4 Browns we can safely call busts after the 2023 season

1. Siaki Ika, Defensive Tackle

After being bullied on the ground throughout the 2022 campaign, the Browns got serious about bulking up their defensive line. They signed Dalvin Tomlinson, Maurice Hurst, and Shelby Harris in free agency and used a third-round pick on Baylor's Siaki Ika.

Known for his massive size, Ika was seen as a potential run-stuffer in the middle of the line — but there were some concerns. Or at least there should have been. Despite losing around 20 pounds to help with testing, Ika scored near the bottom of just about every athletic drill for defensive tackles.

Cleveland still believed he could develop into a solid 1-tech but he hardly saw the field as a rookie. Ika, who was a healthy scratch for the first 13 games, appeared in the final four contests for the Browns and managed 100 snaps on defense. In those snaps, he struggled to get leverage or generate pressure and was a non-factor, finishing without a single tackle.

Sure, there's still time for Ika to develop — and perhaps he will. But over the past few seasons, the players who were selected in the third round and beyond that did develop for Cleveland at least showed their potential as a rookie.

That was the case for Donovan Peoples-Jones in 2020 when he had 21.7 yards per catch and a game-winning touchdown. Martin Emerson was on fire from the moment he stepped on the field and even Cedric Tillman and David Bell topped 200 yards receiving as rookies. Others who didn't last include Tommy Togiai and Anthonrookiesy Schwartz who were unable to make an impact as rookies and never took that step forward. Maybe Ika is the exception but his performance in 2023 is far from encouraging.

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