BEREA, Ohio – During a chaotic 10-day span, Armonty Bryant received two phone calls from the Browns – one reduced his mother to tears of joy, the other made him fear for his football life.

On April 27, a franchise flush with defensive linemen and edge rushers took a chance in drafting another, Bryant, a Division II player with a history of academic and legal issues.

In a conference call, reporters asked the seventh-round selection about his October 2012 arrest for selling marijuana to an undercover officer at East Central University in Ada, Okla.

"Good people make mistakes," Bryant said. "I've always been told that. I feel like it was just a stupid move on my part . . . Now that I've got that second chance, I feel like I won't let anyone down.”

Six days later, police in Ada arrested him for drunk driving. He had not only broken a law, but violated the fragile trust the Browns were building in him.

The youngest of four kids growing up in Wichita Falls, Texas, Bryant waited and worried about the next call from the team. It came from defensive line coach Joe Cullen, who had spent a day with Bryant in Ada prior to the draft and told Browns management he thought the 6-foot-4, 265-pound pass rusher with the elastic frame was worth the risk.

The club had considered releasing the 23-year-old upon hearing the news of his second arrest in seven months, but elected to at least fly him to Berea for rookie minicamp.

“Coach Cullen called me after it happened and chewed me out pretty good,” Bryant said.

“Then, when I got here coach (Rob Chudzinski) got into me and it just went down the ladder from there.”

The first draft under CEO Joe Banner and general manager Michael Lombardi already had come under scrutiny for its unusual third day which saw them trade fourth- and fifth-round picks for futures and select Jamoris Slaughter, a safety rehabbing an Achilles' tendon tear, in the sixth round.

News of Bryant’s DUI was met with concern and disappointment in the Browns’ offices.

“Your first instinct is to question your evaluation,” Banner said. “Did we take an unwise chance? Everybody knows we struggled with whether we were going to keep him or not . . . It was a distressing moment.”

What had the Browns seen in the small-school defender to take such gamble? And, how could Bryant possibly earn back the faith the team had bestowed in him?

Campus visit

The first time Banner heard the name Armonty Bryant was last winter as management began targeting draft prospects. Lombardi mentioned the long-limbed kid who had broken Mark Gastineau’s all-time sack record at ECU.

Browns scouts loved the athleticism they saw on film. Bryant had recorded 165 tackles, 27.5 sacks, nine forced fumbles and nine blocked kicks in three seasons. Dane Brugler, a CBS Sports draft analyst, said the lineman possessed second- or third-round talent, but knew he wouldn’t land there due to character concerns.

Bryant had accepted a scholarship to Abilene Christian, but was dismissed for academic reasons. After one season of junior college, he blossomed into a Division II All-American at ECU. During his senior year, however, authorities caught him selling $20 of marijuana on consecutive days to an undercover cop in a school zone, and he was sentenced to one-year felony probation. Bryant also was suspended for three games.

Armonty Bryant registers his second career sack in a Nov. 3 game against Baltimore.

The transgression did not stop the NFL from making him one of 29 small-school prospects invited to the combine in February. Scouts representing 18 teams saw him again at a March 14 pro day in Tulsa. But only one NFL franchise was intrigued enough to schedule a private workout. In April, Browns management dispatched Cullen to Ada, population: 16,810.

The position coach spoke to ECU coaches and people in the community. Everyone acknowledged Bryant’s mistakes, but described a soft-spoken player working toward a degree in kinesiology who spent hours in the coaches’ office studying film.

He lived in the home of coach Tim McCarty for three months after his senior season and was headed there the night police made the DUI arrest.

McCarty believes Bryant possesses an "insatiable desire to learn" and spoke of the lineman's "elite body control," his ability to twist and bend his frame while pass rushing. Cullen worked him out at a nearby indoor facility and witnessed his fluid motion and flexible hips, likening Bryant to the cartoon character "Gumby."

The Browns assistant took the prospect to dinner that night. They talked about his mother, Debra Mitchell, a former secretary at a legal firm, and Bryant’s desire to make a better life for her.

“He really cares about his mother and wanted to make sure there were no more slip-ups,” Cullen said.

Decision time

On April 27, management summoned Cullen to its draft room less than an hour before the Browns were due to make the No. 217th overall pick.

He found himself in the company of Banner, Lombardi, assistant general manager Ray Farmer, owner Jimmy Haslam, Chudzinski and several scouts. The Browns were mulling five prospects, including offensive lineman Garrett Gilkey, whom the club eventually selected at No. 227; and safety Josh Aubrey, whom they signed as an undrafted free agent.

The club already had taken edge rusher Barkevious Mingo with the No. 6 overall pick and added Paul Kruger and Desmond Bryant in free agency. But in a pass-happy league, Banner thinks a team cannot have too many quality pass rushers.

Cullen had supplied a detailed report on Bryant days earlier. But each time management debated a pick on draft day, it invited position coaches to offer last-minute input. Cullen made his case for Bryant.

“Joe said he can’t be sure, but he was hopeful the kid could stay on track and make good decisions and he definitely has a big upside,” Banner recalled. “Mike strongly agreed with that position.”

The franchise called Bryant at his mother’s home in Wichita Falls. As he spoke in a back room, the Browns’ choice flashed on the television screen in the living room.

“I came out and everyone had the cameras out,” Bryant said. “Mom started crying. She knew the journey I had gone through. It was such a joyful scene and everyone was so proud of me. It was a good feeling.”

It lasted for six days.

Support system

Bryant arrived in Berea days after his DUI arrest – he would plead no contest and receive a one-year deferred sentence along with $1,136 in fines – not knowing how long the Browns might keep him.

Management took the unusual step of not offering a drafted player a signing bonus as punishment for the offense. Bryant could recoup his full salary, but he’d have to earn it.

Chudzinski termed the arrest a “serious matter,” yet thought the team had a strong support system in place with leaders such as defensive captain D’Qwell Jackson.

Bryant also wasn’t the only player dealing with legal issues in the spring. Linebacker Quentin Groves had been busted in a prostitution sting; and Desmond Bryant had been charged with criminal mischief for attempting to force his way into a Miami residence.

Armonty Bryant has spoken to Desmond Bryant on several occasions about his off-field errors. The elder Bryant advised him to stay positive even as he reminded him he’s a long way from Ada.

“You aren’t a random guy anymore and you can’t just do whatever you want,” Desmond Bryant said. “We’re under a huge lens as professionals, and the media is going to be onto everything. Before you can tell your parents, it’s in the newspaper.”

Armonty Bryant admitted to reporters during the NFL Rookie Symposium in June he had battled substance-abuse issues and was meeting with a team psychologist. He has sworn off drugs and alcohol, Bryant said, and found a role model in fellow rookie Mingo.

“Mingo doesn’t do any of that stuff,” Bryant said of his best friend on the team. “That’s good motivation right there. He went in the first round and he stayed true to football and look where he is now.”

But the person with whom he’s formed the tightest bond is the man who’s been the hardest on him. Seven years ago, Cullen was arrested for DUI. The position coach knows how quickly a career can be compromised, and he works to keep Bryant focused on football.

“With his situation and my situation, I think he sees where I could be and where I am now,” Bryant said. “I could be at home right now, and he doesn’t want that for me.”

Making his mark

Bryant impressed coaches enough to earn a roster spot, but the Browns’ depth at defensive line confined his participation to special teams through the first three games.

Cullen honed Bryant’s technique and developed his raw skills. As injuries mounted, he made his defensive debut in Week 4 against Cincinnati, earning five snaps.

With Desmond Bryant sidelined due to an irregular heartbeat the following week versus Buffalo, the rookie took 16 snaps and registered his first sack. He produced another sack in the win over Baltimore on Nov. 3.

His explosiveness and play-making ability are evident even in his limited duty. In just 74 snaps, Bryant has recorded nine tackles, four quarterback hurries, two sacks and a pass defensed.

“He’s an extremely good pass rusher for not having that many reps,” Jackson said. “I mean he’s productive. When I see him in the game, I know we’re getting after the quarterback.

“He came here with a bull's-eye on his back, but he’s done everything asked of him. He’s a real pleasant surprise.”

Bryant remains close to his college coach, calling him every week and sending McCarty’s kids Browns jerseys. He spends his down time mostly hanging out with Mingo, playing video games and going to movies.

Banner is pleased with Bryant’s maturation and lauds Cullen’s influence among others.

“You don’t want to declare victory prematurely, but Armonty has done a real good job of taking responsibility for himself off the field and working really hard on the field and you see the results,” Banner said.

Bryant’s role figures to expand as he rounds out his game. He’s still working to regain the team’s trust, knowing the next violation of it could be his last.