The Browns drafted DT Jowon Briggs with the 243rd pick in the seventh round of the NFL Draft.
Here are five things to know about their newest addition to the defensive line.
Local staying in Ohio
Briggs grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio. He attended Walnut Hills High School and played defensive tackle for head coach Gerry Beauchamp. While in high school, Briggs was named a first-team All-State honoree after totaling 54 tackles and six sacks in 2018.
Transferred from Virginia to Cincinnati
Briggs played his first two collegiate seasons with Virginia and tallied 39 tackles, seven tackles for loss and four sacks. Then he transferred to Cincinnati in 2021. In three seasons with Cincinnati, Briggs recorded 130 tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss and eight sacks. Briggs was one of four team captains for the 2023 season for the Bearcats and recorded 27 tackles with six tackles for loss and two sacks over 12 starts.
Fit in Browns' defensive scheme
While Briggs was the second defensive tackle the Browns drafted over the weekend, as a seventh-round pick, Briggs fits a specific profile. Executive Vice President of Football Operations and General Manager Andrew Berry said that Briggs has the skillset to fit the asks of their defensive line.
"With Jowon, we really thought that his strength, he's kind of like a move style defensive tackle," Berry said. "And for us, as we get into the later rounds or we get into the undrafted free agent pool, you'll see us choose or select or sign guys that are more that profile because of what we ask our defensive line to do in this scheme."
Check out photos of Browns 2024 seventh round pick Jowon Briggs
Cincinnati defensive lineman Jowon Briggs answers questions from reporters at the NCAA college football Big 12 media days in Arlington, Texas, Thursday, July 13, 2023. (AP Photo/Emil T. Lippe)
Cincinnati defensive lineman Jowon Briggs (18) plays during an NCAA college football game against East Carolina, Friday, Nov. 11, 2022, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Jeff Dean)
Cincinnati defensive lineman Jowon Briggs (18) against Arkansas during an NCAA football game on Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022, in Fayetteville, Ark. (AP Photo/Michael Woods)
Tulane quarterback Kai Horton is sacked by Cincinnati defensive linemen Jabari Taylor and Jowon Briggs (18) during the first half of an NCAA college football game in New Orleans, Saturday, Oct. 30, 2021. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Cincinnati defensive lineman Jowon Briggs (18) plays during an NCAA college football game against East Carolina, Friday, Nov. 11, 2022, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Jeff Dean)
Cincinnati's Jowon Briggs (18) battles with East Carolina's Avery Jones (54) in front of quarterback Holton Ahlers (12) during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Greenville, N.C., Friday, Nov. 26, 2021. (AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker)
Cincinnati Bearcats defensive lineman Jowon Briggs (18) reacts after sacking Houston quarterback Clayton Tune during the second half of an American Athletic Conference championship NCAA college football game Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Jeff Dean)
Cincinnati offensive lineman Dylan O'Quinn (50) blocks defensive lineman Jowon Briggs (18) during practice for the Cotton Bowl NCAA football game, Monday, Dec. 27, 2021, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Brandon Wade)
Pittsburgh quarterback Phil Jurkovec (5) looks to throw a pass under pressure from Cincinnati defensive end Jowon Briggs (0) during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Pittsburgh on Saturday, Sept. 9, 2023. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Cincinnati defensive lineman Jowon Briggs (18) plays during an NCAA college football game against East Carolina, Friday, Nov. 11, 2022, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Jeff Dean)
Cincinnati Bearcats defensive lineman Jowon Briggs (18) reacts after sacking Houston quarterback Clayton Tune during the second half of an American Athletic Conference championship NCAA college football game Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Jeff Dean)
Cincinnati defensive lineman Jowon Briggs runs a drill during Big 12 NCAA college NFL football pro day Saturday, March 30, 2024, in Frisco, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
East's Jowon Briggs, of Cincinnati, lines up durnig the East West Shrine Bowl NCAA college football game in Frisco, Texas, Thursday, Feb. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Accomplished singer and musician
Briggs served as a tenor in the UVA University Singers ensemble during his time at Virginia and was also a member of the Hullabahoos – a student-run a cappella group.
He also plays a number of different instruments, including piano, guitar, bass, drums, saxophone, flute, cello, violin, viola and harmonica, according to Jeff White, writer for VirginiaSports.com.
Joins former Bearcats on Browns' roster
Briggs is the first player from Cincinnati selected by the Browns since RB Jerome Ford in 2022. He now joins a roster that features Ford as well as T James Hudson III, who the Browns drafted in the fourth round in 2021 out of Cincinnati.
Briggs was also the 13th Bearcat selected by an NFL team from Cincinnati's 2021 playoff team.
