Kevin Stefanski had a simple answer Tuesday when he was asked how he felt about the Browns' 2020 draft class.
"Was it a successful draft," Stefanski asked rhetorically while appearing on ESPN 850's The Really Big Show. "Ask me in three years."
Noted, but that hasn't stopped numerous draft analysts from handing out grades for what teams accomplished this past weekend. The Browns, who selected seven players in the 2020 NFL Draft, ranked highly in many of these exercises after compiling a class that included first-round OT Jedrick Wills and second-round S Grant Delpit.
"I have been humbled enough over my NFL career to realize that you really don't know," Browns EVP of Football Operations and GM Andrew Berry said. "There are going to be guys that surprise us likely in both directions because each of these guys are individuals entering the NFL for the first time. That doesn't just mean acclimating to NFL competition, but a new organization, a new city and a totally new dynamic than where they were in college. That process is challenging for a lot of young players, but we are confident that we have a coaching staff that is going to work with these guys and we are confident that we are going to create the right environment with our support staff and give these guys the best chance to hit the ground running but also being humble enough to realize that each player matures differently in the NFL."
Without further ado, a roundup of the most notable draft grades.
Of note: Kiper ranked Wills as his top-ranked tackle in the draft and thought at one point in the process Delpit would be a top-10 pick. He believes the Browns landed multiple starters and high upside picks in the later rounds.
Of note: With the selections of Delpit and DT Jordan Elliott in the third round, Cleveland landed three players in PFF's top 25 players.
Of note: Easterling called Elliott and LB Jacob Phillips "solid values" in the third round.
Of note: With the addition of Wills coupled with the team's moves in free agency, Benoit believes the Browns have the capability to be a 25-points-per-game offense.
Of note: Reuter saw the Browns' first four picks as a "nice meeting" between the team's needs and the top players available at the time.
Of note: The acquisitions of Wills and Jack Conklin have upgraded the Browns' offensive line in a "big way," Maske writes.
Of note: Prisco considered the fifth-round selection of Nick Harris to be the Browns' best pick because of his fit within the scheme.
Of note: Edholm writes that he could have made a case for Wills, Delpit and Elliott to be first-round picks at different points of the pre-draft process.
Of note: Silva writes the Browns had "a calculated draft that should net numerous year-one contributors and as many as four long-term building blocks."
Of note: Iyer believes WR Donovan Peoples-Jones could be a steal in the sixth round.
