Saturday Dawg Chow: Browns news (4/29/23)

Dawgs By Nature:

• 2023 NFL Draft: Cleveland Browns pick WR Cedric Tillman at No. 74 (Thomas Moore) - The Cleveland Browns selected wide receiver Cedric Tillman from Tennessee in the third round on Friday, the No. 74 overall selection in the 2023 NFL Draft. The 6-foot-3 and 213-pound Tillman is the first selection by the Browns in this year’s draft.
• Browns WR Cedric Tillman gives team a big, physical, explosive receiver (Jared Mueller) - The Cleveland Browns finally got on the board in this year’s NFL draft with the selection The 74th pick was acquired as a part of the trade for WR Elijah Moore with the New York Jets. Cleveland gave up pick No. 42 to acquire Moore and pick No. 74. Interestingly enough, they used that pick to add another receiver to the team. Let’s take a quick look at the newest Browns player profile.
• 2023 NFL Draft: Cleveland Browns pick DT Siaki Ika at No. 98 (Chris Pokorny) - With the 98th pick of the 2023 NFL Draft, the Cleveland Browns selected DT Siaki Ika (6-4, 357 lbs) from Baylor. He is the second of the team’s two third-round picks; they took WR Cedric Tillman earlier in the night with the 74th pick. The 98th pick was given to Cleveland as a compensatory pick due to Kwesi Adofo-Mensah being hired by the Minnesota Vikings as their general manager in 2022.
• DT Siaki Ika fills long-term need for Browns (Jared Mueller) - The Cleveland Browns made two picks in the third round of the 2023 NFL draft. After drafting WR Cedric Tillman, Cleveland got a big, strong receiver to add to their offense. With their second pick in this year’s draft, the Browns went back for more size. This time, it was the defensive line’s turn to get a lot more bulk despite adding a number of players in free agency as well. Let’s take a look at pick No. 98’s player profile.
• Browns Reacts Survey: Are you fine with Cleveland not trading into the first round? (Chris Pokorny) - First off, a disclaimer: I know that this poll may seem a little dumb. However, all 32 teams in the NFL are taking part in a Day 1 SB Nation Reacts poll, and anyone who had a pick is having their fans grade the pick. For teams that didn’t have a first-round pick, they get this question instead. Those teams without a first round pick probably don’t have to wait until the third round, though, having already mortgaged several years of first round picks to acquire Deshaun Watson.
• NFL draft: AFC North and other thoughts from night one (Jared Mueller) - The Cleveland Browns, as expected, did not make a huge trade to get back into the first round of this year’s NFL draft. In order to get that done, the Browns would have had to give up a lot of their draft capital this year as well as at least one starting player. A few other teams didn’t have a selection in night one of the NFL draft but the rest of the league stayed busy Thursday. A few big trades, a few interesting selections and a couple of surprises littered the draft. We start looking at the first night of the NFL draft with the AFC North.

Cleveland Browns:

• Browns add size and toughness to their receiver room in selecting Cedric Tillman (cleveland.com) - Browns assistant GM Catherine Raiche spoke after the Browns selected Cedric Tillman about having more tools in the toolbox for quarterback Deshaun Watson. In drafting Tillman, the Browns selected a receiver built differently from the rest of the receiver room and there’s real benefit to having different body types in a room of utmost importance.
• With salary cap and depth concerns, GM Andrew Berry can’t afford to miss on draft picks this year (Browns Zone) - Entering the draft without a screaming need in the starting 22 is necessary for the Cleveland Browns, who traded their first two picks and aren’t scheduled to select until No. 74 in the third round. But the depth is a concern and raises several questions.
• Cleveland Browns select Tennessee WR Cedric Tillman with No. 74 pick of 2023 NFL Draft (Beacon Journal) - The Browns added more depth and explosiveness to their receiving corps with their first pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, taking University of Tennessee receiver Cedric Tillman in the third round Friday with the 74th overall pick.

NFL:

• Will Levis picked by Tennessee Titans, the only team he fell in love with before NFL draft (The Tennessean) - Will Levis is where he wanted to be. “I told myself I wouldn’t fall in love with anybody throughout this process,” Levis said Friday. “I didn’t have any say in the matter. But, I mean, if there was one team I did it was definitely Tennessee. The Tennessee Titans reciprocated the love, trading up eight spots in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft on Friday to select Levis, the quarterback out of Kentucky, with the No. 33 pick.
• Cardinals GM Monti Ossenfort doesn’t ‘foresee’ trading DeAndre Hopkins (NFL.com) - The Arizona Cardinals made a blur of first-round trades on Thursday night, but not a one included wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins. And according to first-year general manager Monti Ossenfort, it’s unlikely Hopkins will be traded over the course of the 2023 NFL Draft, a possibility which had been widely speculated.
• Giovani Bernard retires: Former Bengals, Buccaneers RB spent 10 seasons in the NFL (CBS Sports) - Veteran NFL running back Giovani Bernard has announced his retirement following a 10-year career. A 2013 second-round pick out of North Carolina, Bernard spent his first eight seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals and his final two years with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
• Eight takeaways from Lamar Jackson’s new contract with the Ravens (The Ringer) - The contentious contract negotiations between the former MVP and the Ravens are over. Here’s what you need to know about Jackson’s record-setting new deal to remain in Baltimore.