With the second of the team’s two third round picks in the 2023 NFL draft, the Cleveland Browns continued rebuilding the defensive line by drafting Baylor defensive tackle Siaki Ika. Last season the team was awful defending the run up the middle and after signing Dalvin Tomlinson the drafting of Ika shows they know they had to fix that.
Ika had a down year in 2022 compared to his tape and play in 2021 which was much better. At 6-foot-3 and nearly 340 pounds when he is on his game he can help shut the run down and occasionally show some pass-rush ability. Let’s take a look at how the overall pick grades out for the Browns.
The production
There wasn’t much production from a statistical standpoint from Ika this season as he finished 2022 with two tackles for a loss and zero sacks. He did knock a couple of passes down with his size and length something you would like to see him do more of at the next level. 2021 was a little better from the production standpoint when he had six tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks.
Strictly from a production standpoint, there isn’t much to talk about with Ika, he does show flashes against the run but regressed in 2021. Hopefully, it works out but the initial feeling is that this is not a good pick.
Production Grade: D
The fit
The Browns only have one starting-caliber defensive tackle on the roster so the need was evident. The team under new defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz is prioritizing fixing the putrid run defense from last year. From that standpoint, you can understand and see that the fit for this player is pretty good when he plays to his ability he can anchor the line with his size and strength.
Ika isn’t a three-down player and that hurts the fit as the Browns don’t have any defensive tackles that can play three downs outside of Tomlinson. However, they needed another run-stuffer to have a quality defense and they accomplished that with this pick.
Fit Grade: B
Siaki Ika is huge. #DawgPound pic.twitter.com/UsjujaCjhV
— Nick Pedone (@NickPedone12) April 29, 2023
The Grade
Overall it’s easy to see why the Browns would want to target a player that can help anchor against the run. Though he shows some flashes he isn’t a great athlete that can consistently make plays in the passing game. Having a one-dimensional player in a really weak position is something to be concerned about.
The run defense did get much better overall this offseason so pairing this move with Tomlinson does make me like this pick more. Time will tell but this pick felt like a reach with some other really talented players on the board.
Overall Grade: C
