The NBA Draft is on Thursday and it seems the Cleveland Browns caught the bug of talking about basketball potential.
In a hilarious experiment, Zac Johnson of The Athletic got together with tight end Demetrius Harris and safety Damarious Randall to talk about which Browns would be top picks in a basketball draft of the Cleveland roster.
The first pick, well, it was the most obvious. Harris picked himself, which might be more than an ego pick. Harris fits the mold of someone like Antonio Gates or Jimmy Graham, finding his way into the NFL after a successful college basketball career. At the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, he posted 12 double-doubles in 2013.
Along with his hoop skills, Harris has the ability to bully smaller guys with his 6-foot-7, 230-pound frame.
“I gotta be the first pick. It’s disrespect if I’m not the first pick,” Harris said. “This is a little tough. I haven’t been here that long. I haven’t really hooped with these guys. No offense to Myles, but I’m the No. 1 pick.”
Johnson picked defensive end Myles Garrett next, who’s no stranger to being a top pick. The Browns took him No. 1 overall in 2017. However, the Texas A&M product wasn’t happy about not going first overall, saying that “Demetrius messed up” by picking himself.
“I caught an alley-oop off of a back-cut,” Garrett told Johnson. “I dunked it right on the guy who was trying to guard me. It was game point, too. ”
Harris then picked his co-captain, Randall — who’s out of Arizona State — with his next pick. Randall described himself as a feisty “Patrick Beverly” type of player.
GettyCleveland Browns wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr.
Odell Beckham Jr. came off the board in the third round, getting picked by Randall, who is confident the Browns’ new pass-catcher “is good at everything.”
Round No. 5 was the most surprising, with both sides picking offensive lineman — Joel Bitonio for Jackson, and center JC Tretter for the team of Harris-Randall.
The NBA Draft is scheduled for Thursday in New York. Zion Williamson is expected to be the No. 1 overall pick and go to the New Orleans Pelicans.
If this whole No. 1 pick thing doesn’t work out, Williamson is an NBA player that would likely make a swift transition to the NFL with his heaps of athleticism to go with his 6-foot-7, 285-pound frame. He’d have more than enough hops to dunk on the goal posts after hauling in a pass from Baker Mayfield.
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Browns Ballers: Cleveland Players Create ‘NBA Draft’ With Teammates