The Browns' 2020 trade for quarterback Deshaun Watson is officially in the books . All the picks have been accounted for and were used in the 2024 NFL Draft, and now Cleveland can finally go back to a normal situation next spring.
But for this draft, the Browns took six players , starting in the second round with defensive tackle Michael Hall Jr. Cleveland mostly went defense this year, with four of the six picks on the one side of the ball and one two picks on offense.
The Browns want to get back to the playoffs in 2024 after a wild ride in 2023. This draft class won't necessarily get them back over the hump, but the team added depth pieces across the roster who will hopefully fill holes as needed if more injuries pop up this season.
Browns' 2024 NFL Draft class: Ohio State DT Michael Hall Jr. , Michigan OG Zak Zinter, Louisville WR Jamari Thrash, Mississippi State LB Nathaniel Watson, South Dakota DB Myles Harden, Cincinnati DT Jowon Briggs
With the 2024 draft over, here's what NFL experts had to say about the Browns' class, which received mostly negative awards:
2024 NFL DRAFT: Full list of picks | Winners & losers
Expert grades for Browns' draft class
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.
The Browns didn’t make their first pick until nearly the end of the second round, taking ultra-athletic defensive tackle Michael Hall Jr. from Ohio State. They added offensive line depth, picked a wide receiver and found some dart throws on defense in the sixth and seventh rounds. You can’t be too mad given the amount of capital they held walking into the draft.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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