BEREA (AP) — The Browns got bigger in the NFL draft. Whether they got better remains to be seen.
Cleveland’s first four picks were all big bodies. None larger that Ohio State offensive tackle Dawand Jones, a 6’8″, 375-pounder who had college scholarship offers in basketball before he focused on flattening football players.
The Browns view Jones as something of a project but are excited about having him work with line coach Bill Callahan.
They also like 350-pound defensive tackle Siaki Ika, who began his college career at LSU before transferring to Baylor.
Ika should help a Browns defense that struggled against the run last season.
They followed Jones’ selection by taking Missouri edge rusher Isaiah McGuire, a 6’4″, 275-pounder who led the Tigers in sacks the past two seasons against tough SEC competition.
There was a common thread linking Cleveland’s seven selections — plenty of past and present connections.
Northwestern cornerback Cam Mitchell, one of the team’s two fifth-round picks, has been friends with Browns cornerback Greg Newsome since he was a kid. They were teammates in college and will be reunited in Cleveland.
Before going to UCLA, quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson, taken by the Browns in the fifth round, was high school teammates with Cedric Tillman, the rangy Tennessee wide receiver taken in the third round.
The Browns closed out the draft with an OSU link by selecting center Luke Wypler, who played with Jones and anchored the Buckeyes’ strong line.