The Cleveland Browns have made their second selection of the night, and second in the third round of the NFL draft. Like their first pick, the team added to their defense. With the 78th pick in the 2022 NFL draft, the Browns selected defensive end Alex Wright out of UAB.
Wright, mentioned this morning in a mock draft, is a tall, strong defender with a lot of upside. At almost 6’6″ and 270 pounds, Wright gives the Cleveland defensive line another huge presence. With Myles Garrett on one side and Jadeveon Clowney expected to return on the other, but not yet signed, Wright fits the mold the team prefers at defensive end.
If Clowney does return, Wright will join Chase Winovich and Curtis Weaver in the team’s rotation.
Pro Football Focus ranked Wright very high in several important categories:
Alex Wright grading percentiles
Pass Rush Grade: 96th
True Pass Rush: 98th
w/o PA: 96th
Win %: 97th
Run D: 92nd
Run Stop %: 99th#Browns— John Kosko (@JohnKosko3) April 30, 2022
Sports Information Systems also rated him quite high as a pass rusher.
In three seasons with the Blazers, Wright had 11.5 sacks including six last year. He also added three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and five passes defended.
The Browns have one more selection currently scheduled for Friday night, the 99th selection acquired as a compensatory pick when Kwesi Adofo-Mensah was hired as the Minnesota Vikings general manager. The team has three selections in the fourth round on Saturday as well.