2024 NFL Draft Grades: Cleveland Browns

Day 1 grade: D
Day 2 grade: A-
Day 3 grade: A-

Analysis: The Browns' 2022 trade for Deshaun Watson is still very much a work in progress; the QB's performance thus far has not provided the team with much of a return on the raft of picks shipped to Houston, including first- and fourth-round picks this year. Hall and Zinter stay in Big Ten Country, with the former Buckeye looking to wreak havoc on the defensive line and Zinter likely to bounce back from injury to be a long-term starter.

Cleveland did not have many Day 3 picks because of past trades, including one this offseason for receiver Jerry Jeudy. Thrash could work himself into the role of a fourth or fifth receiver because of his speed. Nathaniel Watson's ferocious nature meets a need in the middle of the team's defense late in the draft, and Harden was one of the steals of the seventh round because of his fierceness and athleticism.

Top needs entering the draft: Running back, wide receiver, defensive tackle

I'm usually a believer in taking the best prospect available -- within reason -- at most times. Don't reach for a need. But when a team doesn't have a first-round pick, it becomes necessary to make sure it gets a guy who can plug a hole at a priority position. I say all of this because there were several really good running backs and receivers available when the Browns drafted defensive tackle Michael Hall Jr. (54). Looking at this roster, I would have gone a different direction.

Hall's tape at Ohio State was maddening at times because he didn't consistently produce. He went a little high based on my rankings. I did like the selection of guard Zak Zinter (85), who will add some youth to Cleveland's O-line. The Browns finally addressed the wide receiver position in Round 5 with Jamari Thrash (156), who had some issues with concentration drops but was productive in his lone season at Louisville. Nathaniel "Bookie" Watson (206) is a long-armed linebacker with the tenacity to make a team because of his special teams ability.

Cleveland didn't take a running back, so maybe Nick Chubb will be back healthy to start the season and things will be OK. I would have added some insurance, though, based on the depth of the class.

I LOVED THE BROWNS' SECOND-ROUND SELECTION OF DEFENSIVE TACKLE MICHAEL HALL JR., who brings a quick first step and a speed-to-power bullrush to the team's defensive front. He could end up looking like one of the better value picks from Day 2. The team also got a potential future starter in guard Zak Zinter, and receiver Jamari Thrash should provide depth in the receiver corps. Ultimately, though, the Browns didn't have much draft capital to work with this year (having sent their first-rounder to the Texans in the Deshaun Watson trade), so it was always going to be tough to come out of this process with a high grade.

View the deal however you choose, but they've finally paid off their Watson debt ... though its aftermath continues to loom over the franchise from football, financial and fan-relation vantage points. The top picks they made — second-round DT Michael Hall Jr. (Ohio State) and third-round G Zak Zinter (Michigan) — don't seem ready to contribute meaningfully in 2024, Zinter recovering from a major leg injury and parked behind established Pro Bowl guards (Joel Bitonio, Wyatt Teller) anyway.

On the downside, the Browns had no first-round pick and just two selections in the top 100, so it was going to be hard to improve the roster. On the bright side, they have a quality roster and are getting starting quarterback Deshaun Watson back from injury, so they don't need a ton. I think Michael Hall and Zak Zinter are good players who bolster the offensive and defensive lines, but that doesn't move the needle much for 2024. This is a vet-heavy team that won't lean much on rookies, from the looks of it. —Helman

Best Pick: Fifth-round receiver Jamari Thrash is a good route runner who is a physical to give them a young weapon to add to their group. He will make the team.

Worst Pick: I didn't love guard Zak Zinter, their third-round pick. He is also coming off a broken leg suffered last season. But the Browns do seem to know a thing or two about developing guards.

The Skinny: They didn't have a first-round pick -- sent to the Texans for Deshaun Watson -- so they had to wait until until the 22nd pick of the second round to make a pick. That pick was Michael Hall Jr., a defensive tackle from Ohio State. He's a good player. The rest of the draft was just OK.

Analysis: The Browns had limited volume with no first- or fourth-rounder, and for a team trying to compete better in the tough AFC North with Deshaun Watson, this is below average in both quantity and quality. Andrew Berry will need to hope enough was done in free agency for a playoff return with a front-line defense. Harden was their best overall pick late for corner depth.

Analysis: Once again without a first-round pick due to the Deshaun Watson trade, the Browns made the most of their earliest picks with a talented, local product in Hall before nabbing Zinter. Cleveland will finally have its first-rounder back in 2025, giving the Browns a full draft class for the first time in years.

There's nothing Browns general manager Andrew Berry can do about the Deshaun Watson disaster; all he can do is to build around that debacle as best he can, and he's done that estimably. Defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz should have fun with Michael Hall Jr, an undersized disruptor who played a ton of nose tackle for the Buckeyes last season. My sense is that Hall could be a revelation as a full-time three-tech. Zak Zinter is a textbook power guard who should fit in nicely with some developmental work.

While I think Jamari Thrash as a second or third receiver, I'm not sure the Browns got any true alpha difference-makers in this class. It's less of a concern when you're as loaded outside of the quarterback position at the Browns are, but were Berry and his staff playing with their food here a bit?