Greg Newsome II, Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah saving Browns’ 2021 class
BEREA — Grading someone in their first year can be difficult. One may try to show a bit of leniency when it comes to the final verdict because they acknowledge a certain level of adjustment.
Such leniency isn’t quite as bountiful when someone’s in their second year.
That’s the bottom line as the Browns’ 2021 draft class goes under the microscope. A year ago, they were like the players in the 2022 class, who were the beneficiaries of a bit of that rookie leniency as they received their grades.
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The 2021 draft picks, though, don’t get to hide behind it being their first year. They came into this past season knowing what being in the NFL is like, because they went through the adjustment period the previous year.
So what may have been seen as growing pains for a rookie a year ago now can be assessed as potentially a trend. There are a number of players in this class for which that’s the case.
The other trend that has emerged for this group is that the top two picks in the class have been, for the most part, solid. Their issues, though, are availability to an extent.
Still, for all eight picks, there remains room to grow and no reason to put anyone’s career permanently on the shelf. However, all of them no doubt are looking to turn the trend arrow up as they head into their third season.
Round 1, pick 26: Greg Newsome II, cornerback
Newsome was seen as the perfect complement to Pro Bowl cornerback Denzel Ward when he was selected out of Northwestern. The second-year pro has steadily progressed into that complement, and even added to his repertoire by playing significant snaps in the slot this past season. However, there are a couple of knocks against Newsome. One of those is a slight concussion concern that has developed thanks to missing five combined games over his first two seasons due to a pair of concussions. Newsome’s missed seven games total so far in two seasons, although only two in 2022. The other area that has raised some eyebrows is the lack of interceptions so far. Even Newsome, who has 14 passes defensed over his first two seasons, has acknowledged a certain frustration with not being able to come up with the picks. Those two things, though, are just nitpicks of a player who has developed into a key piece of the Browns’ future.
Grade: B-plus
Round 2, pick 52: Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, linebacker
There was one player the Browns brass had to have in the back of their minds when they traded up to pick Owusu-Koramoah out of Notre Dame. That player is Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson. Owusu-Koramoah’s agility and speed make him the perfect kind of linebacker to keep watch over the elusive Raven. Through that lens, the second-year linebacker has lived up to the expectations. Owusu-Koramoah has been phenomenal in slowing Jackson down, including inadvertently ending his 2021 season on a tackle in early December. The problem for Owusu-Koramoah has been that his own career has been mired in injury issues that have kept him off the field somewhat regularly. He missed three games in his rookie season due to an injury. His second season was even more injury-plagued, as he missed six games, including the final four games after going on the injured reserve list with a foot injury. When he can stay on the field, the undersized linebacker can make plays. If his third season goes the way his second one did, that’s when the questions have to start being asked.
Grade: B-minus
Round 3, pick 91: Anthony Schwartz, receiver
Where to start with Schwartz, the Berry draft pick who may have generated the most visceral negative reactions from fans in his short career. When he was selected out of Auburn, he was seen as the player who could potentially take the top off of defenses with his undeniable speed. That speed hasn’t been Schwartz’s issue in his two seasons. The issue has been basic receiver skills, or what people have perceived as underwhelming receiver skills. After a 10-catch, 135-yard rookie season in which he battled injury issues, Schwartz came into his second season talking about a fresh start. Instead, drops in the preseason led him to get booed by fans, which only added to a mental strain he acknowledged was significant. He was a healthy inactive in Week 7 at Baltimore, played just five special teams snaps in Week 8 against Cincinnati before coming back after the bye to get back into the receiver rotation for the next four games. Schwartz scored on a 31-yard reverse against Tamp Bay in Week 12, then left the following week’s game at Houston with a concussion. The Browns placed him on the injured reserve list days later, ending his season. Could it be the end of his Browns career as well? Going to be a lot of pressure on him going into a make-or-break training camp.
Grade: D
Round 4, pick 110: James Hudson III, offensive tackle
Hudson was drafted…
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