BEREA, Ohio — John Dorsey is trying to awaken the sleeping giant that is the Cleveland Browns, and in the process, Dorsey and Freddie Kitchens are bringing some of the giants of yesteryear back to speak to the team.

On Thursday night, the eve of rookie camp, Kitchens and Dorsey invited former Browns receiver Webster Slaughter, running backs Kevin Mack and Earnest Byner, quarterback Bernie Kosar, Hall of Fame running back Jim Brown and others to have dinner with the rookies and address them. Slaughter even stuck around to watch practice yesterday.

All were part of the Browns’ glory years of championships or AFC title games.

“We had a lot of those guys around,’’ Kitchens said. “John and I wanted them to see what it was to be a Cleveland Brown and what it meant to the city and take it from experience that somebody had already had. I think it went really well.”

It never gets old for Kitchens, a Browns fan growing up, to listen to Jim Brown speak.

“I cherish that time around him because you know what he went through in life and in the game of football,’’ he said. “Of course, what he means to the City of Cleveland and the Cleveland Browns organization speaks for itself. He’s seen a lot in his time. If you think about 83 years, that covers a lot of history in the country good and bad. It is just good to have a resource like that to lean on, talk to and just to be around and know what he has went there.”

The rookies aren’t the only ones getting a Browns history lesson.

“We even did it with the veterans,’’ Kitchens said. “Our first team meeting, we showed them a video of what the Browns meant to the city and what the Browns mean to the NFL in general and some of the good times that Cleveland has had in the past.

"When you talk about three AFC Championships in the 80s, just knowing what those guys went through to get there, hopefully, our guys can feed off of that some. I know it doesn’t hurt to be able to communicate with those guys to show them what could happen and the potential of happening.”

Austin Seibert, Mack Wilson sign rookie contracts

Fifth-round linebacker Mack Wilson and fifth-round kicker Austin Seibert signed their rookie deals on Friday, meaning five of the Browns’ seven draft picks are signed. The only two left are second-round cornerback Greedy Williams and third-round linebacker Sione Takitaki.

Tryout CB Jhavonte Dean stands out

Tryout cornerback Jhavonte Dean of Miami (6-1, 185) had an excellent first day of minicamp, grabbing one interception and getting his hands on another pass.

“He showed up,’’ said Kitchens. “It was good to see. He made a couple plays on the ball that he didn’t end up with the ball but he still made the play on the ball. He was a factor. Anytime you are a factor, you kind of stand out. That is a good thing during this time of the year.”

Drew Forbes works at left tackle

Sixth-round pick Drew Forbes of Southeast Missouri State worked at left tackle and the Browns feel he might have a future there down the road.

“The fact that I was out here today working that position, I love that,’’ he said. “I’m willing to play anywhere they want me to. I’m just happy to be here.”

He said a few other teams besides the Browns talked about playing tackle, but he wasn’t sure how serious they were. It’s where he excelled in college for three years. He’s also known for finishing through the whistle.

“As soon as that whistles blows, I try to lay off,’’ he said. “We were coached as a team early to just play with that mentality, and I tried to really embody that at Southeast Missouri State. I think they liked that here, too – I know they do. The group of guys they just bought in, I think have some of those same qualities.”

Donnie Lewis Jr. works off to the side

Seventh-round cornerback Donnie Lewis of Tulane, who suffered a broken bone in his foot during an East-West Shrine game practice in January, worked off to the side with trainers during practice and will continue to do so until further notice.

Lewis suffered what he described as a Jones fracture in his foot, near his baby toe, and had surgery to insert a screw. The injury cost him the combine and Tulane’s pro day, but the Browns brought him in for a top 30 visit and liked what they saw and heard.

Still, Lewis believes the injury hurt his draft status considerably.

“I was rolling high,’’ he said. “I saw a lot of projections had me like second day for sure. Just going from that and having no combine and no pro day, it was a blessing to get that call.”