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© 2024 COLD WIRE MEDIA. THE COLD WIRE IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF COLD WIRE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. USE OF THIS SITE CONSTITUTES ACCEPTANCE OF OUR TERMS OF USE AND PRIVACY POLICY

Monday, December 2, 2024
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Cleveland Browns Draft Grades 2020 (All Picks Graded)

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Jedrick Wills
(Photo by Roy K. Miller/Icon Sportswire)

 

Now, that we have had some time to let the dust settle, let’s take a look at what the Cleveland Browns drafted. 

In the 2020 NFL Draft, the Browns took the following players: 

Round 1, Pick No. 10: Jedrick Wills, OT, Alabama
Round 2, Pick No. 44: Grant Delpit, S, LSU
Round 3, Pick No. 88: Jordan Elliott, DT, Missouri
Round 3, Pick No. 97: Jacob Phillips, LB, LSU
Round 4, Pick No. 115: Harrison Bryant, TE, Florida Atlantic
Round 5, Pick No. 160: Nick Harris, C, Washington
Round 6, Pick No. 187: Donovan Peoples-Jones, WR, Michigan 

Out of the seven players that were added to the roster, many experts will say that the Browns had an excellent draft. 

Here is our take on how well the Browns did at the draft and you should see similar results. 

 

Cleveland Browns Draft Grades 2020

 

Jedrick Wills, OT; Grade: A

 

The Browns needed an offensive tackle and had the choice between Wills and Louisville’s Mehki Becton. 

There was some question about Becton before the draft after a report of a failed drug test.  

The team went the safer route but still managed to bring in a starting-caliber tackle. 


 

During his sophomore season, he snagged he starting right tackle position at the start of the 2018 season. 

He finished the season starting 15 games at the position, which helped lead the No. 3 scoring offense in the nation. 

Wills broke into the picture as one of the best offensive linemen in the nation as a junior. 

His rewards for his season included the following: 

  • Second-Team All-American from AFCA, Associated Press, The Sporting News, and Walter Camp. 
  • Third-Team All-American at tackle by Pro Football Focus
  • All-SEC First-Team by the Associated Press and league coaches
  • Second-Team Preseason All-American by four major news outlet

Wills allowed just one sack all season and 3.5 quarterback hurries in 771 snaps for a success rate of 99.0%. 

Ranking third in the nation, he helped anchor the offensive line that allowed just .92 sacks per game. 

The tide’s ground game was efficient on the ground, finishing with 5.5 yards per carry.

 

In the end, the Browns would have likely wanted Georgia’s Andrew Thomas; however, Thomas was off the board at No. 4. 

If the New York Giants hadn’t selected him, he might have fallen to the Browns. 

Instead, the Browns drafted the next best tackle, and they should be rewarded with a high draft grade. 

 

Grant Delpit, S: Grade: A+

 

Another solid grade for a player that was rumored to be gone way before the Browns’ pick at No. 44. 

Delpit has size, athleticism, and can make plays. 

He was the winner of the 2019 Jim Thorpe Award, which is awarded to the nation’s best defensive back.

In 2019, Delpit finished with 65 combined tackles, seven passes defended, and two interceptions.

Believe it or not, this was a down year compared to 2018.

In 2018, Delpit finished with 75 combined tackles, 5.0 sacks, 5 interceptions, and 9 passes defended.  

Personally, I love this pick by the Browns because I think that Delpit is the second-best safety in the draft. 

Obviously, Alabama’s Xavier McKinney was going to be gone and he was with the No. 36 overall pick by the Giants. 

However, the New England Patriots owned the No. 37 overall pick and elected to use their pick on Division II safety Kyle Dugger. 

Then, the Chicago Bears picked right before the Browns at No. 43 and were rumored to be interested in taking a safety. 

Instead, the team selected Notre Dame tight end, Cole Kmet. 

Delpit was once considered a first-round talent and practically fell to the Browns. 

Every team needs a bit of luck when wanting to contend in professional sports and the Browns might have finally gotten lucky. 

 

 

Jordan Elliott, DL; Grade A+

 

At this point, you probably asking yourself, how can the Browns have three straight A’s on their report card?

The honest answer is that the team deserves it. 

According to WalterFootball.com, Elliott was ranked the sixth-highest defensive tackle in the draft. 

When the Browns were ready to pick at No. 88, all five tackles were picked in front of him, including Oklahoma’s Neville Gallimore who was ranked No. 7 overall. 

The Browns selected the best available option at the position. 

Now, there might be some bias for this pick because I had Elliott going to the Browns in the third round of my mock draft. 

Elliott is a 6-foot-4 and 315-pound redshirt junior that played defensive lineman for Missouri.

A former All-American, Elliott transferred from the University of Texas after his freshman year.

After sitting out the 2017 season due to transfer rules, Elliott was named the team’s Defensive Scout Player of the Year.

In 2018, Elliott quickly became an impact player and was named 2nd-Team All-SEC by the media.

His stats included 24 tackles, eight tackles for loss, and 3.0 sacks.

Last season, Elliott finished with 31 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, and  2.5 sacks. 

PFF ranked him the highest defender on the team’s squad. 

Just think how great of a move this was. 

According to some analysts, Elliott was rated as high as the No. 42nd overall prospect in the entire draft. 

As far as NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein sees it, Elliott could be a starter in the league as soon as next season. 

In terms of value, the Browns might have had the best third-round selection out of any team. 

 

 

Jacob Phillips. LB; Grade C

 

The first non-A has to go to Phillips. 

The linebacker out of LSU was a member of a stout defense, but in terms of who was the better pick, the Browns got this one wrong. 

The Browns had a choice between Phillips and Colorado’s Davion Taylor who went to the Philadelphia Eagles six picks later. 

In Taylor’s career, he recorded 136 tackles, 20 tackles for a loss, and 12 tackles for no gain. 

His stats also include 23 third-down stops, 13 quarterback pressures, nine pass breakups, and three fumble recoveries. 

 

As for Phillips, he led the Tigers and the SEC in tackles in 2019.

He finished his career with 218 career tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, and an interception. 

What separates Phillips from other linebackers in the group is that he lacks the ability to play in coverage. 

Phillips has athletic talent, there is no denying that. 

You don’t lead the SEC in tackles if you aren’t good at what you do. 

However, there are some concerns of how he will fit in under the new defensive coordinator, Joe Woods’ scheme.

If he can do that, this grade could be completely changed by next season. 

 

Harrison Bryant, TE; Grade C+ 

 

Bryant won the John Mackey Award for the nation’s top tight end in 2019, but his stats came against opponents from non-Power 5 conferences. 

Bryant led all Division I tight ends with 65 receptions for 1,004 receiving yards and seven touchdowns.

He was named First-Team All-Conference USA as well as a consensus First-Team All-American, becoming the first-ever FAU player to accomplish the feat.

In his career, Bryant finished with 148 receptions for 2,137 yards and 16 touchdowns.  

At FAU, Bryant was the team’s first choice as a receiving threat. 

When FAU played nationally-ranked Ohio State and UCF, Bryant led the team in receiving with 72 and 51 yards respectively. 

However, according to WalterFootball.com, Bryant was the No. 10 ranked tight end on the board.  

That is a huge hit on his ability to play at the next level. 

The Browns have plenty of receiving threats on the team already in OBJ, Jarvis Landry, Austin Hooper, and a healthy David Njoku. 

Njoku is playing in the final year of his rookie contract, so the team could be looking towards the future. 

The team should have drafted a true blocking tight end, and LSU’s Thaddeus Moss was still on the board. 

Moss didn’t attend the NFL Combine, which likely hurt his stock, but he has the combination of quickness and athleticism that could be used as a blocker. 

The good news is that Bryant has at least one season to improve because he is the third option on the depth chart behind Hooper and Njoku. 

For now, I think there were better options on the board. 

 

Nick Harris, C; Grade: D+

 

Personally, I am not a fan of this pick at all. 

For starters, the Browns didn’t need a center, so why did the team essentially waste their fifth-round pick on one?

Unless the Browns sign Jadeveon Clowney in the near future, this pick doesn’t make sense. 

The reason I say that is the Browns have been linked to having an interest in bringing in EDGE rushers. 

When the Browns were selecting, Boise State’s Curtis Weaver was still on the board. 

Weaver can beat offensive tackles in numerous ways and had a great career at Boise. 

In his three seasons, he finished with sack totals of 11.0, 9.5, and 13.5. 

That also included a tackle for loss counts of 13.0, 15.0, and 19.5 over the course of three years. 

As of today, the Browns remain uncommitted to Clowney, so there’s a chance the team could miss out on two productive pass rushers. 

For Harris, he could have been better suited with another team. 

He was a First-Team All-Pac 12 selection last season, as well as an AP Second-Team All-American. 

 

It’s not that Harris is a bad player by any means. 

The Browns could have found premium value to shore up a hole on defense, and that team passed to take a player for a position that they didn’t need currently. 

That is what makes his selection frustrating.

 

Donovan Peoples-Jones, WR; Grade: A-

 

Given that the Browns could have also drafted Minnesota’s Tyler Johnson in the fifth round…..

Nevermind, we are done talking about the fifth-round mishap. 

As for the sixth round talent available, the Browns found great value here at the receiver position and as a return man. 

During his freshman season, DPJ caught 22 passes for 277 yards and returned 40 punts for a Big-Ten leading 320 yards. 

His 79-yard punt was a season-long as he ran his way to the Freshman All-American list. 

DPJ led the Big Ten in return yards in 2018 as well, finishing with 10.0 yards per return. 

DPJ finished All-Big Ten Third-Team in 2018 and 2019 for his efforts in the return game. 

In 2019, he didn’t lead the conference in return yards due to an early-season injury, in which John Harbaugh described as a “soft-tissue groin injury.”

In 2019, he finished with a career-low 7.2 yards per return, while his 173 punt return yards ranked second in the league. 

As a receiver, he caught 34 passes for 438 yards and six receiving touchdowns. 

However, if DPJ is going to make a name for himself with the Browns, it’s going to have to be as a punt or kick returner. 

 

Landry is the team’s No. 1 punt returner on the depth chart but could be moving out of that role soon. 

Landry has not returned a punt for a touchdown since 2015 when he was a member of the Miami Dolphins. 

Over the last two seasons, Landry has returned just seven punts for a total of 63 yards. 

Tavierre Thomas, 24, is the team’s leading kick returner, and shouldn’t be pushed away. 

However, if the Browns wanted to replenish one need in the late round, this was a great way to do it. 

Urban Meyer is also a big fan of People-Jones.  


 

NEXT:  3 Things To Know About New Browns DT Jordan Elliott
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Kyle Daubs
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Kyle Daubs
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Kyle Daubs is a freelance journalist and writer. He is also a special education teacher at Peoria Central High School, as well [...]

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