Jowon Briggs

Jowon Briggs
No. 97 – Cleveland Browns
Position:Defensive tackle
Personal information
Born: (2001-09-01) September 1, 2001 (age 23)
Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.
Height:6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:313 lb (142 kg)
Career information
High school:Walnut Hills (Cincinnati, Ohio)
College:
NFL draft:2024 / round: 7 / pick: 243
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Roster status:Practice squad
Career highlights and awards
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Jowon Briggs (born September 1, 2001) is an American professional football defensive tackle for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Virginia Cavaliers and Cincinnati Bearcats and was selected by the Browns in the seventh round of the 2024 NFL draft.

Early life

Briggs was born on September 1, 2001, and grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio.[1][2] He attended Walnut Hills High School and was a standout defensive tackle, being named first-team All-ECC and All-SWO District as a junior and the ECC Defensive Player of the Year, first-team All-State and first-team All-SWO District as a senior.[3] He competed at several all-star games, including the Under Armour All-America Game.[4][5] Highly recruited, he was ranked as a four-star prospect, the 59th-best player nationally, the fifth-best defensive tackle and the second-best player from Ohio by 247Sports.[6] He committed to play college football for the Virginia Cavaliers over numerous other offers that included the Ohio State Buckeyes and Michigan Wolverines.[7][8]

Briggs is member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.[9]

College career

Briggs started the first game of his true freshman season at Virginia in 2019, becoming the first freshman on the defensive line to start for the team in the opener since 1986.[10] He ended the season with 19 tackles and a sack and was named a mid-season Freshman All-American.[11] He then appeared in seven games in 2020, after having played in 13 in his first year.[12] He entered the NCAA transfer portal and transferred to the Cincinnati Bearcats in 2021.[13] He ended with 39 tackles, seven tackles-for-loss (TFLs) and four sacks in his two seasons at Virginia.[14]

In his first year at Cincinnati, 2021, Briggs totaled 43 tackles along with four TFLs and three sacks while appearing in all 14 games.[3] The following season, he recorded 60 tackles and 4.5 TFLs and was named a first-team All-American Athletic Conference (AAC) selection.[15] He returned for a final season in 2023 and was a team captain and honorable mention All-AAC choice while recording 27 tackles in 12 starts.[14] He finished his time at Cincinnati with 130 tackles, 14.5 TFLs and eight sacks and earned invites to the Hula Bowl and East–West Shrine Bowl.[16][17][18]

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 1+1⁄2 in
(1.87 m) 		313 lb
(142 kg) 		32+1⁄4 in
(0.82 m) 		9+7⁄8 in
(0.25 m)		 5.04 s 1.77 s 2.90 s 4.71 s 7.53 s 26 in
(0.66 m)		 8 ft 8 in
(2.64 m)		 39 reps
All values from Pro Day[19]

Briggs was selected in the seventh round (243rd overall) of the 2024 NFL draft by the Cleveland Browns.[20] He was waived on August 27, and re-signed to the practice squad.[21][22]

References

  1. ^ "Jowon Briggs NFL Draft 2024: Scouting Report for Cleveland Browns DL". Bleacher Report. April 27, 2024. Retrieved July 5, 2024.
  2. ^ Brugler, Dane (April 2024). "The Beast: 2024 NFL Draft Guide" (PDF). The Athletic. p. 219. Retrieved July 5, 2024.
  3. ^ a b "Jowon Briggs". Cincinnati Bearcats. Retrieved July 5, 2024.
  4. ^ Counts, Ron (December 15, 2018). "UVa commits to play in international games". The Daily Progress. p. 9, 10. Retrieved July 5, 2024 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  5. ^ Snodgrass, John (November 21, 2018). "Walnut's Briggs receives UA All-American jersey". Northeast Suburban Life. p. B2. Retrieved July 5, 2024 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  6. ^ Blum, Sam (June 24, 2018). "Personal touch". The News-Virginian. p. 11, 12. Retrieved July 5, 2024 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  7. ^ Turer, Adam (October 6, 2016). "Ohio St., Michigan offer Briggs". The Cincinnati Enquirer. p. C12. Retrieved July 5, 2024 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  8. ^ Springer, Scott (July 4, 2018). "Jowon Briggs of Walnut Hills: Virginia is for tackles". Northeast Suburban Life. p. B1, B2. Retrieved July 5, 2024 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  9. ^ Stipe, Zach (July 12, 2023). "Briggs Nominated for Allstate AFCA Good Works Team". Retrieved July 5, 2024 – via Gobearcats.com. Open access icon
  10. ^ Barber, Mike (November 18, 2020). "Source: UVa's Briggs enters NCAA transfer portal". Danville Register and Bee. p. B1, B2. Retrieved July 5, 2024 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  11. ^ Goul, Matt (April 27, 2024). "Get to know Jowon Briggs, the Cleveland Browns' seventh-round pick in NFL Draft 2024". Cleveland.com. Retrieved July 5, 2024.
  12. ^ Easterling, Luke (April 27, 2024). "Browns pick Cincinnati's Jowon Briggs at No. 243 of NFL draft 2024. Our scouting report". Akron Beacon Journal. Retrieved July 5, 2024.
  13. ^ "Cincinnati Bearcats football: Jowon Briggs returns home to UC". The Cincinnati Enquirer. March 24, 2021. Retrieved July 5, 2024.
  14. ^ a b Russo, Kelsey (April 27, 2024). "Browns select DT Jowon Briggs with the No. 243rd pick in the NFL Draft". Cleveland Browns. Retrieved July 5, 2024.
  15. ^ Keel, Fletcher (April 27, 2024). "Walnut Hills, Bearcats standout Briggs drafted by Cleveland Browns in seventh round". WLWT. Retrieved July 5, 2024.
  16. ^ "Browns pick Cincinnati DT Jowon Briggs: NFL draft profile, college stats, highlights". Akron Beacon Journal. April 27, 2024. Retrieved July 5, 2024.
  17. ^ Hobson, Geoff (April 16, 2024). "Bengals Local Pro Day: The Owner, The Prospect, And Jowon Briggs' Lists That Fuel His Dreams". Cincinnati Bengals. Retrieved July 5, 2024.
  18. ^ "Jowon Briggs Named to East-West Shrine Bowl Roster". Cincinnati Bearcats. January 18, 2024. Retrieved July 5, 2024.
  19. ^ "2024 NFL Draft Scout Jowon Briggs College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
  20. ^ Harris, Irie (April 27, 2024). "Jowon Briggs, DT, Cincinnati: NFL Draft 2024 scouting report for Browns' seventh-round pick". Cleveland.com. Retrieved July 5, 2024.
  21. ^ Russo, Kelsey (August 27, 2024). "Browns announce initial 53-man roster heading into 2024 season". ClevelandBrowns.com. Retrieved September 5, 2024.
  22. ^ "Browns sign 13 players to the practice squad". ClevelandBrowns.com. August 28, 2024. Retrieved September 5, 2024.