Cleveland Browns way too early 53-man prediction following 2023 NFL Draft

Defensive Line (10):

Myles Garrett
Jordan Elliott
Dalvin Tomlinson
Ogbo Okoronkwo
Alex Wright
Isaiah McGuire
Isaiah Thomas
Siaki Ika
Trysten Hill
Maurice Hurst

There's been a real effort this offseason to fix the defensive line. Joe Woods was Cleveland's former defensive coordinator and he wanted more athletic defensive tackles that could get after the quarterback. This led to several frustrating seasons of porous run defense.

Dalvin Tomlinson was added as a way to end this problem and Siaki Ika then joined him as a third-round pick. Ika might not be a versatile weapon but new defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz believes he can make a huge impact against the run.

In this projection, he's not listed as a starter but could beat out Jordan Elliott eventually — who was underwhelming in 2022 — especially on early downs. The remaining defensive tackles are Trysten Hill and Maurice Hurst, who beat out Tommy Togiai.

As for the edge, Myles Garrett and Ogbo Okoronkwo are the starters with a young but talented trio behind them in Alex Wright, Isaiah Thomas, and rookie Isaiah McGuire.

Garrett has been — and will continue to be — one of the absolute best in the game. Okoronkwo is an ascending pass rusher and while he might not be stout against the run, Cleveland has done well with the addition of McGuire and Wright who offer much more size on the edge.

The defensive end rotation is pretty impressive and it should lead to Garrett finally getting some help in the pass rush department. And if Tomlinson and company can improve the run defense, there should be a massive improvement this year for Cleveland's defense.