Browns GM Andrew Berry Talks About Adding Size in Draft, Linebacker Room
Cleveland Browns entered the 2023 NFL Draft with a theme with some of their selections, that theme was size. Following the draft, GM Andrew Berry talked about some of the size they drafted, as well as the linebacker room a bit.
“All four players that we liked at their respective slots and I would also say that even though drafted some bigger bodies, it’s not just like they’re big guys that can’t move,” Berry said. “That’s something that we will always prioritize because I do think the NFL is becoming more and more of a space game. If you have big athletic players at any position group you’ll take them.”
Cleveland drafted Siaki Ika on day two, a large defensive tackle out of Baylor. Ika is listed at 335 pounds, at least that is what he wants to play at to allow him to be as mobile as he can be. When Ika was drafted, defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz said he wants Ika to play like a Ferrari.
“It means that he no longer has the two gap,” Berry explained. “He just has to get up the field and disrupt, get off the ball, get off the ball, get off the ball, as opposed to just build a stone wall and hold up the offensive line.”
On the other side of the ball, Cleveland drafted as big of an offensive tackle as you will find. Jones projects to play on the right side but there is no sure word on it at this point. It’s where he played for the Buckeyes.
“He actually reminded me when we were in Philadelphia, like Jordan Mailata, because it really is like a modern-day Goliath,” Berry said of the large Jones. “You just don’t see humans that are that big. But there aren’t very many people on earth that are his size. Even in the NFL, he’s a giant among giants.”
Jones is 6-foot-8 feet tall, listed at 374 pounds with a nearly 88-inch wingspan. His selling card is in the running game and it’s one of the reasons he will fit the Browns well.
In high school, Jones was quite a basketball player, he even thought about going to Kent State University to play basketball. It turns out that playing football was the right choice.
“Yeah, I think a lot of tackles in the NFL, tight ends or maybe former failed basketball players–you can definitely see that in Dawand’s movement, particularly his feet. That’s something that we definitely saw as transferable for him as an athlete.”
Speaking of size drafted, even the Browns first pick of the draft in the third-round brings it. Wideout Cedric Tillman is a long 6-foot-3 and listed at 213 pounds.
Many believed that the Browns would select a linebacker in the draft. Like last year’s draft, the Browns did not draft a linebacker. The linebackers on the roster include Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Anthony Walker Jr., Sione Takitaki, Jacob Phillips, Jordan Kunaszyk, and Tony Fields II.
Those six have a good chance of making the roster of being room as a whole but there are still some interesting names on the free agency market. Former Browns player Deion Jones is out there, as well as Myles Jack and Cory Littleton.
“I think we really look at guys that we think have talent. Certainly, positions we prioritize and if it’s a right pick for where we are picking,” Berry said about linebacker. “We’re confident in the group that we’re bringing back. We’re confident in the guys that are going through their rehab process. Like I said in the opener, we’ll look to add at in every spot.”
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