Cleveland Browns 2015-2017 DB - Denzel Ward (2017 All-American, 3x Pro Bowl)

Denzel Ward, the next great @OhioStateFB defender in the NFL? pic.twitter.com/BZlQtnVG1z

— PFF (@PFF) April 20, 2018

 

Denzel Ward arrives in Berea.https://t.co/UYh7pMcDi5

— Eleven Warriors (@11W) April 27, 2018

 

☑️ Ohio born
☑️ Ohio developed
☑️ Ohio pro

What does continuing his football career in the great state of Ohio mean to the @Browns' @denzelward?#GoBucks #DevelopedHere #DawgPound pic.twitter.com/rW6wYPBSsS

— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) April 28, 2018

 

With the fourth pick in the first round of the 2018 #NFLDraft, the Cleveland Browns select Denzel Ward, CB, Ohio State pic.twitter.com/igaHYUV9wU

— PFF (@PFF) April 27, 2018

 

Not many sub-6-foot CBs get drafted as high as @denzelward.

Then again, not everyone's Denzel Ward.@Eric_Edholm discusses why the @OhioStateFB standout made sense for the @Browns. pic.twitter.com/BcZiesqZEq

— Ohio State on BTN (@OhioStateOnBTN) April 29, 2018

 

Cleveland Browns defensive coordinator Gregg Williams on why they drafted Denzel Ward over Bradley Chubb: https://t.co/J9XSZ9OIAP pic.twitter.com/xI2KKhfOMX

— Eleven Warriors (@11W) April 30, 2018

 

Denzel Ward, CB, Cleveland Browns (Round 1, No. 4 overall pick)

Even though he was one of the first four players selected in the entire draft, Ward won’t simply be handed a starting job by the Browns. The Browns’ roster already included five veteran cornerbacks who started at least seven games for various teams last season – T.J. Carrie, Jamar Taylor, E.J. Gaines, Terrance Mitchell and Briean Boddy-Calhoun – so all of them will be competing for a spot on the top row of the depth chart, too.

With that being said, Ward should certainly have every opportunity to beat out those cornerbacks and earn a starting job or even become the Browns’ No. 1 cornerback right off the bat, given how highly he was selected. Ward is more talented than any of those cornerbacks, and the Browns wouldn’t have drafted him with the No. 4 overall pick if they didn’t feel like they needed to upgrade their lineup at the position.

Dominant in coverage in his final season at Ohio State, earning consensus All-American honors in the process, Ward is arguably a better prospect going into the league than former Buckeye teammate Marshon Lattimore was last year – and Lattimore went on to win Defensive Rookie of the Year honors for the New Orleans Saints. Already a technically sound player possessing elite speed, it’s well within the realm of possibility that Ward could make his own run at that award this season.

 

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#Browns No. 4 overall pick Denzel Ward expected to sit out 2nd rookie minicamp practice today with hip flexor, but it's precautionary https://t.co/F8qRdfUB3T

— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) May 5, 2018

 

Denzel Ward used one of his first NFL paychecks to pay off his mom's mortgage for Mother's Day.https://t.co/dJSOVutJ3c

— Saturday Out West (@satoutwest) May 16, 2018