The list of Andrew Berry's resounding NFL Draft "hits" during his time as general manager of the Cleveland Browns is a short one.
2021 second-round pick Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah. End list.
There are cases to be made for that same year's first-round pick Greg Newsome II as well; however, he hasn't been nearly as consistent a player as JOK and is unlikely to earn a second contract from the franchise. Similarly, 2020 second-round pick Grant Delpit has become a regular starter on the back end of the defense and did earn that second contract.
Making matters worse, Owusu-Koramoah is already slated to miss the 2025 season with a serious neck injury. No one knows if Berry's slam-dunk of a pick will ever play football again.
The rest of his draft selections consist of numerous failed receiver projects, a major first-round flop in Jedrick Wills Jr., an assortment of developmental second and third-day guys (some who are still with the team) and a handful of players from the last two drafts who are too early to judge.
Browns owner Jimmy Haslam didn't mince words at the league's annual owners' meetings back in March, making it clear that the 2025 NFL Draft was going to be a critical one for the organization. To take it a step further, it's most critical for Andrew Berry. Bluntly, his job could very well depend on the success of this latest class.
With seven players in tow from this year's draft, Berry needs at least three to turn into foundational players for the rebuilding Browns. Three or more hits would go a long way in changing the narratives that exist out there about his deficiencies as a talent evaluator and selector.
DT Mason Graham has to be one of them. When you take a player No. 5 overall, they are expected to be great. Considering that Berry passed on two-way star Travis Hunter at No. 2 overall to end up with Graham instead, there's even more pressure for Graham to become one of those slam dunks for Berry.
Second-round running back Quinshon Judkins has a chance to be another hit for the team as the lead back of a new-look running back room that also includes rookie Dylan Sampson. With the Browns getting back to the basics of Kevin Stefanski's wide zone offense, Judkins seems destined to make an immediate impact and be the beating heart of the offense.
There's also Carson Schwesinger, expected to be JOK's replacement in the middle of the defense. Can lightning strike twice for Berry at the linebacker position? Don't forget about TE Harold Fannin Jr., who seemed poised for a major role in the passing game, considering the Browns lack of experience at wide receiver.
Cleveland's 2025 draft class has a legitimate chance to be Berry's greatest work so far. If one of the two quarterbacks he selected in Dillon Gabriel or Shedeur Sanders turns out to be the franchise signal caller they've long coveted, it would becoe his Sistine Chapel.
That's a big if, though. The odds are against either QB reaching that stratosphere, especially if each only plays a handful of games this season. That aforementioned trade involving the No. 2 overall pick set up Berry to potentially select his real franchise QB next year, with two first-rounders at his disposal.
That is the decision that will make or break Berry's future in Cleveland. Like all GMs, Berry will be judged by the QB he attaches himself to. Right now, he's tied to Deshaun Watson in what is destined to go down as the worst trade in NFL history.
The 2025 class can help mend Berry's reputation. Emerging from the Watson disaster with a truly elite QB will ultimately determine how history remembers his tenure with the Browns.
