UNI Wide Out Isaiah Weston Signs as UDFA with Cleveland Browns

After all 32 teams skipped out on selecting him with the 262 available picks in the 2022 NFL Draft, the Cleveland Browns stepped up and signed ubert-talented Northern Iowa wide receiver, Isaiah Weston, as an undrafted free agent (UDFA) after the draft had commenced.

Though he is from an FCS school, has an injury history attached to his name, and played with a barrage of offensive coordinators and quarterbacks, Weston was highly-regarded by a multitude of analysts, and was even mentioned on several ESPN broadcasts by famed NFL Draft Expert, Mel Kiper Jr.

He was aslo considered by many to be a draftable player -- the Browns were just lucky enough to have been chosen by him, as other teams certainly had their eyes on the talented receiver.

During his tenure in Cedar Falls, the Albertville, Minnesota native went from earning just two Division I scholarship offers between UNI and South Dakota State, to quickly earning time on the field as a Panther and racking up stats.

In his redshirt-freshman season of 2017, Weston caught 22 passes for 380 yards and five touchdowns, catching the attention of the rest of the MVFC and the FCS.

After sitting out 2018 with an ACL injury he incurred before the season started, Weston came back with a vengeance, hauling in 43 catches for 1,053 yards and 10 touchdowns, and earned All-American status along with being named First-Team All-MVFC.

In the fall season of 2021, Weston returned to his previous high-level of production, grabbing 37 receptions, for 883 yards, and 5 TDs. He earned Second-Team All-MVC honors and went on to be one of 21 FCS players invited to the NFL Combine.

At the combine, he finished first in the bench press, putting up 20 reps of 225 pounds, and second in vertical jump with a 40-inch bounce and a broad jump of 11 feet and three inches.

Per Dawgs By Nature, the Browns SBNation affiliate, Weston joins the following players who were also signed to UDFA contracts with Cleveland:

OFFENSE

• QB Felix Harper - 5-11, 180 lbs - Alcorn State
• WR Travell Harris - 5-9, 185 lbs - Washington State
• WR Mike Harley - 5-11, 182 lbs - Miami
• TE Zaire Mitchell-Paden - 6-5, 267 lbs - Florida Atlantic
• C Brock Hoffman - 6-3, 317 lbs - Virginia Tech
• OT Ben Petrula - 6-5, 314 lbs - Boston College

DEFENSE

• DT Glen Logan - 6-3, 339 lbs - LSU
• LB Silas Kelly - 6-4, 230 lbs - Coastal Carolina
• S D’Anthony Bell - 6-2, 205 lbs - West Florida
• CB Julius Faulk Jr - 6-1, 205 lbs - Delta State

The Browns took the following players in the draft:

• Round 3 | Pick 68 
  Martin Emerson, CB, Mississippi State
• Round 3 | Pick 78
  Alex Wright, EDGE, UAB
• Round 3 | Pick 99 
  David Bell, WR, Purdue
• Round 4 | Pick 108 (
  Perrion Winfrey, DT, Oklahoma
• Round 4 | Pick 124 
  Cade York, K, LSU
• Round 5 | Pick 156 
  Jerome Ford, RB, Cincinnati
• Round 6 | Pick 202
  Michael Woods II, WR, Oklahoma
• Round 7 | Pick 223 
  Isaiah Thomas, EDGE, Oklahoma
• Round 7 | Pick 246 
  Dawson Deaton, C, Texas Tech

Several other former UNI athletes are waiting to be picked up on UDFA or camp contracts, including Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) defensive player of the year Jared Brinkman, MVFC honorable mention running back Bradrick Shaw, cornerback Austin Evans, offensive lineman Antione Frazier, defensive lineman Brawntae Wells, and tight end Kyle Fourtenbary.