The Browns drafted Baker Mayfield, a Heisman Trophy and the 2018 Offensive Rookie of the Year. But does that make him an NFL QB and worth his first round selection? The answer is not as clear-cut as you might think.
The “browns’ 2019 nfl draft” is the upcoming NFL Draft that will take place in April. The Browns have had a rough past few years and are hoping to turn around their 2018 NFL Draft class.
When the 2018 NFL Draft finished, the Cleveland Browns had high expectations. Baker Mayfield, the current Heisman Trophy winner, would join the Browns as the franchise quarterback they had been looking for for decades. Denzel Ward, the fourth overall selection, had a chance to establish himself as a cornerback starter.
Cleveland also selected Nevada offensive lineman Austin Corbett, Georgia running back Nick Chubb, and former Florida receiver Antonio Callaway, all of whom are expected to help Mayfield reach his full potential and overcome a long playoff drought… right?
To some extent, yes.
Before last season’s injuries, the Browns’ core of Chubb, Mayfield, and Ward helped the team reach the AFC Divisional Round in 2020. Deshaun Watson has taken over as quarterback, and Baker Mayfield, who requested a trade, is likely on his way out. Only Chubb and Ward are likely to be on the Browns’ 2022 roster out of the nine players they drafted in 2018.
After five years, it’s a good idea to re-evaluate your draft classes. Given the conditions and the limited number of players left, it seems like a good moment to evaluate the Browns’ 2018 draft class.
Players were evaluated based on their performance with the Browns on this list. On-field performance, off-field troubles, where the player was selected, and how long they stayed with the team were all taken into account. Teams were not necessarily punished for choosing Player A over Player B since we believe so much of a player’s performance is based on the system and structure surrounding them. The Browns’ reason for picking Mayfield, for example, was unaffected by the early success of Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson, both of whom were selected later in the first round.
The Browns’ re-graded 2018 NFL Draft class looks like this based on the aforementioned prerequisites:
Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma quarterback, was selected first overall in the first round.
The good news is that Mayfield is the Browns’ finest quarterback in recent memory, and it isn’t even close. Anyone who wants to make a case for Tim Couch or Derek Anderson may do it now.
Are there no takers?
Mayfield completed 61.6 percent of his throws for 14,125 yards, 92 touchdowns, and 56 interceptions in 60 career games with the Browns, assuming his time in Cleveland is done. He leads all Browns quarterbacks in passing yards, touchdowns, and playoff wins — or, in his case, postseason triumph — at least since the organization started play in 1999.
The Browns, on the other hand, picked Mayfield to be their long-term quarterback, and there were such doubts about his future that they traded three first-round selections for Watson. Even still, a B- seems fair here, considering how bad the Browns were before Mayfield arrived and how good he played at times.
Grade: B- in 2022
Denzel Ward, CB, Ohio State, 1st round, No. 4 overall
We don’t having any issues here. Ward has developed into a top cornerback, particularly in man coverage, with 10 career interceptions and two Pro Bowl selections. At 25 years old, the Ohio State product will play the whole 2022 season and is likely to sign a contract extension ahead of his fifth NFL season.
The Browns’ defense should be in terrific condition heading forward thanks to Ward and All-Pro pass rusher Myles Garrett.
Grade: A in 2022
Austin Corbett, G/C, Nevada, Round 2, No. 33 overall
Austin Corbett, an offensive lineman with the Cleveland Browns, was moved in 2019 | Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images
Yes, you read it correctly. Corbett, an All-Mountain West Conference performer, was selected with a second-round selection by the Browns before being traded to the Los Angeles Rams for a 2021 fifth-round pick halfway through his second season. During his two years with the Browns, Corbett was mostly employed at guard and center.
It’s terrible enough to waste a first-round choice on a guy who gets moved less than two years into his rookie contract. However, the Browns chose Georgia safety Richard LeCounte, a previous All-SEC performer at Georgia, with the 2021 selection, and it’s still too early to tell what he’ll do in the NFL. Given the conditions, I believe a D is appropriate.
Grade: D in 2022
Nick Chubb, RB, Georgia, second round, 35th overall
The Browns accomplished everything correctly in this game. Not only did the team wait until the second round to acquire a running back, but they did so with Chubb, who will begin the 2022 season as one of the league’s best. In his first four seasons, the Georgia product ran for 4,816 yards and 36 touchdowns on 5.3 yards per carry, playing a key part in the Browns’ return to relevance.
At 26 years old, Chubb will play the majority of the 2022 season and is under contract through the end of 2024. It’d be hard to award the Browns anything less than an A, but we’ll be kind and go the additional mile.
Grade: A in 2022+
Chad Thomas, DE, Miami, 3rd round, No. 67 overall
Thomas erupted for four sacks, six tackles for a loss, and a fumble recovery in 16 games and eight starts in 2019, after seeing minimal action as a rookie. Had the Browns unearthed another another potent pass rusher?
Nope.
Thomas was unexpectedly released by Cleveland in September 2020, and he never signed with another club. In 2019, his strong performance at spurts is enough to save him and the Browns from getting an F, but only by a little margin.
Grade: D in 2022
Antonio Callaway, WR, Florida, 4th round, No. 105 overall
After legal difficulties throughout his collegiate career, Callaway joined the NFL with a slew of red flags, and his skeptics were right to be wary. In 2019, the league punished him twice for breaching the substance-abuse rules, and Cleveland dismissed him for being late to team meetings and practices over a four-month period.
The Browns would have gotten a D if it hadn’t been for the pre-existing red flags. However, we cannot overlook Cleveland’s choice to take a chance on a guy who lacked the maturity required to succeed in the NFL.
Callaway had a strong debut season as a 21-year-old rookie, catching 43 passes for 586 yards and five scores in 16 games and 11 starts. Since the autumn of 2019, he’s bounced around professional football, most recently playing with the Kansas City Chiefs during the 2021 preseason. Despite the fact that he is just 25, the dynamic wideout’s football career may be finished.
Grade: F in 2022
Genard Avery, LB, Memphis, 5th round, 150th overall
The Eagles traded for Genard Avery this afternoon, a player with explosive traits who can explode upfield and turn the corner. He’s got legit juice off the edge and joins a team where he can just fly upfield and wreak havoc as a subpackage rusher. #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/4vHRG23krc
— Fran Duffy (@EaglesXOs) October 28, 2019
The Browns moved Avery, like Corbett, in the middle of the 2019 season, and he’s since developed into a valuable special teams player for the Philadelphia Eagles. Last season, the Memphis product started 12 games as a linebacker. Despite his 40 tackles and 4.5 sacks as a rookie, the Browns released him a year later in exchange for a 2021 fourth-round selection.
Cleveland selected Cincinnati offensive lineman James Hudson with the 110th overall selection, who appeared in 12 games and started four as a rookie. For the time being, we’ll give Hudson a C-, if only because he has a future on the Browns’ offensive line.
Grade: C- in 2022
Round 6, No. 175 overall: Damion Ratley, WR, Texas A&M
Ratley was waived by the Browns before the 2020 season, although he did provide them with 25 receptions, 344 yards, and a score in 26 games and six starts over his two years with the organization. It’s not fantastic, but it’ll do for a sixth-round choice who also plays special teams.
Grade: C in 2022
Simeon Thomas, CB, Louisiana-Lafayette, 6th round, No. 188 overall
Simeon Thomas was picked by the Cleveland Browns in 2018. | Nick Cammett/Diamond Images/Getty Images
Given where Thomas was picked, a F would seem harsh, but he didn’t even make it through final cuts. This was a squandered selection, one that might have been better spent on a player worthy of being kept on the 53-man roster for the whole season.
This would almost certainly be a D if the Browns had taken Thomas with the 248th overall selection. However, at No. 188 and with the team’s last pick? That’s not good enough.
Grade: F in 2022
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The “2020 nfl draft browns” is a re-grading of the Cleveland Browns’ 2018 NFL Draft class. In this article, I will go over what I think went wrong with their draft picks, and why they should have taken someone else instead.
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