There hasn't been much talk about the cornerback room for the Cleveland Browns this offseason, and that's a bit surprising given the slip it saw in production this past season. Sans Denzel Ward, who made the Pro Bowl, the team experienced a drop off at that position between MJ Emerson, Chigozie Anusiem, Cameron Mitchell, and other late season additions.
To be fair, the offense did the defense no favors in 2024. When you're atop the league in amount of snaps taken because of how few snaps your offense took, you're going to experience fatigue, injuries, and on paper take a significant step back because of how large the sample size is for your group.
In this draft, the Browns can find some potential gems at defensive back later in the process. It's unlikely the team spends a first or second rounder on a CB, but they have two third rounders that they could - and should - be using to hone in on a CB talent for Ward to work alongside.
This is logic that PFF analyst Mason Cameron seems to agree with in his latest article on best Day 3 picks for all 32 teams in the league.
PFF names Golden Bears CB as best fit for Browns late in draft
Cameron wrote in his latest piece listing Day 3 picks for all 32 NFL teams that Cal Golden Bears CB Nohl Williams should be a defender the Browns keep an eye on in Rounds 4 through 7. Cleveland, as a reminder, holds eight picks between those rounds.
"Williams is a strong press-man cornerback who can make a living at the NFL level with his physicality, which could make him a starter in the right system. In his final season at Cal, Williams generated a 73.6 PFF coverage grade in Cover-1 looks, making him a clean fit in a Cleveland defense that ran Cover 1 at the second-highest rate (33.7%) in the NFL last season," wrote Cameron.
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Williams is a very athletic corner with quick hands and seems to have some great timing on passes, collecting eight passes defended and seven total interceptions in 2024. He's also been a special teamer, having returned two kickoffs for touchdowns for Cal. He'd make a great utility get for Cleveland as they struggled with special teams in 2024 at times.
It remains to be seen if the Browns are planning to make any moves with their current plethora of picks. Maybe they'll accumulate more first or second rounders to snag a more highly rated CB to help Ward out in the secondary, but more likely is that Cleveland will wait until Day 3 to land some help on defense while they focus on re-building their offense.