the draft. Trades (Watson, Amari Cooper) are for trying to hit home runs.
Don't expect him to do anything differently in the final season the Browns will be without a first-round selection. That defense was the reason for the Browns' playoff appearance in 2024. Here's betting Berry attempts to bolster it. How he does so remains to be seen. He solidified the interior of the line by re-signing defensive tackles Maurice Hurst II and Shelby Harris and adding defensive tackle Quinton Jefferson in free agency.
To replace Takitaki and Walker, he signed Devin Bush and Jordan Hicks , respectively. The team also managed to keep defensive end Za'Darius Smith.
The experts see the team taking either a linebacker or defensive tackle. Names mentioned include Payton Wilson (North Carolina State), Kris Jenkins Jr. (Michigan), Michael Hall (Ohio State) and Edgerrin Cooper (Texas A&M). That would probably be a safe bet, and fit Berry's style of shoring up needs while not reaching.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Andrew Berry's NFL Draft history could dictate what Browns do in 2024
