The Cleveland Browns went chalk by taking a quarterback with the first overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. However, they took many by surprise when they selected former Ohio State cornerback Denzel Ward with the fourth overall pick rather than NC State defensive end Bradley Chubb.

Needless to say, general manager John Dorsey has caught some flak for the decision. According to Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, he explained why Ward graded out equally to Chubb:

“We’ve totally upgraded the secondary there with unrestricted free agent acquisitions and trades,” Dorsey said. “And then we attacked it also in the draft. I’m very pleased with Denzel Ward, great kid, loves the game of football, wonderful family. Now he’s got the physical features you look for in a shutdown corner.

“He’s got the long vertical speed, he’s got sudden-area explosive quickness that you like in those types of players, he’s got great ball skills. And I see his ceiling of growth, I see it as really high. You know when you get players from Ohio State University, you know you’re going to get guys that really like to play the game.”

Since both players received the same grade, it simply came down to a matter of need for the Browns. Since they already exhausted last year's No. 1 overall pick on defensive end Myles Garrett, they decided to shore up the secondary with Ward.

Cleveland has brought in a number of pieces to their cornerback group this offseason. However, the depth chart is hardly set in stone at the moment. He will be competing with the likes of Jamar Taylor and EJ Gaines for a starting job in training camp.

One player who is also happy about the decision is Garrett himself. Although he acknowledged Chubb's talent as a pass-rusher, he felt he and defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah have a good system going already. Now that Ward is in the mix, Garrett and Ogbahwill be able to see it through.