Friday, April 28, 2023

Browns select Siaki Ika

   The Cleveland Browns used the second of their two third-round draft picks on a player that indicated that the player evaluations of the front office may have changed in what they value at one position.

On the surface, when you consider the lack of success that Andrew Berry has with his drafted defensive tackles, it's fair to have a bit of concern but Baylor defensive tackle Siaki Ika is a different type of DT than previous selections Jordan Elliott and Tommy Togiai- he's huge and quick!

Ika is 6'3 and 335 pounds with quickness and strength and was first-team All-Big 12 at Baylor last season after being named to the second team in 2021 after arriving from LSU as a transfer.

Ika didn't finish with a sack last season and finished with four in 2021, so I'm not sure what type of an interior rush that Ika will bring to Cleveland but at minimum Ika will bring a wide-bodied run stuffer with quick feet, so its possible that he could develop as a pass rusher.

The grades on Ika were wide as I've seen some draft previews that had him rated as a late first-rounder to early second-round pick with others grading him as a fourth to fifth-round player.

The Browns under Andrew Berry haven't been selecting the massive tackles that help stop the run like Ika and free-agent signing Dalvin Tomlinson.

Instead, they have been using smaller, more athletic players like Elliott and Togiai, which played a major role in the putrid run defense in 2022.

This selection does give me some optimism about Andrew Berry as far as his willingness to change when his process isn't working, which is more than many front-office executives ever do.

Berry, unlike predecessors Sashi Brown and even John Dorsey, isn't sticking to what's not working just because it was his initial evaluation.

Berry's showing growth and maturity in the job and that's a positive for Berry and the Browns.

I wouldn't say I hate this pick but I would have preferred Missouri defensive end Isaiah McGuire, who is still available entering the final four rounds of the draft.

Cleveland will start the final day with six picks, two each in the fourth and fifth rounds and one each in rounds six and seven.




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