BEREA, Ohio — Cleveland Browns coach Freddie Kitchens and general manager John Dorsey knew exactly what they wanted in the 2019 NFL Draft and that was tough-minded players that have a genuine love for the game of football.
And Kitchens is confident the Browns got exactly that with the seven players they selected over the weekend.
“I really like the fact that I think we have drafted football players from the standpoint of guys that love the game,” Kitchens said.
“I like the fact that we have drafted some guys that think they have something to prove because if you ever step on the football field and don’t feel like you have something to prove, you are behind someone else. That is probably the thing I have gotten out of this more than anything.”
After trading away their first-round pick to acquire Pro Bowl wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., the Browns moved up in the second round to select cornerback Greedy Williams. Then, the Browns continued to bolster the defense by taking linebacker Sione Takitaki in the third round.
Over 24 career games in just two years at LSU, Williams registered 71 total tackles, including 49 solo stops and 22 assists, with 1.5 tackles behind the line of scrimmage, as well as eight interceptions and 19 passes defended.
In 41 career games during his four years with the BYU Cougars, Takitaki registered 241 total tackles, including 145 solo stops and 96 assists. Of those 241 total tackles, 33.5 went for lost yardage and 15.5 were sacks of opposing quarterbacks.
“From our philosophy, we try to take the best player that we think is on the board at the time and I think we have stayed pretty true to that,” Kitchens said.
The Browns continued with the theme of building up the second and third levels of defense on the final day of the draft.
First, the Browns selected former University of Miami (Florida) safety Sheldrick Redwine with the No. 119 overall pick and followed up by taking former University of Alabama linebacker Mack Wilson with the 155th choice, the No. 17 selection in the fifth round.
In four years with the Hurricanes, Redwine registered 164 total tackles, including 98 solo stops and 66 assists, with six hits occurring behind the line of scrimmage. In addition to 3.5 sacks, Redwine collected five interceptions, defended 10 passes, forced four fumbles and recovered two others.
Over 33 career games for Alabama, Wilson registered 113 total tackles, including 59 solo stops and 54 assists, with seven hits coming behind the line of scrimmage. Additionally, Wilson corralled six interceptions, which he returned for 39 yards and one touchdown, defended seven passes and recovered one fumble.
“I think we added guys that enjoy the game of football, enjoy practicing football, enjoy playing football, enjoy competing on a day-in and day-out basis is where I think we have made the biggest strides,” Kitchens said.
The Browns turned their focus to special teams when they selected former University of Oklahoma kicker Austin Seibert with the 170th pick, a fifth-round choice. Then, the Browns made their lone selection of an offensive player when they chose versatile lineman Drew Forbes in the sixth round.
The Browns concluded their draft class by selecting former Tulane cornerback Donnie Lewis Jr. early in the seventh round.
Over 54 games in four years with the Sooners, Seibert converted 310 of his 315 extra-point tries (98.4 percent) and 63 of his 79 field goals (79.7 percent) for a career total of 499 points. Additionally, Seibert punted 179 times for 7,457 yards, an average of 41.7 yards-per-punt.
The 6-foot-5, 305-pound Forbes cleared the way for an offense that averaged 177.3 rushing yards, 231.5 passing yards, 408.8 yards of total offense and 37.1 points per game during the 2018 season, where the Redhawks posted a 9-4 record and second-place finish in the Ohio Valley Conference.
The 6-foot, 190-pound Lewis Jr. spent four years with the Green Wave, where he registered 160 total tackles, including 129 solo stops and 31 assists, with 7.5 tackles made behind the line of scrimmage.
“All of this is good, but this is not going to win us any games,” Kitchens said. “This is not even going to win us a quarter. It is not going to do anything for us but set us up for failure if we don’t have our head on straight and we are ready to play football because the games are going to be won and lost in September.
“All of this other stuff is fluff. It is just things for people to talk about in April and May. You are going to have a different narrative come September, and that is when we want to control the narrative, not in April or May.”
