Sumer Sports, a football analytics company, released a trend report showcasing how teams and general managers prioritize age during the NFL draft. Andrew Berry, and the Cleveland Browns, have prioritized younger prospects. Berry inherited the philosophy from Sashi Brown during his tenure as general manager. The “age guardrails” as they’re commonly called by fans have kept the Browns in great shape.
Franchise cornerstones David Njoku and Myles Garrett will be 28 years old during the season. The Browns are still prioritizing younger players. The Browns traded for Jerry Jeudy this offseason, before negotiating a three-year extension with the soon-to-be 25-year-old wide receiver.
andrew berry is the NFL's leonardo dicaprio https://t.co/H8DLZ6lEKh pic.twitter.com/amjpAlsyix
— Tej Seth (@tejfbanalytics) April 15, 2024
Andrew Berry is now notorious for drafting young players. Drafting young players will be a challenge this draft as the 2024 class’s average age is far older than previous classes. This is due to a combination of NIL, the transfer portal, and players getting an extra year due to COVID-19 eligibility. The average age of the class is well over 23 years old. However, 28 of Berry’s 31 draft picks have been younger than 22.
Thankfully, it’s doubtful that there will be an older draft class in the future. It will be interesting to watch Berry manage the draft next week. The Browns have six selections.
