Auburn wide receiver Anthony Schwartz, who blazed a 4.25 40 at his pro day workout, became the first new player on offense added in Andrew Berry's second season as GM. (Cleveland Browns)
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Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland.
Takeaways from the Browns’ second day of the draft …
It’s almost like the Browns are listening.
You want a linebacker?
Bam, they move up seven spots in the second round and select Notre Dame’s Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah.
You want a receiver with speed?
Bam, they conclude their second draft day with Auburn receiver Anthony Schwartz, a world-class sprinter who posted a 4.25 40 time at his pro day.
“I think the theme of Day 2 with these two players is speed,” said GM Andrew Berry.
Schwartz, who is 6-0 and 186 pounds, is the first player added to the offense after Berry signed six free agents on defense and drafted cornerback Greg Newsome and Owusu-Koramoah.
“Anthony has world-class and Olympic speed, [and is] very, very smart, a quick study, [with his] best football in front of him. He has all the characteristics we desire for a player to have a vertical presence in our offense,” Berry said.
The Browns didn’t lose a pick in trading up with Carolina from No. 59 to No. 52. They moved back 24 spots from No. 89 in the third round to No. 113 in the fourth round.
So they head into the final day of the draft Saturday with three picks in the fourth round (Nos. 110, 113 and 132) and picks in the fifth (No. 169), sixth (No. 211) and seventh rounds (No. 257).
Not just a sprinter
Schwartz posted a phenomenal 10.07 clocking in the 100-meter dash as a high school senior. He won gold and silver medals at the IAFF world championships in Finland in 2018. He competed in track as a freshman at Auburn and then quit the sport to concentrate on football.
“Just for my love for the game of football,” Schwartz said. “Track, I’ll always be a fan of track. But football’s been my first love.”
In three years at Auburn, Schwartz scored more touchdowns running with the ball (seven) than receiving (six). He specialized in making short throws into long runs with the ball. In 2020, 77 percent of his 636 receiving yards came after the catch.
“I feel that’s the underrated part of my game. I could take a 2-3 yard gain and make 9 to 10 yards,” he said.
“He is not your typical track guy,” said Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, vice president of football operations. “He has a run after catch mindset and he wants to finish plays, and you do not always see that from guys like that. We love the dimensions he brings to the room and the competition he brings to that room.
“We are trying to shorten the field. To win in this league you need to create explosive [plays] and not consistently have to earn it against these good defenses. We are trying to add players who allow us to do that. One of the ways he does that is with the ball in his hands. Again, he accelerates really well out of the catch point and out of breaks.”
In 36 games at Auburn, Schwartz had 117 receptions for 1,433 yards.
One thing he didn’t do at Auburn was return kicks. He said he did return kicks in high school and is looking forward to doing it again if the Browns give him a chance.
“Obviously, you see the ability that he has, and you would like to think that is something [special teams coordinator Mike Priefer] has thought about, and he has,” Adofo-Mensah said.
The fall of JOK
Owusu-Koramoah was ranked by most draft services in the middle of the first round. The Browns considered taking him at No. 26 if Newsome weren’t there. So why did he fall to No. 52?
“I do think Jeremiah is a little unique in the manner in which he produces,” Berry said. “You’re talking about a player a little bit undersized for a classic linebacker, used in a variety of roles. That’s not necessarily. going to be the right fit or highly valued dependent on the system. In [Joe Woods’] scheme, everything he does well marries with what we want in our linebackers.”
Owusu-Koramoah did not play the “I have a chip on my shoulder” card when asked if he was disappointed he dropped out of the first round.
“There has to be something that will motivate you, but again, my motivation lies strictly within the game of football and my appreciation for football,” he said. “I am not going to use something that is external in terms of a draft and people not picking me. I see those linebackers that were going in front of me, and I see those defenders that have gone before me, but you have to take certain things and add energy to certain things.
“What you put your thoughts to, that is what you give your energy to. If I rely on that and I think as much on that, I will be [focusing] on the past. Right now, we are in the future and in the present. There are things that I have to get done right now.”