LAS VEGAS — The Cleveland Browns were busy on the second night of the 2022 NFL Draft.
The Browns did not pick during Thursday's opening night of the draft after dealing away their first-round selection to Houston as part of the Deshaun Watson trade.
Cleveland started Friday with one second-round pick, No. 44 overall, followed by a pair of third-round draft picks at Nos. 78 and 99. However, the Browns dealt out of the second round, picking up an additional third-round selection and two fourth-rounders.
The Browns made three picks in the third round, taking CB Martin Emerson, DE Alex Wright, and WR David Bell. They also were reportedly involved in negotiations with the Carolina Panthers to trade quarterback Baker Mayfield, but by the end of the evening the talks had stalled.
3News' Dave "Dino" DeNatale and Nick Camino wrapped up night 2 of the NFL Draft in the below video:
Look back at our time-stamped coverage of the 2022 NFL Draft below:
11:30 p.m. - Check out Tyler Carey's profile of new Browns wide receiver David Bell here.
11:14 p.m. - Here's a look at David Bell from NFL.com's Lance Zierlein: "Inside/outside target who is more smooth than sudden in uncovering over the first two levels of the field. Bell is like a crafty pitcher with a limited fastball but a variety of pitches to get hitters out. He wins with process over speed and has an ability to keep man coverage off-balance with rhythmic route-running and detailed footwork. While the tape has several elements to excite the viewer, the lack of functional explosiveness, speed and change of direction he showed at the NFL Scouting Combine simply can't be ignored. He's a willing worker in the middle of the field and has a savvy element to his game, but he'll have to prove he's better than his testing suggested as a Day 3 prospect."
11:12 p.m. - With the 99th pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, the Browns have taken Purdue wide receiver David Bell.
10:57 p.m. - The Baker Mayfield situation seems to have gotten a little cloudier. The Carolina Panthers have traded back into the third round to select Ole Miss QB Matt Corral. At almost the same time, Yahoo's Charles Robinson reported that trade talks for Mayfield between the Browns and Panthers have broken down.
10:34 p.m. - Jeff Howe of The Athletic reports that the Browns and Panthers have made some progress in trade negotiations for Baker Mayfield. However, Howe says Carolina is not the only team involved in discussions with the Browns.
10:25 p.m. - Our Tyler Carey took a closer look at Alex Wright in this story.
10:12 p.m. - Let's get a scouting report on Alex Wright, who the Browns grabbed with the second of their three 3rd round picks from NFL.com's Lance Zierlein: "Developmental defensive end who is still growing into his body and his position. Wright will likely look much different in pads within a couple of years. His current play lacks recognition, sophistication and technique. However, he's a young player who flashes and still posts good rush production, albeit versus lesser blockers. In a projection-based model where additional size, strength and technique improvements are likely, his athleticism becomes an even more impressive weapon as both a run defender and pass rusher. He will require a runway for development, but he's worth a middle-round selection as a potential three-down starter for odd- or even-front teams."
10:09 p.m. - With the No. 78 pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, the Browns have selected OLB/DE Alex Wright from UAB.
9:50 p.m. - Our Tyler Carey has written more about Martin Emerson, the newest member of the Cleveland Browns, in this story.
9:44 p.m. - Here's a quick scouting report on Martin Emerson from NFL.com's Lance Zierlein: "Long, finesse cornerback with traits and talent to compete in full-field, press-man coverage. Emerson has patient feet to maintain positioning against the release and uses length and positioning for catch disruptions. He's indecisive in his angles to the throw, missing out on interception opportunities. His run support issues will most certainly hurt his draft standing with some teams. Emerson isn't well-rounded but he has enough cover talent to make a team."
Our Ben Axelrod notes that Pro Football Focus rated Emerson as their No. 108 prospect in this year's NFL Draft as well as the No. 15 cornerback.
9:36 p.m. - The Cleveland Browns have selected Mississippi State cornerback Martin Emerson with pick No. 68 in the 2022 NFL Draft.
9:25 p.m. - The third round is just about here. The Browns will have three picks in this round (barring any more trades) at Nos. 68, 78, and 99.
8:45 p.m. - As the second round moves on, we're starting to see a number of wide receivers come off the board. Among those who have been selected:
- Pittsburgh: No. 52 - George Pickens, Georgia
- Indianapolis: No. 53 - Alec Pierce, Cincinnati
- Kansas City: No. 54 - Skyy Moore, Western Michigan
Could the Browns' trade out of the second round mean the team will either re-sign Jarvis Landry or another veteran wideout?
8:39 p.m. - We have yet another Baker Mayfield report. ESPN insider Jeremy Fowler explains what is happening internally with the Panthers as they consider making a deal for the Browns QB.
8:19 p.m. - Here's more on Baker Mayfield trade rumors to Carolina, this time from ESPN's Kimberly A. Martin:
8:02 p.m. - The Browns have traded out of the No. 44 pick in a deal with the Houston Texans. The Browns will get the Texans' 68th, 108th, and 124th picks in this year's draft.
So at this point, we'll have to wait until early in the 3rd round for the Browns to select. Although with three 3rd round picks, there is always the possibility that they may move back into the 2nd round.
7:52 p.m. - We are approaching the Browns' first pick of this year's draft. Thus far, only one of the five players our Danny Cunningham spotlighted for Cleveland is off the board. WR Christian Watson of North Dakota State went No. 33 to Green Bay. These four are still available:
- George Pickens, WR, Georgia
- David Ojabo, Edge, Michigan
- Skyy Moore, WR, Western Michigan
- Drake Jackson, Edge, Southern California
7:37 p.m. - While we wait for the Browns to make their picks this evening, we are also keep our eyes out for a potential Baker Mayfield trade. Former Carolina Panthers great, now NFL Network analyst, Steve Smith says he is hearing his former team is going to make a run at trading for the Browns QB. He does not seem particularly pleased about that news.
7:30 p.m. - Each team tonight has a former player, special guest, or celebrity announcing their picks tonight. Former Browns wide receiver Andrew Hawkins is slated to make one of their 3rd round announcements, while WWE star (and Northeast Ohio native) The Miz will also take the podium for Cleveland.
7:18 p.m. - With the first pick of the second round of the NFL Draft, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers select Houston defensive end Logan Hall. Barring a trade, we've got just over ten picks to wait until the Browns make their first pick of the night, and of the 2022 NFL Draft.
PREVIEW
The Browns are ready to go to work tonight as they'll make three of their seven picks (barring trades). So who might they select?
3News' Danny Cunningham laid out five potential targets for the Browns this evening:
- George Pickens, WR, Georgia
- David Ojabo, Edge, Michigan
- Skyy Moore, WR, Western Michigan
- Drake Jackson, Edge, Southern California
- Christian Watson, WR, North Dakota State
What about Baker Mayfield? As of now, he is still a member of the Browns, but that could change at any point this weekend. Who might be in the mix?
Carolina remains a potential trade partner. The Panthers, who need a long-term answer at quarterback and have told Sam Darnold they intend to bring one in to compete with him to be the starter, chose North Carolina State offensive tackle Ickey Ekwonu instead of a QB with the sixth pick.
Seattle's another possibility for the Browns to do business with after the Seahawks, who traded Russell Wilson to Denver this winter and seem set on going with Drew Lock as their starter, also went with an elite lineman, Mississippi State tackle Charles Cross, at No. 9.
The Panthers and Seahawks may still draft a quarterback in later rounds or they could acquire Mayfield, who is at least a more proven one than any rookie.
The Associated Press' Tom Withers contributed to this report.
More Browns Coverage: