Cleveland Browns: Pro Comparison for every 2022 draft pick

Cleveland Browns Pick No. 78

Alex Wright = Aldon Smith

When the Cleveland Browns made Alex Wright their second selection of the 2022 NFL draft, they made a large portion of draft Twitter extremely happy. Wright was a lowkey favorite for potential steal of the draft for the team that pulled the trigger on the University of Alabama at Birmingham product. The reason for Wright’s draft buzz was simple, the young man has undeniable high-ceiling traits.

It’s those traits that Wright possesses that draw comparisons to Aldon Smith. From a size perspective, Wright is slightly larger than Smith. Wright was measured at 6-foot-5 and weighed in at 271-pounds. Smith is just shy of 6-foot-5 but came into the league at 263-pounds. However, when you look at Wright’s frame, the pass rusher will probably put on another 5-10 pounds once entering an NFL strength and conditioning program.

While Wright didn’t test at the combine after injuring his pectoral muscle, this comparison is drawn from their playing styles. Both Smith and Wright have inside/outside versatility, and both can win pass-rushing reps from either pre-snap position. Primarily Wright was used on the outside, but often kicked inside and won with his strength.

The first step explosion of both players jumps off of the tape. Winning quickly, although sometimes not leading to sacks, speeds up a quarterback’s processes leading to mistakes. Both Smith and Wright are snap timers when lining up on the outside.

However Wright, because of his lightning-like first step, will get called for being offsides on occasion even when he is perfectly timing up the snap. Sound familiar Browns fans? Looking at you Myles Garrett. As with any rookie, the speed of the game is something that Wright will have to adjust to.

Because of their height, Smith and Wright can sometimes get caught being too upright coming off the edge. But their athleticism bails them out on a regular basis. One difference is that Wright can sometimes come in too hot allowing quarterbacks to avoid his rush by simply stepping up. Throttling down when approaching a sack will need to be an emphasis for the rookie.

Andrew Berry let the board fall to him and picked up an edge defender that should eventually be the complementary piece to Myles Garrett. Hopefully, they can bring back Jadeveon Clowney on a short deal and allow Wright time to grow into his game at the NFL level. If that happens, the league is in trouble.