Browns' Rookies Who Will Make Instant Impact in 2024 Season
The Cleveland Browns built out roster depth with their 2024 NFL draft picks.
The Browns did not appear on the clock until the 54th overall selection as a result of the Deshaun Watson trade.
The good news is Cleveland has its natural first-round pick in 2025, but before we even talk about that, the Browns need to get production out of their current rookie class.
Michael Hall was chosen in the second round to add depth to a defensive line full of veteran players. The same with third-round pick Zak Zinter on the offensive line.
Perhaps the most intriguing pick was Jamari Thrash, who can add more speed to a deep wide receiver room.
Michael Hall
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Michael Hall is expected to provide depth to a defensive line group that is not getting any younger.
Dalvin Tomlinson, Shelby Harris and Maurice Hurst can provide Hall with some valuable expertise throughout training camp so that he is ready to make an impact right away.
Hall may carry more expectations than other second-round picks because he was the Browns' first selection in 2024.
Cleveland needs all of its draft picks to make some sort of impact to prove it can mine the draft for talent despite not having a first-round selection.
Hall's off-the-ball quickness is his best trait, and if that shows in training camp, he could take over one of the starting roles on the interior.
Jamari Thrash
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Jamari Thrash has the potential to be the most impactful Browns draft pick because of the position he plays.
Thrash will likely start training camp as either the No. 4 or No. 5 wide receiver on the depth chart.
Amari Cooper and Jerry Jeudy are locked into the top two spots on the depth chart. There is room for growth because Elijah Moore did not have the best 2023 and Cedric Tillman only had 244 receiving yards in his rookie campaign last year.
The 6-foot, 180-pound fifth-round pick was the standout in Louisville's passing game last season, a run that helped him prove he belonged at the power-five level after a transfer from Georgia State.
Thrash averaged over 13.5 yards per catch in all four of his seasons between Georgia State and Louisville.
His ability to extend plays and get open across the middle could put him on the field more often than Moore, Tillman or David Bell in 2024.
Zak Zinter
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The Browns only had three picks in the first five rounds.
There is no guarantee the trio of sixth-and-seventh-round picks make the 53-man roster, so Zak Zinter may make the third-best rookie impact by default.
However, it will be hard for Zinter to get on the field right away.
The third-round pick out of Michigan is coming off a serious leg injury and he is stuck behind a handful of veterans on the offensive line, no matter which position he projects at.
Zinter can be useful in spot-start duty and in run-heavy situations, but the hope for Browns fans is that he does not appear much because if he does that would mean yet another long-term injury to the offensive line.
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