Browns Select Cedric Tillman, Siaki Ika on Day 2: Initial Reactions

The Cleveland Browns started their participation in this year's NFL Draft in round 3, selecting wide receiver Cedric Tillman and defensive tackle Siaki Ika. One of those picks looks much better than the other.

With their two selections in the third round, the Cleveland Browns went in unexpected directions even if they addressed positions that made sense. The Browns selected another weapon in wide Cedric Tillman and added a hulking nose in Siaki Ika, producing mixed reactions.

The Tillman pick makes sense on a number of levels even if the signals the Browns seemed to be sending suggested they were inclined to go smaller and faster. They brought in any number of receivers for visits including Jaylin Hyatt, Tillman's Tennessee teammate and Cincinnati's Tyler Scott. Hyatt went with pick 73 right before the Browns with the New York Giants trading up to get him while the Norton High School product is still available.

The Browns had already acquired Elijah Moore in a trade with the New York Jets and signed free agent Marquise Goodwin. Along with Anthony Schwartz and a few other options with speed, maybe the Browns felt good enough about their situation on that front.

In Tillman, the Browns get a receiver with the potential to be a true X, one of a choice few in this class. His final season with the Volunteers was marred by a high ankle sprain suffered against the Akron Zips. It was bad enough he had surgery to repair it, missing four games and it hampered him the rest of the season. He still played reasonably well, but it was nowhere near the level of 2021. Along with the emergence of Hyatt, Tillman faded into the background this season.

In 2021, Tillman was the best receiver on the Vols, had an excellent season including 64 receptions for 1,081 yards and 12 touchdowns, but it was masked partly because of Tennessee's mediocre 7-6 record.

Not only was Tillman productive, but he came up big against the best competition the Vols faced. Tillman recorded 7 receptions for 152 yards and a touchdown against Alabama, 10 receptions for 200 yards and a touchdown against Georgia and capped off the season with a 7 reception, 150 yard, three touchdown performance against Purdue in the team's bowl game, a game that the Vols lost 48-45.

The quarterback rating when targeting Tillman for that season was 155.8. 158.3 is perfect.

Tillman has vertical ability, excellent strength and top of the line ball skills, excelling at the catch point. He thrived in traffic and was able to create yards after the catch. He also is a competitive blocker.

For the Browns, Tillman likely trains to be the X receiver behind Amari Cooper. Cooper has two years left with the Browns based on how his contract plays out. So by year three, the hope is that Tillman can be ready to take over that role.

Meanwhile, the Browns still have Donovan Peoples-Jones, who could receive a contract extension this summer. They have both Elijah Moore and David Bell who are on their rookie deals, giving themselves plenty of options going forward.

The Browns have a type when it comes to pass catchers. They like power receivers who can win with size and strength, but are athletic enough to create separation and generate yards after the catch. Along with Cooper, DPJ and Bell, Tillman is the fourth receiver who weighs more than 210 pounds. They all have good hands and can handle the weather of the AFC North.

There aren't many teams who have the number of corners who can match the Browns when it comes to size. That's before considering tight end David Njoku. All of them have the ability to block for running back Nick Chubb and physically wear on opponents over the course of a game.

The Cincinnati Bengals used the 60th pick on D.J. Turner, an exceptionally gifted athlete and outstanding man cover corner out of Michigan. He also tested in at the NFL Scouting Combine at 178 pounds, a full 35 pounds smaller than Tillman. That's a massive difference in terms of weight classes and the Browns have fully embraced that size mismatch in their offense.

With the intention of putting more receivers on the field to best complement Deshaun Watson, the Browns will have a power spread offense. Size across the board when they want it to bully opponents, who still have to find a way to stop Nick Chubb.

Siaki Ika is more of a challenge to understand. They got a massive body to plug into the middle of the defense. His tape has plenty of moments. Ika often looked so much bigger and stronger than his opponents.

There are no shortage of moments when he's able to overpower the opposing center and throw him back into the backfield. He shows pretty good quickness off the snap and is more nimble than one might expect for his size.

However, his athletic testing was horrendous and he didn't post much in terms of production. Going into the draft process, the hope was that he would test well to make up for some of his production issues, but his testing was even worse.

On one hand, you want to trust the tape, which is promising. On the other, the data is difficult to ignore. Advanced metrics that PFF tracks are more kind to Ika. His pass rush rate was good. He generated plenty of pressure.

And maybe the pick was a product of the fact big bodied nose tackles were flying off the board. The Detroit Lions had just traded up to select Brodric Martin from Western Kentucky. The Browns may have felt pressure to take Ika rather than risking missing out and not being able to get another big body.

However, the Browns could've played the board and taken a better player and then followed up taking another big body at a better value later or simply passed entirely, opting to sign someone like Al Woods after the draft. The team hosted Woods for a free agent visit.

On the data available, the Browns took a poor athlete with little upside to backup Dalvin Tomlinson. It's difficult to argue they couldn't do better with the pick. It's worth pointing out that Ika played much heavier than the 335 he tested. He was listed closer to 360 and if he had simply posted the same athletic numbers at that size, he'd look... slightly better?

Perhaps using tracking software, Ika's athleticism was better on the field than in testing. That would help.

More than anything, the opportunity cost is what could haunt the Browns with the Ika pick.

Heading into day three, there is plenty of talent available and the Browns won't have to wait long until they are on the clock again.

So who are the players that stand out as fits for the Browns?

Adetomiwa Adebawore, the defensive linemen from Northwestern tops the list. I would've happily taken him at 74. A 3-tech prospect with elite athleticism, long arms who shined against the Ohio State Buckeyes, he seems like an ideal fit for what Jim Schwartz wants to do with this defense.

The Browns made a huge push for Dre'Mont Jones in free agency, who has similar dimensions. Jones ended up getting a three-year $51.53 million from the Seattle Seahawks. If the Browns can get him at 111 or even trade up to get him, it would make me feel far better about the Ika pick.

Beyond potentially continuing to add to the defensive front, the Browns should look to take advantage of a talented running back class. Prince Abanikanda out of Pitt and DeWayne McBride from UAB could be good fits. 

They will probably want to grab an offensive lineman, be it a tackle or a guard to help with their depth and build for the future. Blake Freeland is an outstanding athlete that needs a ton of development as a tackle. Nick Saldiveri from Old Dominion and Braeden Daniels out of Utah might be good guard transitions, but the Browns have been difficult to predict when it comes to offensive line prospects.

The corner talent available is ridiculous. The Browns don't need corner help, but it would behoove them to take advantage of what's available, potentially getting someone who can contribute either on the outside or in the slot. Cory Trice of Purdue and Jakorian Bennett from Maryland stand out in this vein.