The 2024 NFL Draft is behind us and the Cleveland Browns had a succesful weekend. They added to positions of need and found several players who could develop into starters down the road.
Most of their picks were met with positive feedback, although their final one was a head-scratcher. Still, they didn't reach and they stayed true to their board which is the best way to build talent. Now, let's take a look at what their 53-man roster could look like once the regular season begins.
Before we dive in, let's see who was added via the draft.
List of Browns Draft Picks
Round 2, Pick 54: Michael Hall, Jr., DT, Ohio State
Round 3, Pick 85: Zak Zinter, OG, Michigan
Round 5, Pick No. 156: Jamari Thrash, WR, Louisville
Round 6, Pick 206: Nathaniel Watson, LB, Mississippi State
Round 7, Pick 227: Myles Harden, CB, South Dakota
Round 7, Pick 243: Jowon Briggs, DT, Cincinnati
UDFAs the Browns have added
Cleveland also added a few undrafted free agents. There could always be more names added to the mix but for now, here are the confirmed additions:
Aidan Robinson, RB
Ahmarean Brown, WR, South Carolina
Treyton Welch, TE, Wyoming
Javion Choen, OL, Miami
Jalen Sundell, OL, North Dakota State
Lorenzo Thompson, OL, Rhode Island
Winston Reid, LB
Chris Edmonds, CB
Dyshan Gales, DB, San Diego State
Cleveland did have some good fortune with undrafted free agents in 2023, including Ronnie Hickman who had some great moments as a rookie. It won't be nearly as easy for them to make the roster this season, however, since the depth is so much better.
That's a good problem to have but as we can see when predicting the final roster, it also means there are some tough decisions to be made in the coming months.
Quarterback (3)
Deshaun Watson
Jameis Winston
Dorian Thompson-Robinson
Tyler Huntley is the odd man out on this list but that's not unexpected. He always seemed to be nothing more than a camp arm.
Running Back (3)
D'Onta Foreman
Jerome Ford
Nyheim Hines
(Nick Chubb PUP)
Cleveland will likely have Nick Chubb on the PUP to start the season. If not, they will go thin elsewhere. It won't make sense to cut Jerome Ford with Chubb and Nyheim Hines both coming off injuries. Again, that would he a great problem to have.
Wide Receiver (5)
Amari Cooper
Jerry Jeudy
Elijah Moore
Cedric Tillman
Jamari Thrash
Jamari Thrash is the real deal. He might be a Day 3 pick but his upside is evident and he pushes David Bell out of a spot in this prediction.
Tight End (3)
David Njoku
Jordan Akins
Giovanni Ricci
David Njoku is so good that they can go thin at wide receiver — although they'll surely add WRs to their practice squad for emergencies. The same will be true of TE as they go thin with Giovanni Ricci also being able to play fullback in short-yardage situations.
Offensive Line (10)
Jedrick Wills, LT
Joel Bitonio, LG
Ethan Pocic, C
Wyatt Teller, RG
Jack Conklin, RT
Dawand Jones, RT2
Hakeem Adeniji, LT2
Zak Zinter, G
Luke Wypler, G/C
Jalen Sundell, OL
It was tough even trimming this to 10 as we say goodbye to James Hudson and Michael Dunn. The Browns won't go thin though since so many of their offensive linemen dealt with injuries all year in 2023.
Dunn is the toughest cut since he's done well whenever called upon but Zac Zinter takes over as the swing guard and Luke Wypler can play guard and center. They need two solid backup tackles given the missed games for Jack Conklin, Jed Wills, and Dawand Jones in 2023. Jalen Sundell is the final player kept and the only UDFA to make it on offense. His upside is too great to risk on the waiver wire and he can play all five positions.
Defensive Line (10)
Myles Garrett, DE
Dalvin Tomlinson, DT
Shelby Harris, DT
Za'Darius Smith, DE
Ogbo Okoronkwo, DE
Alex Wright, DE
Isaiah McGuire, DE
Maurice Hurst, DT
Quinton Jefferson, DT
Mihcael Hall, Jr., DT
Suddenly, this might be the toughest room to figure out. The starting four is set and several backups can't be touched — Maurice Hurst, Ogbo Okoronkwo, Alex Wright, and Michael Hall, Jr.. Then there's Isaiah McGuire who flashed as a rookie. He makes the cut and that's nine.
This leaves them with a tough decision — Quinton Jefferson or Siaki Ika. Unless Ika made a huge leap in the offseason, he could be the odd man out after just one season. That's what happens in this projection as the third-round pick failed to impress when given a shot as a rookie.
Linebacker (5)
Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah
Jordan Hicks
Devin Bush
Tony Fields II
Nathaniel Watson
This is a tough spot. The Browns already made one difficult cut to get the DL down to 10. To do so, Mohamoud Diabate is let go. He's edged out by Nathaniel Watson but an injury to anyone else would bring him back. And they would love to have him on the practice squad. It's just they go with two linebackers so frequently that they can get away with this.
Cornerback (6)
Denzel Ward
Martin Emerson
Greg Newsome II
Cameron Mitchell
Myles Harden
Tony Brown
Cleveland goes deep here with six cornerbacks — but that's kind of misleading. Tony Brown is a special teams ace, which is how he makes the team. Justin Hardee is as well but he's edged out thanks to the addition of Myles Harden.
Safety (5)
Juan Thornhill
Grant Delpit
Rodney McLeod
Ronnie Hickman
D'Anthony Bell
This group looks the same as last year. That's slightly surprising since it seemed as though Rodney McLeod could be one and done — but that's not the case.
Specialists (3)
Dustin Hopkins, K
Corey Bojorquez, P
Charley Hughlett, LS
Dustin Hopkins was a stud in 2023 but he ended the year on the IR — which was an issue in 2022 with the Chargers. That's why Cade York is back but his path to the team is the practice squad. Corey Bojorquez was wisely re-signed and Charley Hughlett is still going nowhere.