Myles Harden to Browns in NFL draft: Instant grade, analysis, stats for 227th pick
Count Browns General Manager Andrew Berry among the talent evaluators in the world of professional football who believe a team can never have enough cornerbacks. The Browns used their fifth pick of the 2024 NFL draft on the position, selecting South Dakota cornerback Myles Harden in the seventh round (227th overall) Saturday. Below is our instant draft grade on Harden. It would be absurd to render a rapid judgment on him. One of the greatest football coaches of all time, Bill Belichick, recently said he's always graded a player on what he's projected to become in his second year as a pro. So this grade is an evaluation of Harden's fit with the Browns and their strategy, not his talent.
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South Dakota cornerback Myles Harden to Browns NFL draft grade: Instant reaction
Grade: B
Why: The Browns aren't hurting for cornerbacks with three-time Pro Bowl selection Denzel Ward, Martin Emerson Jr. and Greg Newsome II atop Cleveland's depth chart. But injuries always seem to pop up here, giving others opportunities, like the ones 2023 fifth-round pick Cameron Mitchell received last season.
Special teams are crucial to late-round selections making the team, so Harden should expect it to be the case with him this summer. The Athletic draft analyst Dane Brugler assigned Harden a fifth-round grade and evaluated him as a prospect with the requisite traits to compete for a starting nickelback job as a rookie.
The 5-foot-11, 195-pound Harden suffered season-ending injuries in 2021 (broken leg) and 2022 (foot). But he played all 13 games last season as a junior and compiled 58 tackles, seven passes defensed and an interception.
If Berry is going to use seventh-round picks instead of trading them, he might as well take shots at a premium position like cornerback.
In 29 collegiate games, Harden compiled 143 tackles, five forced fumbles, 26 passes defensed and six interceptions.
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This article originally appeared on The Repository: Myles Harden NFL draft grade: Instant analysis of Browns' pick
