2022 NFL Draft: Cleveland Browns pick K Cade York at No. 124

With the 124th pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, the Cleveland Browns selected K Cade York (6-1, 198 lbs) from LSU. He is the second of the team’s two fourth-round picks. Cleveland originally had No. 118 also heading into the day, but they traded that pick to the Minnesota Vikings in exchange for a fifth-round pick this year and a fourth-round pick in 2023.

Scouting Reports

The Athletic’s Dane Brugler had York as his top-ranked kicker on his board, and a projected 5th round pick. Unfortunately, Brugler doesn’t do write-ups for special teams players, so we’ll turn to DBN’s Barry Shuck, who profiled York prior to the draft:

Cade York is an exceptional kicker. In fact, in a list of the Top-250 players available for this year’s NFL draft, he is the only kicker listed. Kicks of 50-plus yards are his specialty. In warmups prior to last season’s SEC Championship Game, he nailed a 60-yarder. He beat Florida on a 57-yarder that was right down the center of the uprights.

We actually do have a little update from Brugler, courtesy of Zac Jackson of The Athletic:

Pro Football Focus graded the pick as “poor,” but not because of his ability — they just feel the fourth round is too early to take one.

How He Fits the Browns

Although K Chase McLaughlin started last season well, he faded as the year went on. Meanwhile, in Cincinnati, we got to see Evan McPherson morph into the next Justin Tucker. Clutch kickers have become an essential component of winning in the AFC North, and the position has not been a strength for Cleveland since the departure of Phil Dawson many years ago. There’s no guarantee that York will be great, but it was definitely the type of move Cleveland needed to take a shot at. This is what I want to see in a meaningful November game in Cleveland:

React Now

What do you think, Browns fans?