Those two Big Ten rivals -- defensive tackle Michael Hall Jr. of Ohio State and guard Zak Zinter of Michigan -- were introduced as Browns teammates on Saturday. (TheLandOnDemand)
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Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland. He has covered the Browns since 1984.
Takeaways from third day of NFL draft …
1. The worst thing you can say about Andrew Berry’s fifth Browns draft was he was unable to parlay any Day 3 picks into 2025 – when he’ll need additional picks to offset the recent roster push to win now. It’s the first time Berry hasn’t been able to execute a trade on draft weekend. For now, the Browns have eight picks in 2025, including their own in the first four rounds plus three in the sixth and one in the seventh. The three-year purgatory without a first-round pick because of the Deshaun Watson trade – which had the feeling of an NCAA probation – is over. “It’ll be great to have kind of our full complement of draft picks back, for sure,” Berry said.
2. Unable to trade out some picks, Berry used his four picks on Day 3 on Louisville wide receiver Jamari Thrash (fifth round), Mississippi State linebacker Nathaniel Watson (sixth), South Dakota cornerback Myles Harden (seventh), and Cincinnati defensive tackle Jowon Briggs. They joined Ohio State defensive tackle Michael Hall Jr. (second) and Michigan guard Zak Zinter (third) to comprise Berry’s fifth Browns draft class. So in an offensive-heavy draft, the Browns used four of six picks on defensive players. “It’s just another reminder to us that you just have to stay flexible and adaptable with what the board throws at you,” Berry said.
3. Here are the traits in each draft pick voiced by Berry that attracted him to the Browns. “[Hall], his ability as a rusher, both with his physical tools and feel. [Zinter], his superpower is he’s an excellent pass protector. [Thrash], he’s an outstanding separator. [Watson], he’s really good in the run game, particularly using his strength. [Harden], his instincts and versatility. And then [Briggs], it’s his movement ability. So that’s not to say that all those individuals are isolated to that primary feature, but it’s certainly something that made them attractive to us.”
4. Thrash is the sixth receiver Berry has selected in five drafts. The others were Donovan Peoples-Jones (2020, sixth round), Anthony Schwartz (2021, third), David Bell (2022, third) and Michael Woods (2022, sixth), and Cedric Tillman (2023, third). So another draft passes by without the Browns taking advantage of the high-end receiver talent in the early rounds. “That’s going to be one of the more plentiful positions in terms of just overall quantity year over year,” Berry predicted.
5. Watson might be the most interesting of the Browns’ Day 3 selections. He was a big-play offensive playmaker and led his high school to three straight 1A Alabama state championships. Because of one redshirt year and the 2020 COVID year, Watson was at Mississippi State for six years. “I would say he’s probably been on our radar as much as any prospect in this class,” Berry said. Watson had outstanding height-weight-speed numbers (6-2 ¼, 233 pounds, 4.63 40 speed), led the SEC with 137 tackles last year, had extensive special teams experience, and was named SEC defensive player of the year. Berry said he envisions Watson eventually replacing departed Sione Takitaki as that sure tackler in the run defense. “He’s got good range, he’s incredibly smart, and he has good instincts, but he provides maybe a little bit of a diverse profile in that linebacker room because he does have a little bit more strength and power at the point of attack,” Berry said. “So we see him as a player that has the potential to maybe develop into that type of role. MIKE, SAM, Flex, and ultimately be someone who’s a candidate to call the defense after he gets his sea legs out from under him.”
6. Watson twice made the SEC Academic Honor Roll, graduated with a degree in interdisciplinary studies and earned a master’s degree in workplace education. But he also had an arrest in high school when drag racing resulted in property damage and injuries to a passenger in his car, and had an arrest at Mississippi State for suspicion of driving under the influence. “We are comfortable with the person,” Berry said.
7. If there’s one position still lacking depth after the draft it’s tight end. Stay tuned. “There’s still work to do in the roster and that’s not just limited to the tight end room, but, you know, that’s what the next couple months are for,” Berry said.
8. Although the Browns visited with quarterbacks Joe Milton of Tennessee and Michael Pratt of Tulane, they did not select either. Milton went to the Patriots in Round 6 and the Packers took Pratt in Round 7. Berry said it’s “unlikely” he would add a fifth QB to join Deshaun Watson, Jameis Winston, Tyler Huntley and Dorian Thompson-Robinson.
9. Berry declined to say if he would pick up the fifth-year option of cornerback Greg Newsome by the May 2 deadline. If he does, Newsome would be guaranteed $13.4 million in 2025. “Very happy with Greg,” Berry said. “[We] want as many man corners as we can have. We’ll let you guys know [about the fifth-year option] at the appropriate time.”