In another NFL draft or NFL free agency class, Cleveland Browns fans would be all about the quarterback position. There is zero certainty about any of the QBs currently on the Browns roster, with Shedeur Sanders, Deshaun Watson, and Dillon Gabriel all in competition at the position.
Yes, Cleveland GM Andrew Berry has not “forgotten” about Gabriel, as he told the media at the NFL combine.
Instead, Browns fans and the media in general have been focused on the team’s need at the offensive line and wide receiver positions. Berry’s history with drafting around both of those areas of need has been suspect. As always with Cleveland’s recent drafts, it is important to note that the team did not have a first-round pick for three seasons and was missing a slew of other selections as well.
Talent can be found anywhere in the NFL draft, but the best is mostly found in the first and second rounds.
When it comes to the wide receiver position, most focus on size and speed as the primary traits. While those are important, we’ve seen fast players and big players fail. We’ve seen big and fast receivers not even make it to the end of their rookie contracts despite being selected in the first two days of the draft.
For Berry, the three traits that he’s looking for in a receiver are quite simple:
Get open, catch the ball, and make plays with the ball in your hands. Not too much to ask, right? The reality is players can get open with size, speed, change of direction, and great route running. Similar skills can assist pass catchers in making plays with the ball in their hands. Catching the ball is a singular skill, in and of itself. Unfortunately, Berry hasn’t found a player who can do all three of those things.
In Berry’s NFL draft history, he has selected the following receivers:
- 2020 – Donovan Peoples-Jones – 6th round
- 2021 – Anthony Schwartz – 3rd round
- 2022 – David Bell – 3rd round
- 2022 – Mike Woods II – 6th round
- 2023 – Cedric Tillman – 3rd round
- 2024 – Jamari Thrash – 5th round
Of that group of six, DPJ had the most successful career. Peoples-Jones showed all three of the abilities that Berry noted. Schwartz couldn’t catch the ball, which means he didn’t have a chance to make plays with it. Bell struggled to get open, Woods couldn’t stay healthy, Tillman showed the ability to get open with his size, but concussions limited him, while Thrash has barely seen the field.
With two picks in the first round and another one high in the second, it is possible that Berry will not only add another name to his receiver list but also select one at the highest point he has ever. Needless to say, Berry will not be focused just on players who are big and/or fast but who can produce based on the three traits he notes. Hopefully, he’s learned more than just patience going into his seventh season as Cleveland’s GM.