O-H-I-O ONCE AGAIN IN CLEVELAND

By STEVE KING

So often in the expansion era, for whatever goofy reason, the Browns have shied away from taking Ohio State players in the NFL Draft.

I have a couple hunches as to why, such as there have been all kinds of Browns decision-makers who wanted to prove that they knew more than anyone else – that they were the smartest guys in the room. What everybody saw in all the talent in Columbus, those geniuses saw something different.

Ugh.

Whatever the case, it has happened. You can look it up.

As such, when I saw that Ohio State defensive tackle Tommy Togiai was still on the board on Saturday as the third and final day of the NFL Draft in Cleveland began with the fourth round, I got excited. This young man can play. I saw it – you saw it, everybody saw it – on all those Saturdays.

Did the Browns hold that same opinion of Togiai? And if they did, would they make the move on him if they had the chance? For that matter, though, would he even still be there on the board for them to take?

Yes.

Yes.

And yes.

Thankfully so in each case.

With all that, then, Togiai is a Brown, having been picked in the fourth round.

Take that, Eric Mangini, wherever you are.

The Browns went into the draft needing help – depth — at defensive tackle, and they got it with Togiai. A team is never going to go wrong selecting linemen on either side of the ball. That’s where good clubs are built, and in the case of the Browns now, maintained.

Speaking of that, earlier in the fourth round, with their first pick of the day, the Browns took another lineman, swing offensive tackle James Hudson of Cincinnati, where his head coach was former Ohio State nose tackle, assistant coach and head coach Luke Fickell.

You just can’t keep those Buckeyes down. They’re everywhere.

And now also in Cleveland.

Finally.

Tommy Togiai’s first order of business is to thank Browns General Manager Andrew Berry. His second is to seek out and say hello to his new defensive teammate, former Buckeye, and cornerback, Denzel Ward, who slipped through the cracks.