Browns 2024 Draft Recap: Vibes Edition
Let me go off first sentence and tell you I am not the draft guru others are. I’m a college football agnostic, meaning I’m aware it exists, I watch when I can, but the pro game has always taken the preferred option for me. In a house with a wife, two just-out-of-toddler girls, and a golden retriever, my “sports TV” time is limited, so Sunday becomes the only day that isn’t overloaded with Bluey, Frozen’s 1 and 2, or Gabby’s Dollhouse. ((Okay, I definitely watch Bluey even without them, but I can’t admit that.))
So this is the vibes edition of the Browns 2024 draft. If you are looking for hard-hitting tape analysis, please go check out WFNY-alum Jake Burns at The OBR. He’s great and they stole him from us, and if they hurt a hair on his head, I will burn Utica to the ground. ((Please understand the reference.))
The first pick in this year’s 2024 draft for the Cleveland Browns was Michael Hall, defensive tackle from THE Ohio State University. I love the idea of taking Buckeyes, and Hall is a Cleveland native, so the vibes are off the charts, because he also fits what the team needs and how they play. Defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz wants his D-line to attack, and nobody is as quick off the ball at DT than Hall. The front office made amends last year in addressing the position in free agency and doubles down here in finding someone who could start and produce by Week 1 even. Returners Shelby Harris and Mo Hurst are older and/or coming off injury, so locking up Hall at 54 overall was a great start. Vibe grade: 9.6, the fit, the college, keeping a local boy here…all good. Only issue is some have reported maybe a reach.
Zak Zinter was the 21st pick in the 3rd round, a offensive guard from Michigan. We love alliteration as well as different spellings of names here at WFNY, so ZZ and Zak help the vibes, and offset any bad blood from a Michigan man coming down from up north. Joel Bitonio and Wyatt Teller are both on the downslope of their careers with Bitonio being the most likely to retire soon, so getting some beef up front and adding to an aging group is helpful since Nick Harris left in free agency. Would have preferred maybe a MarShawn Lloyd pick here, as someone who was reported to be of interest to Cleveland, but you get what you can. Vibe grade: 6.5, makes me sad to think Bitonio might not be here soon, but happy to have a road grader getting prepped.
The Browns didn’t have a 4th round pick and waited until the 5th round to take Jamari Thrash from Louisville. Thrash is a little undersized for a wide receiver, 6’0”, 188lbs, but he is quick and is a reported good route runner, which fits what Cleveland has been targeting. Cleveland makes a habit of selecting at least one WR a year, and seeing who sticks. I don’t know where he fits or how many looks he’s going to get with the team adding Jerry Jeudy in the offseason, so it’s a little bit of a wash. Vibe grade: 3.4, if he was a bigger receiver, I could get more into it. Gives me Elijah Moore vibes and I’m still washing the ick off me from 2023.
Linebacker lost a few dudes in Sione Takitaki and Anthony Walker that hurt, and while they added a few starters in Devin Bush and Jordan Hicks, that doesn’t help with needs on special teams. Nathaniel Watson, linebacker from Mississippi State, should help. He led the SEC in tackles and tied for sacks in 2023, and we all know about the talent in the SEC. If he’s able to get on the field and be a berserker in a JOK mold, they might have found something late. But, as with the rest of the picks I’ll mention, there’s a reason they are being drafted in the 5th round or later. Vibe grade: 7.6, with the new kickoff rules, special teams production will be at a premium. Watson would help cover any spots on kickoffs and could be a guy that sees run if there are injuries and/or surprises at camp.
I’m gonna group the last two in together, as they are obvious depth pieces. Myles Harden was the 6th-round pick, a cornerback from South Dakota and Jowon Briggs was the team’s 7th-round pick, a defensive tackle from Cincinnati. If either of these players find the field in 2024, something is wrong or they popped off in a way that is opposite to normal. Vibe grade: 5.3, Briggs is an Ohio guy and Harden’s draft book says he’s a good tackler, which they need playing man. But again…they shouldn’t see the field for a year or two.
