Browns draft CB Greg Newsome II at No. 26 overall in the NFL Draft, 15 hours after Andrew Berry’s wife delivers their 3rd child

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Browns GM Andrew Berry’s day began with his wife, Brittan, giving birth to their third child, Eden Ruth, at 8:10 in the morning, and ended more than 15 hours later with him drafting a babe in the woods at No. 26 in Greg Newsome II, who won’t be old enough to buy a beer until May 18th.

But if all goes as planned and Berry wasn’t too bleary-eyed to make the pick, Eden and her two toddler brothers Zion and Kairo will grow up watching Newsome lockdown his side of the field for the next decade or so.

“Before we get started on Greg, it’s obviously been a very memorable day in the Berry household, so I want to just take a little bit of time just to ….give a shoutout to my wife Brittan who’s a trooper, and then just say hi to my new baby girl, Eden,’’ Berry said on a video conference. “It’s been a whirlwind of a day but a really, really positive one for my family.’’

Berry, who was up most of the night before the draft after Brittan went into labor in the wee hours of the morning, admitted, “I’m running on pure adrenaline right now.”

From her hospital bed, Brittan tweeted, “Well, if you are wondering who the real first round pick is of the 2021 NFL Draft… Meet Eden. Came on Draft Day, exactly like we asked her NOT to.”

But landing Newsome (6-1,190), the cornerback out of Northwestern, was just what the doctor ordered.

“He fits really our profile for the Cleveland Browns,’’ Berry said. “He was a multi-year producer in a Power Five conference, a great physical talent. He’s one of the youngest guys in the draft class despite how much he accomplished at the college level, and he fits the smart, tough, accountable profile that we want out of our players.’’

He also brings enough swagger to rival that of Baker Mayfield.

“The way I feel is if I’m not the first pick of the draft, then everyone made a mistake,’’ Newsome II said. “I could’ve been picked second overall, and I still would have had a chip on my shoulder. I am just ready to work, and I will always keep that chip on my shoulder definitely.”

What Newsome’s drafting means for Greedy Williams

Newsome, the fourth cornerback off board, re-iterated that ‘I’m still the best cornerback in the draft,’ but is confident he landed in the right spot. The corners drafted ahead of him were South Carolina’s Jaycee Horn, Alabama’s Patrick Surtain, and Virginia Tech’s Caleb Farley, in whom the Browns also showed a lot of interest.

“Where do I think I should’ve gone? I think I should’ve gone to Cleveland,’’ he said. “With my confidence, I think I should’ve gone to Jacksonville at No.1. [But] This is the place that God has put me in, and this is exactly where I was supposed to fall.”

Newsome, who had the lowest passer-rating against in the FBS, will press Greedy Williams for the starting job opposite Denzel Ward, but will get a lot of playing time regardless. The Browns’ second-round pick in 2019, Williams is coming off nerve damage in his shoulder that cost him all of 2020, but is making great progress.

“Really this pick has no reflection or bearing on Greedy,’’ Berry said. “From our perspective, cornerback is a group where we want to be deep and we want to have a lot of guys who can cover. I think we saw the value of having really good cover corners last year, and that is an area where we want to be deep over time. That has no reflection whatsoever on Greedy’s recovery or our faith in him.”

Newsome had some nagging injuries of his own that cost him three games each year at Northwestern, but nothing that scared the Browns off.

“Our medical staff and our orthopedic staff were very comfortable with it,’’ Berry said. “Look, he was a little bit banged up, but this is also a guy who started since his true freshman year. Quite honestly, he’s 20 years old on draft day so he’s still really kind of growing into his body and growing into his frame.’’

In fact, Newsome is one of the 10 or 15 youngest players in the draft despite having three years of what Berry described as high-level production.

“That’s something that you just typically do not see for very many players in any given draft class,’’ Berry said.

Likewise, Berry isn’t concerned about Newsome grabbing only one interception in his 21 games, including 18 starts.

“I wouldn’t necessarily read into that,’’ he said. “He was still a pretty significant ball producer. I want to say (LA Rams CB) Jalen Ramsey may have had one or two picks in his college career. Part of it is just the coverage and the technique they may be playing may not necessarily always be conducive to high interception totals. One of the things that we do like about Greg is he can find the ball and ultimately play the ball down the field.”

One of the things the Browns liked best was that he was well-rounded, especially for his age.

“Obviously, he has the size, length and speed (4.38 in the 40) that we bet probably every team wants at the position, but here’s a guy who can play press effectively. They played a heavy dose of zone and off-man at Northwestern, which he was able to do effectively, and he makes plays on the ball.

“Even then, he is tough in run support. What we liked is that from our perspective, there was not a major discernible hole within his skillset, and he has a high level of competency across all areas that we value with the cornerback position.”

Newsome also impressed Berry with his high football acumen.

“It was really his intelligence and his mastery of the defensive system at Northwestern and not just his role but roles across the secondary,’’ Berry said. “He could really kind of walk through everything almost reflexively.’’

ESPN’s Daniel Jeremiah had Newsome going No. 20 to his hometown Bears in his final mock.

“Newsome is a tall, agile cornerback,’’ NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah wrote in his top 150 evaluation. “He played a lot of off coverage in Northwestern’s scheme. He stays crouched in his pedal and is always under control. He’s fluid when he opens up to turn and carry vertical routes. He stays in phase and he can locate/play the ball.

“He doesn’t have an explosive plant/drive, but he does have the awareness to anticipate throws. He has excellent instincts versus the run and pass. Against the run, he will hang on blocks too long at times, but he is a solid tackler once he frees himself. I expect Newsome to develop into a reliable starting cornerback very early in his NFL career.’’

Newsome’s value to the Browns increased as the draft wore on. The Bengals drafted LSU premier receiver Ja’Mar Chase at No. 5 and the Ravens drafted Minnesota’s Rashod Bateman at No. 27. The Steelers took Alabama running back Najee Harris at No. 24.

“You look at our competitors in the AFC North, three good young players entered our division tonight,’’ Berry said. “Certainly, kudos to those organizations, and we’re going to have our hands full.’’

Newsome, who exuded personality during his introductory video conference, described himself off-the-field as “one of the nicest, sweetest guys. On the field, I flip a switch. I’m a competitor. I hate to lose. I do have that chip. Even at practice I play so hard all the time. I think I was slept on and I still think I am — in this draft, in college football.’’

Newsome prides himself on not giving up a pass over 20 yards in six games in 2020, and of the dozen or so he did surrender, only one was longer than 10 yards.

“There’s really no secret,’’ Newsome said. “Starts with the mentality. I’m a very confident player and I think if I eliminate those deep routes nobody is gonna beat us.’’

Newsome joins a completely overhauled defense that has seen the addition of defensive ends Jadeveon Clowney and Takk McKinley, safety John Johnson III, cornerback Troy Hill, and defensive tackle Malik Jackson. They’ll will also welcome back Andrew Billings (opt-out), Williams and Grant Delpit (ruptured). The secondary alone has five new faces, including Newsome.

“I know I’m heading into a very competitive room, ’’ he said. “All of those guys are studs, starting off with (CB) Denzel Ward. That’s somebody I honestly mirror my game after a little bit. It will definitely be great to learn from a guy like him and a guy like Greedy. He was a top pick, as well. He has a lot to prove this season and things like that.

“I love going into rooms that are just competitive. That’s something I live for. Obviously, a guy like John Johnson , he is a stud, as well. I’m definitely going into a secondary that has a lot of swagger. I just can’t wait to play with those guys.’’

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