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Browns' trio of first-round picks throw out first pitch at Indians game

Mark Townsend
·Yahoo Sports Contributor

It’s almost a tradition now to have NFL draft picks throw out the ceremonial first pitch at Major League Baseball games. That’s especially true of first round picks, as they typically have the most buzz and are certainly being viewed as future stalwarts for their respective teams.

The Cleveland Indians continued that tradition on Friday, inviting the Browns first rounders to Progressive Field for first pitch duties ahead of their game against the Seattle Mariners. When that invitation was extended, however, they probably weren’t expecting to need three catchers for the event.

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The Browns went into Thursday with two first-round because of a previous trade. They used those picks to select defensive stars Myles Garrett out of Texas A&M and Jabrill Peppers out of the University of Michigan. Then, in a surprisingly aggressive move, they landed a third first-round pick in a trade with the Green Bay Packers.

There, Cleveland selected tight end David Njoku from the University of Miami to complete their trifecta.

Cleveland Browns first-round draft picks Myles Garrett (left), Jabrill Peppers (middle) and David Njoku (right) throw out ceremonial first pitches before Friday's Indians game at Progressive Field. (AP)
Cleveland Browns first-round draft picks Myles Garrett (left), Jabrill Peppers (middle) and David Njoku (right) throw out ceremonial first pitches before Friday’s Indians game at Progressive Field. (AP)

So far the Browns front office is getting high grades for its draft strategy. We’ll do the same for all three players as they confidently fired toward home plate.

Granted, the pitches may not have been strikes, but at least they all made it.

And really, all Cleveland fans are hoping for is three draft picks that don’t completely whiff. That’s pretty much the Browns reputation when it comes to the draft, so there’s obviously a low bar. They don’t have to all be home runs for the Browns first round to be considered a success, but there could sure use two singles and a double.

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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at bigleaguestew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!