The Browns on Friday selected Missouri DT Jordan Elliott in the third round with the No. 88 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Elliott joins Alabama OT Jedrick Wills (No. 10) and LSU S Grant Delpit (No. 44) as the third member of the Browns' 2020 draft class.
"It's a blessing," Elliott said. "It was actually something that I was looking forward to. There's no controlling the draft but that was the team that I wanted to go to from the start. I just thought that going to the Browns, I can make a difference on their D-line.
"Honestly, it was just a feeling that I had for a long time ago, probably when I first left for the draft. It was just something calling my name by the Browns. My family members would have dreams about me going to play for them. I just felt like it was something that was meant to happen."
Elliott began his college career at Texas before transferring to Missouri. This past season, Elliott racked up 10 tackles for loss and three sacks and earned second-team All-American honors.
"The coaches that I had, they'll tell you straight up just where I came from, how far I've grown just from my freshman year at Texas," Elliott said. "I was blessed to have the same position coach (Brick Haley). He's seen me grow over the years and at this point in my life maturity is not an issue at all, I'm just ready to work, ready to get to it. I don't have any distractions in my life so I'm blessed and just ready to get to work."
Browns Executive Vice President of Football Operations and General Manager Andrew Berry said the team was impressed with Elliott when it met with him at the NFL Combine. That carried over to the "virtual top 30" meeting that followed in the weeks leading up to the draft.
"Jordan has an incredible level of self-awareness, and that was one of the things that really resonated with us and stuck with us," Berry said. "Just his eye toward self-improvement, his ability to reflect, and just the strides that he has made even in college. So we do think that he is a player that that's on the come and we are excited to work with him to see if we can get him to his potential."
Cleveland acquired the No. 88 pick in a trade with the Saints. The Browns parted with the No. 74 selection and a seventh-round pick in exchange for No. 88 and the Saints' 2021 third-round pick.
The Browns have one more pick Friday (No. 97 via Houston) and four lined up for Saturday.
