Biggest surprises from the Cleveland Browns 2019 NFL Draft
By Dan Justik
No defensive linemen selections
Before the 2019 NFL Draft, Dorsey spoke about how the defensive line was the strength of the draft class. Not only did it have top-end talent, but it was also one of the deepest positions and there was talent to be found later in the draft.
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Despite that, the Cleveland Browns front office decided to target other positions and did not draft a single defensive line prospect. Without much depth at both defensive tackle and defensive end, it was very surprising that Cleveland did not use one of their seven selections to address that issue.
The Browns have built a strong starting defensive line with Myles Garrett, Larry Ogunjobi, Sheldon Richardson, and Olivier Vernon. However, there is not much depth behind the first-unit who will provide good snaps when the starters are off the field.
Cleveland ran into this issue last season and it created a lot of problems for the defense. Either the starters were on the field for almost the entire game and their fatigue caused them to be less effective. Or when the starters were off the field, the backups struggled to get in the backfield, making life easier for the opposing offense.
The front office may have felt they needed to focus on adding linebackers and defensive backs, but not selecting one defensive line prospect was shocking. The decision may not hurt the Browns too much in 2019, but it could be a decision they regret in the future.