Cleveland Browns: Pro Comparison for every 2022 draft pick
The 2022 NFL Draft has come to a close and now it is time to do a deeper dive on the nine players that the Cleveland Browns selected. Here are pro comparisons for every player that the Browns drafted.
The hay is in the barn and Elvis has left the building. With the 2022 NFL Draft officially in the books, now it is time to do a deeper dive on the Cleveland Browns draft class. After everything was said and done, Andrew Berry selected nine players to bring into the Browns’ fold.
Entering the draft, Berry and the Browns had seven selections, with the first not coming until pick 44. Berry decided to move back 24 spots in order to get better value and secure an additional two picks in the process. While some of the moves came off as puzzling at first glance, the Browns actually walked away with quite the haul.
If you followed along during the three-day odyssey, then you already know the names. Now it is time to get to know the newly drafted players’ games. Below are pro comparisons for each player in the 2022 Browns draft class.
Cleveland Browns Pick No. 68
Martin Emerson = Richard Sherman
On the surface, it might appear like a lofty comparison, but once you dive deeper, Martin Emerson and Richard Sherman are eerily similar players. When Emerson’s name was chosen as the Browns first draft selection early in the third round it caught many fans off guard. But this will be one of those hindsight is 20/20 draft picks by the end of the 2022 NFL season.
While Sherman is a household name now, that was not always the case. The Stanford product came into the league with little to no fanfare. After all, Sherman was not selected until the 5th round of his respective draft class. It was not until after his infamous ‘You mad bro’ moment with Tom Brady that Sherman arrived on the national radar.
We will start by comparing Sherman and Emerson’s frames. Sherman came into the league at 6-foot-3 and 195lbs. Emerson enters the NFL at 6-foot-2 and weighing 200lbs. Both are taller than average corners that use their length exceptionally well.
From a straight-line speed perspective, Emerson is slightly faster than Sherman but neither are considered burners by any stretch of the imagination. Sherman ran a 4.6 40-yard dash at the combine, while Emerson was clocked in at 4.55.
Both players excel in zone coverage schemes, and in Sherman’s case that allowed him to get on the field a ton as a rookie. It may be a little harder for Emerson to see the same kind of snaps early on due to the Browns depth at cornerback, but as the season progress so will his role in Joe Woods zone heavy scheme. They both are efficient movers, despite having tall hips, that are very effective at closing on underneath breaking routes that zone schemes allow for.
Their deficiencies are eerily similar as well. Both Emerson and Sherman can become a little handsy when beat by double moves. But as we saw with Sherman, if you are consistently aggressive, over time, the referees will gradually swallow their whistles. While both are willing participants in the run game, they each tend to not wrap up consistently and often go low on opposing ball carriers.
All in all, the Browns got themselves a big-bodied corner who fits their defensive scheme like a glove and should eventually be a starter. Considering that they traded back to land Emerson and scooped up two additional picks is just icing on the cake.