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- Riding out a tornado, some frustrating phone calls and the NFL draft (Terry Pluto) - On the day he was drafted by the Browns, Aaron Shea was hiding in his basement. “This was 2000,” said Shea. “The first three rounds of the draft were on Saturday. I watched it on TV. I was like a little kid, waiting for (ESPN’s) Mel Kiper to talk about me being picked.” But no one called his name.
- For the Youngstown family of new Browns cornerback Troy Hill, love meant saying goodbye (News 5 Cleveland) - Sunday evenings gathered around the table with good food and better conversation are what new Browns cornerback Troy Hill reminisces about first when discussing his childhood and early life in Youngstown.
- Virginia Tech cornerback Caleb Farley not lacking in confidence, but comes with questions (Browns Zone) - The evaluation of Caleb Farley is complex. The Virginia Tech cornerback is one of the NFL Draft’s most impressive athletes, standing 6-foot-2 and 197 pounds and possessing 4.3 speed. He has the confidence to match, saying he’ll be disappointed if he doesn’t become one of the great corners in recent NFL history. Now for the complications.
- Bruce Feldman analyzes talented class of cornerbacks Browns could tap with 1st-round pick (clevelandbrowns.com) - With at least 4 cornerbacks projected to fall in the first round, what are the odds any of them will be available for the Browns at pick No. 26?
NFL:
- Taylor Gabriel announces his retirement from the NFL (Bleacher Report) - Wide receiver Taylor Gabriel announced his retirement from the NFL via Instagram on Friday after six seasons in the NFL. Gabriel spent two years each with the Cleveland Browns, Atlanta Falcons and Chicago Bears from 2014 to 2019.
- Karl Joseph returning to Raiders on free-agent deal (NFL.com) - Karl Joseph is back in the silver and black. The Las Vegas Raiders have signed the unrestricted free-agent safety, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reports. The team has since confirmed the signing.
- NFL players to bring in a wide range of bonuses (ESPN) - The NFL’s performance-based pay system has been around since 2002, when it was included in the ratification of the collective bargaining agreement, and it rewards players who have had high playing time but are making low base salaries. This year, the league divvied up $8.55 million per team for veterans and rookies, and while the checks won’t hit the players’ accounts until 2024 at the earliest, it’s still good to know there will be some money coming in.
- Derrick Henry would rather have NFL eliminate long-standing uniform rule than altered jersey numbers (CBS Sports) - Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry would like to see the elimination of the ‘one-shell’ rule that prevents throwback uniforms for certain teams.