1st round, 26th overall pick: CB Greg Newsome II

The Browns entered the 2021 NFL Draft in desperate need for help at cornerback, and were hoping one of the top players would fall to them at pick 26. Newsome, who was considered one of the best corners in the draft, was available and Berry and the Browns, with the draft in downtown Cleveland, jumped on the opportunity to get him.

Newsome started 42 out of 54 games over four seasons and has been solid for the most part. He has 34 pass breakups, including 14 in 2023.

But he didn’t have his first career interception until his third season, and he, like most of the Browns, took a step back in 2024 with a career-low five pass breakups. Newsome had a Pro Football Focus grade of 52.2 in 2024, which is the worst of his career.

Who would have been a better choice?

Three cornerbacks went in the next 21 picks after Newsome. Tyson Campbell went to the Jaguars at 33, and the Chargers selected Asante Samuel Jr. at 47. Both have established themselves as solid to above-average starters at corner, and Campbell signed a four-year extension with Jacksonville for $76.5 million.

Among the other notable players who went after Newsome who have played better include Bills defensive end Gregory Rousseau (30th overall), Dolphins safety Jevon Holland (36th overall) and Eagles offensive lineman Landon Dickerson (37th overall).

Who would have been a worse choice?

The next corner off the board after Newsome was 29th overall pick Eric Stokes to the Packers. Stokes has started 32 games in his career, but he has just one interception and 14 pass breakups. The INT and pass breakups all came in Stokes’ rookie season.

The 28th pick was defensive end Payton Turner, and he has just 30 tackles and five sacks in 31 career games.

Grade: B-minus

In some ways, the outcome of this pick is similar to the outcome with Jedrick Wills Jr. Newsome is solid but better options went off the board after the Browns took him.

That said, if you get at least a solid starter late in the first round, it’s not a terrible job. It just feels like Newsome could have been more than he has been in Cleveland.

2nd round, 52nd overall: LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah

Owusu-Koramoah was seen at the time of the draft as a possible first-round talent despite being smaller than your typical linebacker. The Browns didn’t have a problem with this as Berry and company traded up to get the former Notre Dame star late in the second round.

It didn’t take long for Owusu-Koramoah to become an impact player, making the Pro Bowl in 2023 in Jim Schwartz’s first season as defensive coordinator. He looked on the way to going back again in 2024 before suffering a season-ending neck injury vs. the Ravens in Week 8.

Berry told reporters after the season that they aren’t sure if Owusu-Koramoah will be able to play again after his injury.

Who would have been a better choice?

Even though he hasn’t made a Pro Bowl in his NFL career, Nick Bolton is seen as one of the game’s best linebackers. The 58th overall pick by the Chiefs has been a key piece in the middle of their defense with 289 career tackles.

The 60th pick, LB Pete Werner, has been steady as well in four seasons for the Saints.

Another Chiefs pick, center Creed Humphrey, is a 2024 All-Pro and a three-time Pro Bowler after going 63rd overall.

Who would have been a worse choice?

The Buccaneers, Vikings and Texans each took quarterback swings within the next 20 picks with Kyle Trask, Kellen Mond and Davis Mills respectively. Mond played in just one NFL game, Trask lost a quarterback competition in 2023 to Baker Mayfield, who to his credit has played great football, and Mills was mediocre at best in two seasons as the starter in Houston before the Texans drafted C.J. Stroud.

Grade: A

This is easily the best pick Berry made in this draft and probably the best he’s had in his entire GM career. Owusu-Koramoah became an instant impact player for the Browns and he is the only Berry draft pick to make a Pro Bowl.

There are questions about Owusu-Koramoah’s future after his neck injury vs. the Ravens. But even if his career is over, it doesn’t change the fact that Berry clearly nailed this pick.

3rd round, 91st overall: WR Anthony Schwartz

The Browns tried to give Baker Mayfield some help at receiver by selecting arguably the fastest player in the entire draft.

Things looked promising in the season opener vs. the Chiefs when Schwartz caught three passes for 69 yards. But those were both career highs for Schwartz, who couldn’t take his world-class speed and turn it into NFL success.

He played just two seasons in Cleveland and caught 14 passes for 186 yards and a touchdown. His 51 yards in all of 2022 were less than what he did in Week 1 of 2021 in Kansas City.

Who would have been a better choice?

At the time, USC’s Amon-Ra St. Brown looked like a better choice. The Lions reaped the benefits at pick 112 as St. Brown has developed into one of the NFL’s best receivers. He has 430 receptions for 4,851 yards and 33 touchdowns in four seasons.

The Browns also had another pick before St. Brown went off the board. So more specifically to Schwartz, the Broncos drafted center Quinn Meinerz at 98, and he just earned his first All-Pro selection. Also, the 103rd pick, Ernest Jones, has developed into a solid starting linebacker.

Who would have been a worse choice?

Five picks after Schwartz went off the board, the Patriots drafted edge rusher Ronnie Perkins from Oklahoma. He played in just seven games in the NFL and only recorded nine tackles, all of which came two years later with the Broncos.

Pick No. 109 was the next receiver off the board in Dez Fitzpatrick. He was much less productive than Schwartz was, catching just five passes for 49 yards and a TD in seven games.

Grade: F

Schwartz was a gamble on high-end traits, so it was a choice you could understand in the moment. But injuries and drops really plagued Schwartz, and he hasn’t played in the NFL since 2022.

Missing on St. Brown looks worse in hindsight, but the only comfort from a Browns perspective is that every team missed on St. Brown and did so multiple times.

4th round, 110th overall: T James Hudson III

The Browns went to work early on Day 3 and added to their offensive line group by selecting Hudson out of Cincinnati.

Hudson has mostly been a backup in his time in Cleveland and struggled at times when asked to start. He had 17 starts in 49 games for the Browns over four seasons.

Hudson suffered season-ending shoulder surgery in early October.

Who would have been a better choice?

St. Brown went just two picks after Hudson. But after St. Brown, the Browns could have also had opportunities to draft one of two talented running backs.

Rhamondre Stevenson went 120th to the Patriots and he has 3,066 yards and 21 touchdowns in 56 games. He also has at least 600 yards rushing and four touchdowns in all four seasons

Chuba Hubbard was picked by the Panthers at 126 and he has been even better, rushing for 3,175 yards and 22 TDs.

Who would have been a worse choice?

The players who were picked 121st and 122nd, LB Jordan Smith and DT Tyler Shelvin respectively, combined to play in only seven NFL games.

Grade: C-minus

Hudson has at least provided depth and versatility on the offensive line, which for a fourth-round pick isn’t the worst outcome. However, seeing St. Brown and a couple above-average running backs go off the board shortly after combined with Hudson not developing into a starter really hurt this grade.

4th round, 132nd overall: DT Tommy Togiai

After playing his best football towards the end of a shortened season that ended with a national championship game loss to Alabama, Togiai went to the Browns near the end of the fourth round.

Unfortunately for him and the Browns, he did not have any notable success in the NFL.

He played just two seasons for the Browns before being let go prior to the 2023 season, and he joined the Texans in 2024. In total, he played in 26 games and had just 56 tackles, 2.5 sacks and two tackles for loss.

Who would have been a better choice?

Between this selection and Tony Fields at 153, there weren’t many great players who went off the board in this draft.

One of the more productive players has been CB Marco Wilson, who went 136th overall. He is on his third team already, but he has 37 career starts and has three interceptions and 20 pass breakups.

Bengals kicker Evan McPherson was pick No. 149, and the 150th pick, RB Kenneth Gainwell, has been a solid depth piece for the Eagles in their backfield.

Who would have been a worse choice?

The player taken after Togiai was QB Ian Book, who went to the Saints. He played just one NFL game, completing 12 of 20 passes for 135 yards and two interceptions.

The 144th pick, edge rusher Joshua Kaindoh, only played three games as a rookie for the Chiefs and hasn’t stepped on an NFL field since.

Grade: D-plus

Togiai failed to live up to what he was at the end of his time at Ohio State, and the Browns drafted a defensive tackle each of the next three drafts as a result.

The only reason this grade isn’t lower is because there really wasn’t a viable option between this pick and the next one the Browns made who was an egregious miss.

5th round, 153rd overall: LB Tony Fields II

Fields was the second linebacker the Browns selected in this draft. The former West Virginia Mountaineer has been a rotational player throughout his career, appearing in 45 games and making 10 starts.

His most impactful moment easily came in 2022 when he had a pick-six, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery vs. the Texans. Those were the only takeaways of his career.

He suffered an ankle injury in Week 1 vs. the Cowboys in 2024 and was waived from injured reserve. Fields finished the season on the Rams practice squad.

Who would have been a better choice?

The Browns had already taken a cornerback earlier in this draft, but the Raiders found a starting corner with the 167th pick in Illinois’ Nate Hobbs. He has started 38 of 51 games in four seasons with the Raiders and has 19 pass breakups and three interceptions.

Who would have been a worse choice?

Pick Nos. 164 and 165, defensive backs Jamar Johnson and Shawn Davis, combined to play just four NFL games. Johnson appeared in just three games for the Broncos and was waived prior to the start of the 2022 season.

Davis didn’t even play for the Colts, and he only played in one game for the Packers in 2021 before being let go before the 2022 season.

Grade: C

Fields made probably the best single-game contribution of any Day 3 pick the Browns had in this draft with his performance vs. the Texans. While he did provide value as a rotational player and a special teamer, he never became more than that.

5th round, 169th overall: S Richard LeCounte III

The Browns took a swing on a former five-star prospect by selecting the former Georgia Bulldog in the fifth round.

LeCounte looked promising with a great preseason. But those hopes quickly faded.

He played in a total of 12 NFL games, just 10 of which came with the Browns. He had only three total tackles, two of which were solo stops, and the Browns released him in October of 2022. LeCounte was Berry’s first draft pick that he released.

Who would have been a better choice?

The 49ers took not one, but two high-end starters in the secondary after the Browns drafted LeCounte. Pick 172 was cornerback Deommodore Lenoir, and he has played well enough to earn a five-year contract extension worth $92 million.

They did even better at pick 180, taking a 2022 first team All-Pro in safety Talanoa Hufanga from USC.

Who would have been a worse choice?

The Vikings selected Pittsburgh DT Jaylen Twyman at No. 199. But he did not play a single down in the NFL.

Baltimore had two fifth-round picks after the Browns took LeCounte. They took Daelin Hayes at 171 and Ben Mason at 184, and each player played just one game in the NFL.

Grade: F

LeCounte looked like he could have been a steal with how well he had played in that preseason. But he never panned out, and having two stud defensive backs go shortly after him really hurts this grade.

6th round, 211th overall: RB Demetric Felton

The Browns completed their 2021 NFL Draft by selecting Felton out of UCLA in the sixth round.

The 5-9, 190-pound running back made a quick impact in the NFL, scoring a touchdown in just his second game when he caught a TD pass vs. the Texans in Week 2. However, he only had one more TD in his NFL career.

He appeared in 24 games, all with the Browns, over two seasons, and he had eight carries for 20 yards and 20 receptions for 189 yards.

Who would have been a better choice?

The next running back to go off the board was Khalil Herbert, who was picked by the Bears at 217. Herbert has been a solid depth back with 1,905 yards rushing, 312 yards receiving and 11 total touchdowns in four seasons.

Towards the end of the draft, the Broncos found a quality starting pass rusher in former Ohio State Buckeye Jonathon Cooper at pick No. 239. Cooper has 23.5 career sacks, including a career-high 10.5 in 2024.

Who would have been a worse choice?

After Felton went off the board, seven players were drafted after him who never played a single snap in the NFL.

Grade: C

Only three players taken after Felton even scored a touchdown in the NFL, which is to be expected when you’re picking in the 200s. So in that aspect, there weren’t too many better options out there to take.

Felton’s outcome in some ways was better than you expect from a player picked this late because he did impact a win.

Overall grade: C

Berry started this draft well by getting an average starter in Greg Newsome II and then a second-round steal in Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah. But what really hurts this grade is the Browns got very little after those two picks.

Of their picks in the final five rounds in the draft, only James Hudson III and Tony Fields II were on the roster in 2024. Hudson was the last of those players to play with the Browns, playing until Week 4 before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury.

Catch up on the series

• Grading Andrew Berry’s first draft as Browns GM: The 2020 NFL Draft – cleveland.com