Opening statement:
Brown: "Productive Day 2 for us, adding four players, all of whom we are really excited about having be Cleveland Browns here and bringing them into our locker room. The common theme amongst all of these young men is they are really passionate about football, productive in their college careers, high energy guys who will bring some great leadership to our team and to our locker room."
Berry: "We'll start with (LB) Emmanuel Ogbah. Obviously, we're really excited to add him to our outside linebacker unit. He has an exceptional combination of power, speed and athleticism. We think he will be able to add some pass-rush ability to our team. (DL) Carl (Nassib), a really unique story, sort of a self-made college player, a former walk-on who played his way into a scholarship. Obviously, he had a big, big senior year this past season. We love his length, love his motor, love his production. We think he can provide some great interior push for us along our defensive line. To talk a little bit about (OL) Shon Coleman, love his length, his feet, his athleticism. He can really sort of play each tackle spot on our offense. We are really excited to add him to the mix, a good young football player for us. (QB) Cody (Kessler), we are really excited to add him to our quarterback group – one of the most accurate passers in college football, plays a pro style game and I know Hue is happy."
Jackson: "Extremely."
On why the Browns preferred Kessler over other QBs:
Jackson: "Because this guy, young man has pinpoint accuracy. [He had] 88 touchdowns, 19 interceptions over three years. Tremendous, tremendous touchdown-interception ratio, knows how to play in a pro style offense, has a lot of characteristics that we look for in a quarterback. He has great poise, pocket presence, works at the game, comes early, stays late. He is everything that I think you look for in a quarterback. Doing a lot of work on him, it showed that way. At the end of the day, this is a young man who is on our football team. Very excited about him."
On how much of a factor it is that Kessler didn't have perfect measurables:
Jackson: "That's never been the deal for me. It's about playing quarterback – can you play quarterback and win in this league and do you have the characteristics that we feel are very important. When we had an opportunity to keep working through it all, working through our process, Cody Kessler was the guy for us."
On separating how past Southern California quarterbacks have performed and projecting Kessler's ability:
Jackson: "I think that is a great question, but I think what is more important is just putting him in the right environment and giving him a chance to do the things that he does well, just like I think with any quarterback. It is giving him an opportunity to be successful with the environment that you create for them. Every quarterback is not the same. Every quarterback that is in our quarterback room is not the same. My job is to make sure what our coaching staff that we give them an opportunity to do what they do well so that they have an opportunity to win and have an opportunity to compete."
On Shon Coleman's incredible backstory and his battle with leukemia:
Brown: "Not only what he has overcome but who he has been at Auburn. He has been a kid that when our scouts got on campus everybody was talking about as one of the leaders of that program. Great off- and on-field character – again, a common theme amongst the young men that we brought into our locker room over the last couple of days, and we'll add some more like this in the next couple of days. As AB said, in terms of a player, power, agility, great length, potential ability to play both the left and the right side. He is playing left. We will let him come in and probably start competing here at the right side of our offensive line. We love everything about the young man and the fact that he has overcome adversity and really risen as a leader in his program is a testament to his character."
On the first characteristic the Browns consider when evaluating QBs:
Jackson: "Accuracy – can he throw the ball straight and accurate to the person that he is throwing it to. If he can't do that, he can't play in the National Football League very long. He does that as well as anybody, in my opinion, in this draft."
On if Kessler's accuracy stood out to the Browns:
Jackson: "No question."
On if the Browns plan to retain five QBs or if the team will make transactions in the next few days:
Brown: "We don't feel like we need to do anything in the next couple of days. We like the idea of competition. We talked about that when Hue arrived on campus here back in January. That is exactly what we wanted to do, which was breed some competition within our locker room by adding a lot of young men who are passionate about playing the game and not afraid of the competition. We like that. I know all of our guys in our locker room will be excited to add Cody to the mix."
On Kessler's experience in a pro style offense and if the Browns see him as more than just a developmental prospect:
Jackson: "What I think is most important is not to try to see what he is going to be. Let's give him an opportunity to compete and see where he is. Obviously, we are bringing him here for a reason because we think that he has the characteristics that we look for. Hopefully, we are right and he will ascend up the ladder, but he is going to have to compete and earn it and do the things that we think he can do. Again, I think we all know at SC that they play in a lot of different styles. They do play in the I-formation. That was years ago. They are still a kind of spread-out football team and they distribute the ball all around the field. He has had a lot of backgrounds in a lot of different systems, as well. I think this young man is going to compete, but again, he has got to do it, and we are going to give him an opportunity to do it."
On if Shon Coleman is now coming to his own, given he had leukemia and only started for a couple years:
Brown: "We hope that he has a lot of room for development, and we expect that, as all of these men do, but in particular Shon. I also think as he gets into our system, (offensive line coach) Hal Hunter, (assistant offensive line coach) Mark (Hutson), as well and (assistant head coach-offense) Pep (Hamilton) will put him in positions where he can be successful. We do see some upside in him, certainly."
On where Nassib fits in the Browns defense and if there are any concerns that he may be a 'one-year wonder':
Berry: "Ultimately, where Nassib plays is going to be determined by Hue and the defensive staff, but we certainly think he will provide some interior pass rush in our defense. No concerns about him being a one-year wonder. He was one of the most productive players in college football this year, and we think his skillset will translate very effectively at our level."
On if Nassib will play DL or LB:
Jackson: "I see him as an end, and then in a 3-4 scheme, he can do some other things you know, but the guy had 15.5 sacks and he plays extremely hard and it is very important to him. Those are the type of guys we want on campus. I think this 'campus' term has really came out. This is the kind of guy we want on campus because he kind of embodies what I'm looking for. The guy plays the game the way it's supposed to be played, and he's played extremely well at a high level in the Big Ten. At the same time, I know everybody says 'one-year wonders,' and sometimes, it's great to find guys that are one year wonders. You know what I mean? Because there are a lot of different variables that might have caused that. This guy has got the goods. He's got a chance. Again, when we talk about all these guys, every last one of them, we are giving them an opportunity. They have to do it, and we see the characteristics in them that's going to give them a chance to hopefully compete on this football team."
On how extensive was the Browns' pre-draft process for Kessler and how Kessler reacted to the process:
Jackson: "Very. He reacted really well. I got a chance to see him face to face right here in my office for quite a while and spent quite a bit of time with him. Obviously, I have connections at USC. Again, this young man has proven to be exactly what I think he is over his career. You said it, I was at the other young men's workouts. Obviously, they were drafted earlier and they're going to have tremendous careers, but we really think this guy is the right fit for us and for our football team."
On what the urgency was to leave with Kessler tonight in the third round, given analysts expected him to go later:
Jackson: "Because we wanted to add another quarterback to our room, and we thought it was the right time for this guy to be on our football team."
On why Kessler's production dropped from 2014 to 2015:
Jackson: "Coaching change. Coaching change. It makes a huge difference. Anywhere across the National Football League or college football, I think that all affects every man and young man differently. Obviously, you change systems, you do things a little bit different than what you've been accustomed to, but at the same time, he was still very accurate. He almost completed 68 percent of his passes. The guy has had a tremendous career. I understand where everybody is coming from, but you've got to trust me on this one. This is a guy that we feel very comfortable with, and we think he's going to have an opportunity to ascend."
On if Kessler's drop in production helped the Browns get him later in the draft than other talented QBs:
Jackson: "It could be. It could be that's what it is, but that was the right time based on the other guys that were picked before him for our football team. This is where we saw him at and this is where we drafted him at. Hopefully, he's going to do exactly of what I think he's capable of doing."
On if the Browns' picks were a product of analytics or if a players' college production would translate to the NFL, particularly at QB:
Brown: "Really everything we do here is based in traditional methods of scouting, which is watching the tape, getting to the schools and making sure that you feel the player's teammates, his coaches, his academic advisors, as well. That's really the core of our evaluation and then we'll obviously watch the tape from Berea with our coaches and our scouts, as well, to decide which of these gentlemen that are out there that we want to add to our roster. We always want to see a player do what we'd liked him to do in the pros on tape so there's no question in our mind that the fact that a player who was productive in college is something that is an added benefit to us."
On how the Browns determine how to evaluate prospects at pro days, during visits and other opportunities:
Berry: "I'd say it's a function of a number of different things. I'm not going to into specific ordering, but in Emmanuel's case, we had a number of different touches with him throughout the fall and throughout the spring. Even though he may not have had as public of exposure to the three of us up here, he saw plenty of our scouting and coaching staff throughout the fall, throughout the combine process. We met with him in Indianapolis so we feel very comfortable with the player we are bringing aboard."
On the Browns trading the No. 77 selection and if the Browns would have been comfortable selecting Kessler at that spot:
Brown: "We did feel like we could trade back and still get Cody. We were able to execute that and pick up an addition pick."
On if Jaguars LB Myles Jack was in consideration for the Browns in the second round and if it was difficult to watch a player fall due to an injury outside of his control:
Brown: "It is tough. He is a talented young man and a dynamic player in college, obviously, on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball. We wish him the best in Jacksonville."
On if Jack was in the discussion to be drafted:
Brown: "He has always been the discussion really. A player of that caliber is someone that you are always going to talk about."
On if Nassib brought up former Penn State and Texans Head Coach Bill O'Brien's comments that Nassib wouldn't play in the NFL during their phone call tonight:
Jackson: "No, he didn't bring that up (laughter). When we called him, what was really interesting is the guy was so excited to have this opportunity. You can just hear everybody in the background really excited for him, and we are excited to have him here."
On if the Browns intend to draft players with their first two picks to start Day 3 or if a trade is possible:
Brown: "I don't know how many calls will come in. We will explore our options. Again, going home tonight, we feel good about a couple a few guys that will be available to us at No. 99 and No. 100. We will talk again tonight and regroup in the morning and then make our decisions. Obviously, I'm sure there will be some teams that will call just to inquire whether they can trade up to those positions."
On the variety of systems Kessler played for in college:
Jackson: "He probably played in about four different systems. I think (Southern California Head Coach) Clay Helton was a holdover, who called the plays, obviously, but I think he kind of adapted the system the past couple years to fit the other young men who were on the football team. Normally, when you do things, you usually do them around the quarterback. It was a little different for him, but I think he handled it well. Part of it, whether it is the NFL or NCAA, you have to be able to handle the adjustments when things change, and he has done that."
On the ideal number of picks for a complete draft and if 13 players could be too many:
Brown: "I don't think that 13 is too many. I wouldn't say that there is an ideal number that we target. We do like having a number of picks. I wouldn't say there was number that we target to make high or low."
On the overall value of the 2016 draft picks so far:
Brown: "This adds a number of young, passionate, competitive football players who have been tough and productive in their college careers. We think they are going to make great Cleveland Browns for time to come. They will add some competition to our locker room at positions where we wanted to add some talent. Whether it is Corey yesterday or Emmanuel, Carl, Cody today, we felt good about all those guys and Shon, certainly, was someone we did not think would be there at that place in the draft, as well, as some of other teammates here. He will add some pop on the offensive line."
On if Shon Coleman will play guard or a tackle:
Brown: "Tackle, and we will see where it works out."
