For years, the Cleveland Browns struggled to find value in the NFL Draft. Of course, the trade for Deshaun Watson had plenty to do with that, but they didn't fare much better in the later rounds, either.
Andrew Berry's track record in the draft left a lot to be desired. Not many Browns fans were too satisfied with his performance overall, even though he wasn't the only one to blame for bringing Watson to Cleveland.
Fast forward to today, and he's certainly flipped the script.
Maybe it was having first-round picks for a change, not having Paul DePodesta in the building, or a combination of both. But Berry has won back-to-back drafts, and the win over the Carolina Panthers just proved that.
Andrew Berry's last two draft classes are already taking over the Browns
The Browns erased another fourth-quarter deficit to beat the Panthers on Sunday, 21-18. Notably, every single yard gained by someone other than Deshaun Watson, both rushing and receiving, came from a player in either his first or second year in the league.
Quinshon Judkins ran for 70 rushing yards and added nine receiving yards. Raheim Sanders had 51 yards from scrimmage (17 rushing), KC Concepcion had two receptions for nine yards, and Denzel Boston added two receptions for 41 yards. Tight end Harold Fannin Jr. led the way with seven catches for 51 yards and two scores.
That's not even counting Isaiah Bond, who hasn't been much of a factor this season, Carsen Ryan, who's played sparingly and mostly as a blocker, the injured Dylan Sampson, or rookie Joe Royer, who's still away from the team while attending to an undisclosed personal matter.
To make things even more impressive, the Browns found two starting offensive linemen in this year's draft. Austin Barber and Spencer Fano look like the real deal, and there's still a chance that Parker Brailsford could play at some point.
Add reigning Defensive Rookie of the Year Carson Schwesinger, a clear breakout candidate in Mason Graham, and a raw but exciting prospect in Emmanuel McNeil-Warren to the mix, and this team should be more than set for the future. Even their kicker, Andre Szmyt, is in his second season.
Berry is now facing a couple of challenges. First, he must still find the team's quarterback of the future, even with Watson showing signs of life. He'll then have to add veteran talent to round out the roster, making the most of a core bolstered by cheap rookie-scale contracts.
Berry caught plenty of backlash early in his Browns tenure, and it may have been fair to a degree. But regardless of what happened in the past, he's taken big steps toward redemption with his last two drafts.
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