4 Browns players already turning heads at OTAs

As June approaches, the Cleveland Browns are nearing the end of their OTAs which kicked off on May 23. There's not a lot of access to these practices but they can be very valuable, especially for rookies and veterans who are new to the franchise.

And while those of us on the outside might not get a whole lot from them, we can see which players are turning heads. Here, we look at four members of the roster who seem to be doing exactly that.

4 Cleveland Browns players already turning heads

4. Cedric Tillman, WR

At pick No. 74, the Browns added Tennessee wideout Cedric Tillman and it was a bit of a surprise. Tillman wasn't on the radar for most who covered Cleveland since he was already 23 and they typically shy away from older rookies with their early picks.

However, he seems to already be making a name for himself. Tillman, who stands 6-foot-3 and 213 pounds apparently had the size Deshaun Watson told the front office he prefers for his wideouts. And so far, it seems Watson is happy with the selection since he's been targeting No. 89 a lot during practices in Berea.

Even with a strong string of practices, it's going to be hard for Tillman to see the field as a rookie — barring any injury that is.

Cleveland suddenly has some serious depth at the position with Amari Cooper, Elijah Moore, and Donovan Peoples-Jones locking down the top three spots. From there, they have Marquise Goodwin as well as second-year pro David Bell who apparently also has done well this offseason.

That hasn't stopped Tillman from making his case and it looks as though he's making a strong one thus far.

3. Jordan Kunaszyk, LB

A former undrafted free agent out of Cal, Jordan Kunaszyk joined the Browns in 2022 after spending one season with the Carolina Panthers and two with the Washington Commanders. Once in Cleveland, he wound up playing a much larger role than expected. Originally a special teams ace, Kunaszyk played in 15 games and had two starts (with 101 snaps on base defense) due to so many injuries at the linebacker position.

He finished with modest numbers, 22 tackles, a forced fumble, and a pass deflection. But he still showed off a hard-nose style of play and possesses a non-stop motor.

Heading into 2023, Kunaszyk again became an afterthought with Anthony Walker, Jeremiah Owusu-Koramaoh, Jacob Phillips, and Sione Takitaki all returning. But even with their corps back to full health, the veteran is making sure to stay on the radar.

Kunaszyk continues to play like his hair's on fire and has even earned the praise of defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, who was seen wearing a No. 51 jersey to give props to the young linebacker for his efforts in OTAs.

While the Browns do have several of their players back, the field is level right now. Outside of JOK, none of the Cleveland linebackers were taken very early in the draft and a couple of them are on one-year deals.

Not only does this mean there are no strong commitments but they're also all learning a new defense under Schwartz. Should Kunaszyk keep playing at a high level, this could be another great year for him.

2. Dorian Thompson-Robinson, QB

Throughout the offseason, the Browns made it clear they wanted to bring in a quarterback in the 2023 NFL Draft. They wound up doing exactly that as they took UCLA's Dorian Thompson-Robinson in the fifth round.

As it stands now, DTR is fighting with Kellen Moore for the QB3 spot behind Deshaun Watson and Josh Dobbs. Moore does have experience on his side since he was with the Browns for the entire 2022 campaign but Thompson-Robinson has been closing the gap.

According to Terry Pluto of Cleveland.com, his maturity and preparation have been on full display and the rookie has impressed the coaching staff with his early knowledge of the playbook.

"The Browns like how DTR has grasped the playbook and has a mature approach to preparation. The other three QBs were with the team last year: Kellen Mond, Joshua Dobbs and Watson. The Browns believe DTR spending five years with Bruins coach Chip Kelly, who previous coached in the NFL, helped DTR. DTR made 48 starts for UCLA. His maturity is obvious." — Pluto, Cleveland.com

Given his draft status as well as the early returns, DTR feels like a lock to make this roster. From there, it's fair to ask how much he can improve his standing this season. Will he enter as QB3 or is there a chance he does enough to become the primary backup?

1. Elijah Moore, WR

There's no player turning heads during camp quite as much as Elijah Moore and that's been the case since he first showed up.

Moore, who was the 34th pick in the 2021 NFL Draft out of Ole Miss, entered the NFL with a lot of excitement. He's undersized at 5-foot-9 and 184 pounds but was a big play waiting to happen. He even finished his last collegiate season with one of the most impressive final stretches ever — going for an average of 13 receptions and 200 yards in his final three games.

With the Jets, he started out strong with 538 yards and five touchdowns in 11 games as a rookie. But then in 2022, he was in the coach's dog house, and that led to his departure this offseason.

Still, at just 23 years of age, there's a lot to work with. And so far in practices, Moore is showing that — and he's said that he's ready to make the most of his fresh start.

He's already developed a rapport with Deshaun Watson and while it's just practices in shorts, he's displaying incredible speed and shiftiness.

Moore has a lot of the traits that this offesne was lacking in 2022. It's still early in 2023 but he's already turning heads and could be the missing piece for this receiving corps.