Playing alongside his brother Brenton, then a junior, Desmond led the team with eight quarterback hurries and 4.5 tackles for loss, helping earn him second-team All-Ivy honors.

“He made steady progress throughout his career,” Murphy wrote.

EVERYTHING IS OAK-AY

Bryant was not selected in the following year’s NFL draft, but was able to earn a free agent contract with the Oakland Raiders.

“Coming out of Harvard, obviously it’s difficult to get into the NFL,” Bryant said. “I felt as if I was given a chance and able to make it to a training camp, that once there, I would handle the rest.”

That was exactly what happened for the lineman, who impressed the Raiders coaching staff the in preseason by recording sacks against the 49ers and Saints.

After making the Raiders’ 53-man roster in 2009, Bryant continued to stand out. He appeared in all 16 games during his rookie season, recording 24 tackles. The following year, he recorded his first sack, and then earned the starting job midway through the 2011 campaign, during which time he registered five sacks and 35 tackles.

“I think one of my strengths as a player is being able to rush the passer and affect the quarterback,” Bryant said. “I am out there giving 100 percent on every play. I love to be on the field as much as possible and trying to make something happen.... I like to think I play whistle-to-whistle, sideline-to-sideline on every play.”

The lineman continued to do just that last season, when he registered four sacks. Playing both inside and outside for the Raiders, he continued to establish himself as one of the league’s best run stuffers.

“His size and his athleticism [show] up on tape,” new Browns coach Rob Chudzinski said. “He’s a relentless guy and is solid against the run with really good pass rushing ability as well.”

BROWNIE POINTS

Coming into the 2013 offseason, Bryant was widely considered the best defensive tackle on the market, and the Browns jumped at the ability to lock him up on the second day of free agency.

“Des is a player that we were very anxious to try to get,” said Cleveland general manager Joe Banner, who noted that while working for the Eagles four years earlier he had tried to sign Bryant as a UDFA. “He fits what we are looking for.... We feel very lucky to get him.”

Bryant chose the Browns’ $15 million guaranteed offer over interest from a number of other teams, saying he was excited about the franchise’s future.

“I am ecstatic to be here working with this new group of guys,” Bryant said. “They really know what it takes to help build a winning team. It’s exciting. I can feel an energy in this building like things are really moving in the right direction.”