Wright has the potential to play multiple positions along the defensive line.
The Cleveland Browns signed defensive end Alex Wright on Thursday.
The Browns selected Wright in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft with the No. 78 overall selection.
We have signed 7 of the 9 players in our 2022 draft class
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) May 12, 2022
According to Over the Cap’s rookie pool estimate, Wright’s contract will have a total value of $5.54 million with a signing bonus of $1.2 million. His base salary for 2022 will be $705,000 with a cap hit of just over $1 million.
The 6-foot-5 and 271-pound Wright played in 31 games at the University of Alabama-Birmingham, finishing his collegiate career with 91 tackles, 11.5 sacks and three forced fumbles. He earned Second Team All-Conference USA honors last season have posting seven sacks and making 46 tackles in 12 games.
While Wright is still raw, especially against the run, general manager Andrew Berry said the Browns see the potential for Wright to evolve into a player that can play multiple positions along the defensive line (quote via clevelandbrowns.com):
“We like him because he is a player who profiles as what we call a big end or a strong-side end, but with Alex, he really has the versatility to rush outside and inside. We love his frame. We love his ability to rush the passer. This is a guy who when we brought him in for a 30 visit, everybody just spoke glowingly. He is very driven, he is very smart and a very humble individual, and we think he is a player who can really grow into the ideal big end for us and rush inside and out. He is a perfect scheme fit for our defense.”
Wright will wear No. 94 with the Browns.