Grading Browns 2022 draft class after first year

BEREA — Remember your first semester in college? Specifically, do you remember the grades you received at the end of that first semester?

For many of you, those grades may not have been the best ones you posted in your college career. There’s probably many reasons why, but the biggest may have just been the adjustment to a new level of education.

The players the Browns selected in last April’s draft went through a very similar adjustment period as they progressed through their rookie seasons. Some handled the adjustment better than others.

What follows is a grade for the rookie season of each of the draft picks. Much like a first-semester college freshman, there’s room to grow for all of them, some more than others.

Round 3, pick 68: Martin Emerson Jr., cornerback

Eyebrows may have gone up initially when Emerson’s name was called with the Browns’ first pick of the draft. However, the Mississippi State product proved himself to be invaluable in his first season in the NFL. The cornerback played in every game, which wasn’t necessarily a surprise. However, the fact Emerson quickly earned the No. 3 corner role behind Denzel Ward and Greg Newsome II may have caught some off-guard. He ended up starting six games, mostly in place of either an injured Ward or Newsome. Emerson finished tied with Ward for passes defensed with 15, and was in the top five on the team in tackles with 63. His rapid emergence gives the Browns some much-needed depth at the position around which to build under new defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz.

Grade: B

Round 3, pick 78: Alex Wright, defensive end

Wright, like Emerson, wasn’t expected to play a significant role right off the bat for the Browns. The expectation was for the UAB product to gradually develop behind All-Pros Myles Garrett and Jadeveon Clowney. Instead, for a variety of reasons, Wright found himself playing extensively as a rookie, mostly lining up as Clowney’s backup at the left end position. He started five games in place of Clowney, and played more than 50% of the Browns’ defensive snaps in eight games total. Wright finished with 28 tackles, two tackles for loss, a fumble recovery and five passes defensed. There’s still a lot of raw in Wright’s game, which is why the Browns will likely be shopping for a starting defensive end this offseason to take Clowney’s place. Still, that upside showed enough that it wouldn’t be a major surprise to see him develop into a starter sooner rather than later.

Grade: B-minus

Round 3, pick 99: David Bell, receiver

Of the Browns’ three third-round picks, Bell may have been the one to generate the most excitement initially. That’s because of the production he showed in a wide-open passing game at Purdue. The problem for Bell was the problem so many young receivers have in the league in just adjusting to the highest level. The catch radiuses Bell saw in college were shrunk significantly in the NFL. More than that, the number of targets he saw were much lower. Over 16 games, he was targeted just 35 times — which was likely about three-plus games’ worth of targets while in college — with 24 receptions for 241 yards. Those in the organization still really believe in Bell and what he can provide the Browns in the passing game. The question, though, is what kind of role does he carve out next year with, in all likelihood, more receiving help being brought in through free agency or the draft? Bell may never be the guy to take a top off a defense, but he could help a team move the chains.

Grade: C

Round 4, pick 108: Perrion Winfrey, defensive tackle

It may be best to give the floor to the Dec. 9 comments from defensive line coach Chris Kiffin to best sum up Winfrey’s rookie season: “When he’s here and he puts a full week together and he is available on Sunday, then he’s showing what he’s capable of doing.” Therein lies all you need to know about the enigma that is Winfrey, a player with plenty of talent but who also dealt with plenty of issues. Most of those issues were caused by himself. There was a scooter accident that led to a head injury that cost him a game, part of a three-game stretch in which he was inactive. That was after he was disciplined by the team heading into the Week 2 home opener against the New York Jets, another game for which he was inactive. But, as Kiffin said, when Winfrey was engaged, it was easy to see what drew the Browns to make him their first day-three draft pick. He played more than 50% of the Browns’ defensive snaps in four of the final six games, and was at no lower than 41% in the other two. Winfrey finished with 22 tackles, 0.5 sacks, one tackle for loss, two passes defensed and two quarterback hits. If Winfrey can tap into that consistency and mature into a professional day-in and day-out, week-in and week-out, then the Browns may have something to help with the massive question at defensive tackle.

Grade: C

Round 4, pick 124: Cade York, kicker

The most talked-about fourth-round draft pick in Browns’ history?…