Breaking: Browns sign five draft picks, seven undrafted free agents….

With rookie minicamp this weekend, the Browns have taken care of several business items on Friday morning.

Cleveland announced the team has signed five of its six draft picks, starting with third-round selection Zak Zinter.

Zinter, a guard out of Michigan, was the No. 85 overall pick in this year’s draft.

Fifth-round receiver Jamari Thrash, sixth-round linebacker Nathaniel Watson, seventh-round cornerback Myles Harden, and seventh-round defensive tackle Jowon Briggs have also signed their four-year rookie deals.

Cleveland’s only remaining pick yet to sign is second-round defensive tackle Michael Hall Jr.

The Browns also signed seven undrafted free agents: guard Javion Cohen, safety Christopher Edmonds, cornerback Tyshawn Gales, linebacker Winston Reid, running back Aidan Robbins, offensive tackle Lorenzo Thompson, and tight end Treyton Welch.

 

 

The Cleveland Browns announced their rookie signings as rookie minicamp begins in Berea this weekend.

BEREA, Ohio — As the Cleveland Browns begin their rookie minicamp in Berea this weekend, the Browns officially announced the newest members of the team. In addition to the six players drafted by the Browns in the 2024 NFL Draft, reports had surfaced that as many as nine undrafted rookie free agents had been signed.

The Browns announced that they had signed five of their six draft picks from the 2024 NFL Draft and seven undrafted free agents. The group of undrafted free agents is comprised of four offensive players and three defensive players. Two players reported as having signed with the Browns, wide receiver Ahmarean Brown and and center Jalen Sundell were not on the list.

The Browns also invited seven players on a tryout basis including, quarterback Jacob Sirmon, safety Chase Williams, safety Brady Breeze, wide receiver Jourdan Townsend, linebacker Landon Honeycutt, wide receiver Clevan Thomas and wide receiver Tyrese Chambers.

The team also announced that the Browns had waived center Dawson Deaton with a failed physical designation, as previously reported.

The only unsigned draft choice is top pick, defensive tackle, Michael Hall, who was selected in the second-round (54th overall) from Ohio State.

The draft picks signed were:

Zak Zinter — (G –Michigan– 3rd round– No. 85 overall)

Appeared in 45 games (42 starts) along the offensive line during his collegiate career at Michigan (2020-23)…Unanimous first-team All-American in 2023…Voted team captain by teammates in 2023…Three-time All-Big Ten selection (2021-23)…Started all 12 games in 2023 and helped the Wolverines make a run to win the College Football Playoff National Championship…Part of a Wolverines offensive line that won the Joe Moore Award as the nation’s top unit in 2021 and 2022…A native of North Andover, Mass. and attended Buckingham Browne and Nichols School prep school…He will wear No. 70.

Jamari Thrash — (WR — Louisville– 5th round — No. 156 overall)

First name is pronounced juh-MAR-ee…Appeared in 49 games at 28 starts with Georgia State (2019-22) and Louisville (2023), tallying 167 receptions for 2,610 receiving yards and 18 receiving touchdowns…In 2023, was named second team All-ACC after leading the Cardinals with 63 receptions, 858 receiving yards and six touchdowns…While at Georgia State, led the Sun Belt in receiving yards (1,122) in 2022 and named first team All-Sun Belt Conference…A LaGrange, Ga. native attended Troup County High School…He will wear No. 80.

2023 AP SEC Defensive Player of the Year appeared in 57 games with 46 starts at Mississippi State (2018-23)…Registered 379 tackles, 21 sacks, two interceptions and seven passes defensed in collegiate career…Led the SEC in total tackles (137) and sacks (10) in 2023…Became the first SEC player to lead the conference in both tackles and sacks in the same season…Finished second in the SEC with 113 tackles and a team-leading 12 sacks in 2022…A native of Maplesville, Ala. and attended Maplesville High School…He will wear No. 40.

Myles Harden — (CB — South Dakota — 7th round — No. 227 overall)

Appeared in 29 games with 28 starts at South Dakota (2020-23), recording 143 total tackles, six interceptions, 20 pass breakups, four fumble recoveries and five forced fumbles…Named third team AP FCS All-American and first team All-Missouri Valley Football Conference in 2023…Finished junior season tied for fourth in the FCS in forced fumbles with four…Also led the team with three interceptions and was named second team All-Missouri Valley Football Conference…A Miami Gardens, Fla. native and attended Miramar High School where he also lettered in track…He will wear No. 26.

Jowon Briggs — (DT — Cincinnati — 7th round No. 243 overall)

First name is pronounced JOE-whan…Appeared in 59 games with Virginia (2019-20) and Cincinnati (2021-23), recording 170 tackles and 12 sacks in his career…Voted a team captain for the Bearcats in 2023…Started all 12 games during senior campaign, earning honorable mention All-Big 12 Conference honors…Was named first team All-American Athletic Conference in 2022, starting all 13 games in his first season with the Bearcats…A native of Cincinnati, Ohio and attended Walnut Hills High School…Married to wife, Nyaje, and has three children: Jowon, Reine and Zane…He will wear No. 53.

First pronounced JAY-viy-ahn…Spent time at Alabama (2021-23) before transferring to Miami (Fla.) for the 2023 season…Served as one of the top performers on the offensive line, earning All-ACC Honorable Mention for the Hurricanes in 2023…Played a key role in the Hurricanes’ offensive line that was named to midseason honor roll for Joe Moore Award, honoring the nation’s top unit…Appeared in 42 career games with 36 starts…Majored in American Studies…Native of Phenix City, Ala. and attended Central High School.

Christopher Edmonds — (6-2, 210, S — Arizona State)

Started his collegiate career at Samford (2019-21) before transferring to Arizona State (2022-23)…Appeared in 24 games at Arizona State, posting 121 tackles, three interceptions and eight passes defensed…Finished the 2023 season fifth on the team in tackles, while leading the team with three interceptions…Played 27 games at Samford, recording 83 tackles, eight interceptions and ten passes defensed…Named first team All-SoCon and was a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award for the top defensive player in all of FCS football in 2021…Graduated from Arizona State in spring 2023 with a bachelor’s degree in liberal studies…Native of Phenix City, Ala. and prepped at Brookstone School in Columbus, Ga., where he played both wide receiver and defensive back.

Dyshawn Gales (5-10, 188, CB, South Dakota State)

First name pronounced DEE-shawn…Played 64 games at South Dakota State (2018-23), recording 154 tackles, nine interceptions and 30 passes defensed…Led the team with four interceptions and ranked second with six pass breakups in 2022…Voted a team captain in 2023…Named first team All-Missouri Valley Football Conference in 2022 and was a five time MVFC Academic Honor Roll honoree…Majored in physical education/teacher education…Native of North Chicago, Ill. and attended North Chicago Community High School where he was selected as an Academic All-Star in both football and basketball.

Winston Reid (6-0, 225, LB, Weber State)

Played in 47 career games for Weber State (2017-2023) where he began as a walk-on, totaled 281 career tackles, 28.5 tackles for loss and added seven sacks throughout his collegiate career…Finished second in Weber State history in career solo tackles with 170…Named a team captain in 2022, earning All-American honors and first-team All-Big Sky honors…Finished eighth in the nation in tackles at 10.7 per game in 2023… Native of St. George, Utah and attended Copper Hills High School.

 

Lorenzo Thompson (6-6, 305, OT, Rhode Island)

Appeared in 46 games at Rhode Island (2018-23), finishing his collegiate career with 37 consecutive starts…Elected a team captain by his teammates in 2023…Earned Phil Steele Third Team All-American, All-CAA Football First Team, and New England Football Writers Association All-New England Team honors in 2023 and All-CAA Football Third Team in 2022…Native of Syracuse, N.Y. and attended Cicero North High School.

Treyton Welch (6-4, 240, TE, Wyoming)

Appeared in 49 career games at Wyoming (2019-23), recording 77 receptions, 874 receiving yards and nine touchdowns…In his final season at Wyoming, Welch totaled 31 receptions, 308 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 9.9 yards per catch…Earned First Team All-Mountain West honors (PFF), Third Team All-American (Phil Steele) and Honorable Mention by Mountain West head coaches and media, he also earned academic All-Mountain West honors in 2023…Native of Buffalo, Minn. and attended Buffalo High School, where he set nearly every receiving record.

Aidan Robbins (6-2, 237, RB, Brigham Young)

Played his final collegiate year at BYU (2023), after transferring from UNLV (2022) and Louisville (2019-2021)… Totaled 1,703 yards from scrimmage, 12 touchdowns and 30 receptions in his career…Started in all 11 of his games with UNLV, leading the team in rushing with 209 carries for 1,011 yards and nine touchdowns in 2022…Started in seven of his eight appearances for the Cougars in 2023, totaling 518 scrimmage yards and one touchdown, and averaging 64.8 scrimmage yards per game…Graduated from Louisville in 2022 with a degree in business marketing…Native of Louisville, Ky. and attended DuPont Manual High School.