The Cleveland Browns saw the classic NFL axiom that claims building through the NFL Draft is the best way to add top young talent, and they threw that advice right in the garbage when they made the Deshaun Watson trade. As a result, Andrew Berry was unable to construct a winning team last season.
The 2024 NFL Draft featured just two picks in the Top 150, and neither of them became quality starters in their rookie seasons. Hopefully, Berry has learned from his mistakes now that Cleveland has three picks within the Top 70 in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Berry's 2024 class was viewed with some degree of skepticism in the moment, and the pre-draft skeptics appear to have been proven correct when they managed to stumble out of the starting block. They will need a major reversal of fortune to bring their grades back up in the next few months.
Re-grading the Cleveland Browns' poor 2024 NFL Draft class
Round 2, Pick 54: Michael Hall Jr., DT, Ohio State
Hall was an undersized defensive tackle regarded as a reach when he was picked, and he managed just 14 tackles and one sack in eight games. His domestic violence sentence has made him more of a headache than he is worth. Grade: C-
Round 3, Pick 85: Zak Zinter, OG, Michigan
Zinter only started three games, and he managed to look halfway decent in his limited action. The scary part about Cleveland's class is that the Michigan alum, a projected backup again, might be one of the best players in this class. Grade: C
Round 5, Pick 156: Jamari Thrash, WR, Louisville
Thrash caught just three passes last season, and he will likely be buried on the depth chart behind some of Cleveland's new additions in the Draft and free agency. Barring injury, Thrash faces an uphill battle to crack into the starting lineup. Grade: Incomplete
Round 6, Pick 206: Nathaniel Watson, LB, Mississippi State
Watson only played a handful of defensive snaps, but he emerged as a core special teamer. While by no means a flashy or game-changing pick, getting a special teams ace for multiple seasons late in the sixth round is a solid use of draft capital. Grade: B-
Round 7, Pick 227: Myles Harden, CB, South Dakota
Like Watson, Harden was primarily a special teams contributor as a rookie. While he didn't look out of place in that unit, it remains difficult to see how he contributes on defense. Grade: C+
Round 7, Pick 243: Jowon Briggs, DT, Cincinnati
Briggs came on late in the season, looking like a worthwhile rotational defensive lineman. He likely will never be an impact player, but he appears to be a professional tackle who provides competent run-stuffing. Grade: B-