On Twitter there’s been a joke for the last few years that the AFC North should be nicknamed AFC Norman, due to the sheer number of Oklahoma Sooners are littered across all four teams. Well, that statement will be proven correct again as the Cleveland Browns added yet another Oklahoma Sooner to their ranks with he selection of defensive end Isaiah Thomas in the seventh round with the 233rd overall pick.
Welcome to Cleveland, @isaiahthomas95! pic.twitter.com/byLWqDGEj7
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) April 30, 2022
Thomas, the Sooners leader in sacks last year, joins Perrion Winfrey and Mike Woods as Sooners turned browns today alone. Cleveland was in an absolute logjam of a spot where they basically had to spent their remaining draft capital that wasn’t shipped off in the trade for DeShaun Watson on defensive linemen as they virtually had no depth there at all. With Winfrey and now Thomas, they have two proven disruptors along the defensive front to add to their superstar defensive end in Myles Garrett. For his career at Oklahoma, Thomas finished with 81 tackles, 26.5 TFLs, 18.5 sacks, four FF, three FR that largely came in his final season as he hardly played much his first three years at OU.
While Isaiah Thomas isn’t the most athletic of players, he’s smart, has a high motor, no character issues and will compete every snap as if it’s his last. He also has the added versatility to kick inside and rush the passer from the interior making way for rushers with a little more bend and burst to occupy the outside. In short, he’s exactly the type of player to build with.