MOBILE, Ala. – As Executive Vice President of Football Operations and General Manager Andrew Berry sat in the stands at Hancock Whitney Stadium watching the practices of the American and National teams, he continued his evaluation of draft prospects.
The Reese’s Senior Bowl not only gives draft prospects an opportunity to showcase their talent, but also a chance for NFL personnel and scouts to see players up close. With the Browns holding the No. 2 overall pick and nine total picks in the 2025 NFL Draft, the Reese’s Senior Bowl allows Berry and his staff to continue their evaluations.
Berry said that each fall he goes out on the scouting trail to see different players across all positions live. Yet, he can’t get to every player during the collegiate season, which is where events like the Senior Bowl help in the process.
“It’s incredibly helpful because there’s just no way to see everyone during the fall, so you get to see the guys live,” Berry said to a small group of reporters. “The other thing is this week we’re fortunate with Bubba (Ventrone) being the head coach of (the American team) and Jacques (Cesaire) being the defensive coordinator (of the National team) we probably get a little bit more insight into these guys in terms of how they are in the meeting room, how they treat the support staff – all things that factor in to our ultimate evaluation.”
The Browns and Berry are in a bit of a different position for the 2025 offseason than recent offseasons. Holding the No. 2 overall pick tweaks the offseason process as they work through their plans not only for free agency, but also the draft.
Over the next three months, Berry and his staff will continue their evaluations and work through their strategic direction. Free agency can have a bit of an effect on the draft process – especially with a high first-round pick. Berry said generally, their approach going into free agency is the idea that they could go into the draft with the ability to line up and play at their known spots, in order to not be influenced by need. They want to make the best long-term decisions for the organization. Berry explained that they are taking the longer-term focus with the 2025 offseason as whole, more so in the past two offseasons, which might alter their approach.
While Berry is in his first situation as a general manager with a Round 1 quarterback search, he’s had experience throughout his career of being on staffs that made high first-round picks and quarterback decisions. Berry said he feels he has a good handle on the process.
He said there also isn’t necessarily a set timeline of when they know who they will take in the draft.
“The truth is it kind of happens when it happens,” Berry said.