The Browns moved up in the fourth round Saturday to grab Houston cornerback Howard Wilson at No. 126 in the 2017 NFL Draft.
Here are five things to know about him.
- In his first and only season as a starter, Wilson made five interceptions, 10 pass breakups, and 54 tackles. He had three picks during his freshman season and one more during his sophomore year, which was cut short at three games because of a torn ACL.
"I just have a natural ability to just take the ball away," Wilson said Saturday. "When I sat the year out, it made me love the game more. It made me cherish it and not take it for granted. It made me take every play like it was my last. I was playing every play like it was my last. Anytime that I had the opportunity to get the ball, that's what I was going to do."
- In Wilson's draft profile, NFL.com's Lance Zierlein wrote Howard — whom he described as a "smooth athlete with excellent length" with a "long history of making plays on the football" — averaged an interception every 15 targets.
- Wilson joins a defensive secondary that includes cornerbacks Joe Haden, Jamar Taylor and first-round pick Jabrill Peppers, whom Wilson said he bonded with during the draft process.
"I know Joe Haden is cold. Just being with him, and we have (first-overall pick) Myles Garrett and then Jabrill Peppers," he said. "I was talking to Jabrill Peppers at the Combine, and me and him have a little chemistry going on because I like the way he plays, and he's seen me play so we were just chopping it up and complimenting each other. Being able to be around those guys is going to be good to change some things around there in Cleveland."
- Pressure? What pressure? Wilson said one-on-one coverage at the next level is something he's looking forward to. "That's my job. I'm supposed to be able to live on an island,' he said, laughing. "Really, I like when quarterbacks throw it my way anyway. I get a better opportunity to get a chance to pick the ball off, and I like getting picks so I like that the league is a passing league."
- Wilson was a two-star prospect coming out of Dallas powerhouse DeSoto High School in DeSoto, Texas.
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