CLEVELAND — A little depth on the offensive line never hurts.
The Browns added to that depth on Saturday, selecting Washington center Nick Harris in the fifth round (160th overall pick) in the NFL Draft. He is the second O-lineman the team has taken this weekend, with Alabama tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. going in the first round at No. 10 overall.
During his four years in Seattle, Harris started all but four of 54 possible games, first at guard and then as a center during his junior and senior years. In those latter two seasons, he made the All-Pac-12 first-team twice and earned second-team All-America honors from Sports Illustrated in 2019.
Harris was the mainstay on a line that helped the Huskies win two Pac-12 titles, including a trip to the College Football Playoff as a true freshman. His stats in the NFL Combine drills were near the bottom among others at the position and he stands at just 6-foot-2, but he was still rated as the fifth-best center in this draft class by ESPN's Mel Kiper.
Cleveland currently has three other centers on its roster, notably starter JC Tretter, who signed an extension last year that will keep him with the club through 2022. It's possible Harris could compete for the right guard spot (a hole for the Browns in 2019), or even a backup role.
The rest of the Browns' draft looks as follows:
- First round (No. 10 overall): Jedrick Wills Jr., OT, Alabama
- Second round (No. 44): Grant Delpit, S, LSU
- Third round (No. 88): Jordan Elliott, DT, Missouri
- Third round (No. 97): Jacob Phillips, LB, LSU
- Fourth round (No. 115): Harrison Bryant, TE, Florida Atlantic