After trading out of the second round, the Browns didn't get around to drafting a receiver until tabbing Purdue's David Bell with their third pick in the third round. He was the 16th receiver selected in the draft. (Purdue University)
Worsening Baker Mayfield situation overshadows a puzzling start to Browns draft
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Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland.
A real opportunity to trade Baker Mayfield to the Carolina Panthers came and went on the second day of the draft, leaving the Browns to further deal with a worsening sore on their roster.
The potential deal blew up when the Browns and Panthers couldn’t agree on how much of Mayfield’s guaranteed salary of $18.858 million the Browns were willing to eat, according to multiple reports.
Ultimately, the Panthers solved their quarterback problem by acquiring the No. 94 pick in the third round from the New England Patriots and using it on quarterback Matt Corral of Mississippi. The Panthers gave the Patriots a third-round pick in 2023 – which could have been the compensation they were willing to give up in a Mayfield trade if the Browns had picked up a sizable portion of Mayfield’s salary.
True to form, GM Andrew Berry would not even confirm that trade talks took place and maintained he was not disappointed the trade collapsed.
“That is a fluid situation,” Berry said of the Mayfield impasse. “We will deal with it day to day. My focus has really been on the guys who we acquired and who are going to be rookie players in the next fall.”
Despite Berry’s contention the team was solely focused on the draft, trading Mayfield seemed to consume the Browns the better part of the evening and led to some early questionable moves.
A trade down and a puzzling pick
After being shut out of the first round due to the massive Deshaun Watson trade, the Browns elected to sit out the second round, too. They traded the No. 44 overall pick to the Houston Texans for a third-round pick and two in the fourth round. At that point, it seemed the Browns were acquiring extra picks to beef up a trade package involving Mayfield.
The trade might have been considered great value, but by doing so, the Browns passed up a second-round run on wide receivers. Receivers dropping off the board included John Metchie of Alabama (No. 44 overall to Houston), Tyquan Thornton of Baylor (No. 50 to New England), George Pickens of Georgia (No. 52 to Pittsburgh), Alex Pierce of Cincinnati (No. 53 to Indianapolis) and Skyy Moore of Western Michigan (No. 54 to Kansas City).
“We felt good about the value and adding to the volume picks that we would have this weekend,” Berry explained of the trade-down.
When the Browns finally made their first pick of the 2022 draft at No. 68 overall in the third round, they used it on a cornerback, arguably the deepest position group on their roster.
The pick, Martin Emerson of Mississippi State, was ranked 21st among cornerbacks by Dane Brugler, respected draft analyst of the Athletic. Emerson, who said he was surprised by the Browns’ interest in him, was the only player of the three taken by the Browns on Friday who was not invited to visit their facility prior to the draft.
As to the surprise of using his first pick of the entire draft on a cornerback, Berry conceded, “I do not know that I would have said that either. We feel like Martin is an excellent prospect for us at a premium position. We are looking forward to having him in the building.”
Back to the drawing board
After the Mayfield trade fell through, Berry got back to the business of filling more pertinent needs on the roster.
He used the 78th overall pick in the third round on defensive end Alex Wright of University of Alabama-Birmingham.
Berry concluded the night by using the 99th overall pick in the third round on Purdue wide receiver David Bell.
Wright, 6-5 and 271 pounds, was the 12th edge rusher taken in the draft. He was ecstatic to become a teammate of Myles Garrett.
“Being able to just watch him and now have the chance to play across from him is like a dream come true,” he said. “It feels surreal. I have goosebumps right now.”
Berry said that Wright was “a favorite” with all facets of the evaluation team – scouts, coaches and research and strategy.
“We like him because he is a player who profiles as what we call a big end or a strong-side end, but with Alex, he really has the versatility to rush outside and inside,” Berry said. “We love his frame. We love his ability to rush the passer. This is a guy who when we brought him in for a 30 visit, everybody just spoke glowingly. He is very driven, he is very smart and a very humble individual, and we think he is a player who can really grow into the ideal big end for us and rush inside and out. We are excited to have him. He is a perfect scheme fit for our defense.”
Bell was the 16th receiver taken. He fell in the draft because of poor 40 clockings at the Combine (4.65 seconds) and his pro day (4.71). Berry said Bell’s greatest attribute is his sure hands, and the Browns project him as a slot receiver.
“We thought he had some of the best hands in this draft class,” Berry said. “He is also very savvy as a route runner, just very nuanced and polished and has the ability to separate. We think he is a guy who can really play both outside and inside, but we think that he can really make a living with his size, his savvy and his hands in the slot.”
Bell said he shed tears when his name was called, and he is looking forward to working alongside new Browns receiver Amari Cooper.
“It is amazing,” Bell said. “I have been studying Amari since he was at ‘Bama, so to get the opportunity to see him and how he works in practice and to see what he does to be one of the top route runners in the game today is definitely an honor that I am definitely going to take from and learn a lot from it.”
Now what about Mayfield?
With the door closed on a trade of Mayfield to Carolina, the Browns may have to carry the quarterback well into spring OTAs and possibly into training camp – if not beyond.
The Browns could circle back to Seattle as a possible destination for Mayfield. The Seahawks did not draft a quarterback and maintain a QB roster of Drew Lock, Geno Smith and Jacob Eason.
But if the Carolina experience proved anything, it’s that the Browns will have to suck it up and eat a sizeable portion of Mayfield’s salary to facilitate a trade.
They’re already accounting for Mayfield’s $18.858 million on the salary cap, so anything less than that would result in cap savings. Yet the Browns have been unwilling to do what it takes to move Mayfield to another team.
“We feel fine,” Berry said. “Like I mentioned, it is something we will deal with day to day. The focus is really on the players who we can add to the team, and we will deal with that situation as it progresses.
“I would not say it is any more challenging than really a lot of situations that cross a general manager’s desk. I would say over the past two and half years, we have all probably dealt with a number of unique ones, starting with the pandemic. It comes with the territory in terms of dealing with different roster situations. I would not say that it is unique in that regard.”
He can say that now. But if this situation doesn’t get resolved by the team’s mandatory minicamp in June, the possibility of Mayfield returning to the team’s facility will be a huge distraction. And that will only increase as summer camp begins.
