Krunch Time With Katelin: Cleveland Browns NFL Draft Recap

By Katelin Marshall, @KatelinKnowsCLE

Like I stated in my NFL Draft recap "Winners and Losers", the Cleveland Browns were on the winning side of the NFL Draft. It doesn't hurt when you take the best overall player, grab a potential franchise quarterback, and they added an additional first round pick for the 2018 draft.

Day 1

The Browns hit a home run on the first day of the draft. Obviously taking Myles Garrett number one overall, the consensus best player in the draft, is an A+. Garrett is immediately a cornerstone for this franchise. At the 12th pick he Browns traded down with Houston and swapped first round picks and got the Texans' first round pick next season. The Browns at 25th overall took Michigan safety Jabrill Peppers. Pepper is another guy who is going to make an impact from day one. He's already projected to start day one at strong safety. Then the Browns ended up trading back into the first round with the Green Bay Packers. At 29th overall, the Browns took David Njoku, a tight end out of Miami (FL). Njoku is only 20 years old and already has the physical talent for the NFL. He's a willing blocker and with the Browns releasing Gary Barnidge, Njoku should get every chance to start from day one.

Day 2

The Browns might have landed their quarterback of the future, DeShone Kizer from Notre Dame with the 52nd pick. The Kizer pick was great for two reasons. First off, the Browns likely found their quarterback going forward. Kizer is only 21 years old and will have a chance to grow into the position and doesn't have the pressure to start week one like a top 5 pick would have been. Secondly, the Browns didn't have to move up for him. Kizer landed right into their lap so again there is even less pressure on them to start him right away. In the third round, the Browns took defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi out of Charlotte. Ogunjobi made history being Charlotte's first ever player drafted to the NFL. He's projected to play along side of Danny Shelton in the Browns' base 4-3 defense.







Day 3

Day three was interesting to say the least. The Browns started the day taking Howard Wilson a cornerback out of Houston in the fourth round. Wilson is a 6'1" cornerback who should be on the field day one. Then the Browns took Roderick Johnson, a left tackle out of Florida State. Johnson is a project left tackle, so Joe Thomas isn't going anywhere.

Here is where the draft gets interesting.

In the sixth round the Browns took Caleb Brantley, a defensive tackle out of Florida. Brantley was projected to go in the first three rounds, but after an "alleged" assault took place in the middle of April most teams took Brantley off of their draft board. The Browns acknowledged Brantley's off-field situation and they are willing to release him if more comes out about his situation. Then to finish the draft the Browns took Zane Gonzalez, the highest rated kicker in the draft in the 7th round, and Matt Dayes, a running back out of NC State and someone who the Browns coached at the Senior Bowl.

Overall, I give this draft an B+/A-.

They filled multiple holes on this roster and added another first round pick for 2018's draft. They also held true to their draft board and didn't panic to get anyone, they made the smart picks and honestly, they set themselves up for some success in the 2017 season.