3 draft picks Browns got right and 2 they will regret

On the whole, the Cleveland Browns did very well during the 2023 NFL Draft, especially considering they were without a pick in Round 1 and Round 2. After waiting until No. 74 overall, they were able to still find seven players they felt good about.

In all, they did a solid job finding value and improved areas of concern — such as the defensive line. Even so, there could be a couple of picks they're not completely happy with when they look back on this class in a year or two.

Browns pick they got right: Dorian Thompson-Robinson, QB, UCLA

This was one of the picks that seemed to get fans a little riled up — both good and bad. There were those who couldn't believe Cleveland would draft a quarterback when they already had Deshaun Watson, Josh Dobbs, and Kellen Mond on the roster. But still, they used the 140th overall pick in this class on Dorian Thompson-Robinson from UCLA.

DTR had a great career in Pasadena, completing 63.3 percent of his attempts for 10,710 yards. He also boasted an 88-to-36 touchdown-to-interception ratio over his five seasons.

But it was his running that really stood out. Thompson-Robinson had 1,826 yards and 28 touchdowns with 12 of those scores coming in his senior campaign. For younger quarterbacks, the ability to take off and run can be huge and if the Browns ever did have to turn to him, defenses would need to respect his legs as much — if not more — than anything else.

In the end, the hope is that we only ever see him in the preseason — which could be a lot of fun — but if he develops to his full potential, he can be quite the reserve quarterback.

Browns pick they got right: Dawand Jones, OT, Ohio State

Every year, several players drop for different reasons. In 2023, Darnell Washington was one such prospect. The Georgia tight end was an athletic freak and he fell into the third round — where the hated Steelers nabbed him — due to poor medicals. Washington was said to have had a bad knee that scared some teams off.

There are other reasons teams shy away from players and for Dawand Jones, it was his size. Or at least partially.

Rumors came out after he was selected in Round 4 that he had put on a lot of weight following the Combine, which hurt his stock. Another report surfaced as well, which is a bit crazy. Apparently, Jones told some NFL teams his dream was to be an NBA star — and he is pretty good at basketball.

Jones has a better shot at making the NBA than most would due to his size and experience playing the game but he's clearly not going to jump ship and change career. He's a very good offensive lineman and will continue to play because that's where he's going to make his money.

And Cleveland is going to be very happy they landed him.

The Browns have a good offensive line but there have been injury concerns. Jedrick Willis has missed time, as has Jack Conklin. This has led to them leaning on James Hudson, but he could be pushed out of a job by Jones — as long as he can stay conditioned.

There's even a chance he can be the starter down the line, especially on the right side if Conklin's injury concerns catch up to him and they need to trim his salary.

Browns pick they got right: Isaiah McGuire, EDGE, Missouri

With their second pick in Round 4, the Browns went back to the defensive line but this time, it was for an EDGE. Their choice was Isaiah McGuire from Missouri, who had 14.5 sacks over the past two seasons.

In addition to being able to get after the quarterback while facing SEC talent, McGuire is considered a strong leader by his former collegiate teammates.

Noah Weiskopf of Browns Digest looked at how McGuire is viewed by teammates and while he's said to be quiet — prefers to let his actions make the noise — he was praised for his high motor and the way he fired up teammates.

"Obviously he has the intangibles, he has the size, the bend, the strength. He's a passionate player and his energy is contagious. When you see him all hyped up doing the celebrations and stuff, encouraging teammates, it is all contagious and rubs off on you."

Kristian Williams via Weiskopf

McGuire joins a very good group of defensive ends, led by All-Pro and Cleveland's all-time sack leader Myles Garrett. They recently signed Ogbo Okoronkwo to play across from Garrett and they have Alex Wright who was a third-round pick form UAB a season ago.

Jim Schwartz is known to rotate his defensive linemen and McGuire gives him one more capable player that is sure to win fans over quickly — just as he did with his collegiate teammates.

Browns pick they will regret: Cameron Mitchell, CB, Northwestern

To be honest, this was a pretty solid draft overall for Cleveland general manager Andrew Berry so it was hard to find two solid "regrettable" draft picks for this list. So why does Cameron Mitchell end up making the cut? Simply because there were players available that filled a bigger need at other positions when he was selected.

While it's true the draft needs to be concerned about overall value over need, especially in Round 5 and beyond, there were several players that could have given them similar — if not better — value while also addressing those needs.

Without a clear-cut third running back, they could have taken Israel Abanikanda from Pitt, Chase Brown from Illinois, or Oklahoma's Eric Gray. Safety is also a need and Florida State's Jammie Robinson was there, as was Texas A&M's Antonio Johnson. They might have even gone linebacker with Noah Sewell from Oregon on the board.

Of course, Mitchell could wind up moving to safety (as some have hinted) which would help this selection look better. But if not, he joins a cornerback corps that includes Denzel Ward, (former Northwestern teammate) Greg Newsome II, Martin Emerson, and A.J. Green. Without any of them leaving, it's going to be hard for Mitchell to see the field at corner.

Browns pick they will regret: Siaki Ika, DT, Baylor

Out of all the picks the Browns made over the weekend, none has been debated as much as their decision to take Siaki Ika at No. 98 overall. While it's true he plays a position of great need, there's a debate as to whether or not they reached for that position.

Ika, who came into the Combine at 335 pounds, played closer to 355 pounds during the season. He proved while at Baylor to be a run stuffer who was hard to move. But in the NFL, you need to be more than a body to have success, you have to show some athleticism as well.

Throughout his career, Ika has been praised as a nose tackle with athletic traits but that wasn't the case at the Scouting Combine. In Indy, he finished near the bottom of every drill for defensive tackles and that was even after dropping the weight to be more nimble.

Once all was said and done, he had a 2.75 Relative Athletic Score, which comes in incredibly low. Like historically low.

Even with that being the case, there's a belief Ika will be a huge hit because Jim Schwartz likes him. He also said Ika is no longer a dump truck but will be a Ferrari.

Well, he needs to be a dump truck because that's what run-stuffing nose tackles do. And they could have gotten one much later to do that job.