Cleveland Browns: Bowl Season Showcasing Defensive Line Talent
The bowl season has been fun to watch, especially for teams like the Cleveland Browns that could use defensive line help.
The bowl season is showcasing a ton of talent at places the Cleveland Browns have a big need—the defensive line. For all the discussion about who is sitting out and who is suiting up, a number of defensive linemen have had monster games in the spotlight with important games yet to be played.
The two areas that are really impressive to this point are the edge rusher position and the 5-tech defensive end group. Cleveland hasn’t had a consistent, disruptive pass rusher since 1994 and this draft could be just what the doctor ordered to fill multiple areas of weakness: stopping the run and rushing the passer.
Right now, the Browns have Danny Shelton at their nose. He looks like a stud. Jamie Meder is best suited to be a role player that can fill in at nose and occasionally as the 3-tech defensive tackle. He’s been pressed into a starting role, which has exposed him to some extent. It’s not his fault; they simply lack bodies and he does the best he can, but he does not work laterally well.
The Browns drafted Carl Nassib to play the 5-tech and he needs to get bigger in the offseason to fulfill that role effectively. Even if Nassib is great, they need depth at that spot. Like with Meder, Emmanuel Ogbah has been pressed into service at the 5-tech and he gets brutalized as a run defender. It’s not a good fit for him and additional help would allow him to move back to linebacker.
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So, just to be clear, since some may not know, the 5-tech lines up on the outside eye of the offensive tackle. They need to be strong enough to hold up against double teams coming down hill and long enough to avoid getting beaten to the outside and sealed off from the play.
Lastly, they need to be athletic enough to help with the pass rush. When the Browns go to a nickel pass rush and employ an even front defensive line, these guys tend to move inside to a 3-tech defensive tackle between the guard and tackle to try to get up field quicker and allow more speed on the edge. It’s a difficult job, which is why the good ones are so rare. The Pittsburgh Steelers have Cam Heyward and he’s a terrific example that can do a little bit of everything and who shows just how much of a difference it makes for that defense.
Jonathan Allen of Alabama has not played yet (plays Saturday in the Peach Bowl), but he’s obviously a popular name for this role. A technician with excellent production and a long track record for success, he’s the first name that comes to mind for many thinking about the draft. His athleticism appears pretty average which, if true, will hurt him in the draft. Allen has the girth to do the job at a listed 291 pounds, which is ideal. But if he shrinks from the listed 6-3, it may raise some questions about if he has a true position or not.
Solomon Thomas of Stanford has been terrific all season, but his performance against North Carolina showcased his ability on a national stage. He’s not as tall as one would prefer, but he is outstanding in terms of how he uses his hand and ability to shed blocks. Thomas shows terrific explosion going forward, but he doesn’t waste time going around blockers. He’d prefer to go through them. This does raise questions about his ability to run the arc, but if he can be that good at shedding blocks, it’s not a deal breaker.
Listed 6-3, 273 pounds, the hope is he will be every bit of that 6-3 as he has the frame to gain weight without issue. He plays bigger than his size would suggest, but it’s worth finding out for sure.
Dec 30, 2016; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Florida State Seminoles defensive end DeMarcus Walker (44) tackles Florida State Seminoles running back Dalvin Cook (4) during the first half at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
DeMarcus Walker from Florida State has been as quiet an extremely productive defensive lineman as the country has to offer. Walker came into the Orange Bowl already having racked up 15 sacks on the year and was able to nab a few more against Michigan in the game. In that sense, he’s somewhat understated the way Nassib was last year.
Listed at 6-4, 280 pounds, it will be interesting to see where he actually measures in as getting up to around 285 pounds with that kind of length would be ideal.
Every one of these guys could easily be gone in the first round, so if the Browns want one of them, they will have to grab them early. It’s possible that Walker could slip to the top of the second round because of the sheer amount of defensive linemen that might go that early. But as long as he tests well athletically, he should warrant a first-round pick based on talent.
One 5-tech prospect that might be a safe bet to last beyond the first round is Chris Wormley. Listed 6-6 and 302 pounds, the first thing is finding out how big he actually is as that is pretty dubious. He’s a terrific athlete with size that can play up and down the line. Wormley makes some impressive splash plays but he is inconsistent and his production is a little spotty. Some of that is due to the teammates around him, but his numbers have never been all that great. Figuring out what makes him tick may be as important as anything else with Wormley as he has some boom or bust potential.
The edge rushers have even more depth as a class overall, but it is dependent on a substantial amount of underclassmen. The bowl season showcased a number of them with big games as well.
Myles Garrett is the prize of this draft. Put him on the edge and let him go get the quarterback. He’s got prototype size, strength and speed. His stat sheet was the least impressive of this group, but he had a substantial impact. Kansas State worked their entire offense and play calling to avoid or account for Garrett. That alone is a major impact, but he also showed his ability as a run defender, taking on double teams and forcing plays to his teammates. He also blocked a kick and got a few pressures.
Dec 30, 2016; Nashville , TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers defensive end Derek Barnett (9) and Tennessee Volunteers defensive lineman Jonathan Kongbo (1) talk with Nebraska Cornhuskers quarterback Ryker Fyfe (17) after a near sack during the first half at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
Derek Barnett took the all-time school record for sacks with him in Tennessee’s victory over Nebraska. Barnett notched his 33rd career sack, passing Reggie White. Barnett could stay another year, but likely will declare for the draft.
A true defensive end, Barnett is a great athlete but is not as flashy as some of the other edge rushers in this draft. He’s not someone who should stand up as an outside backer. He just is relentless with his effort and pressure. Garrett just turned 21 and Barnett is several months younger than Garrett.
As with Jonathan Allen, Tim Williams’ postseason hasn’t happened yet. Both suit up for Alabama against Washington in the first College Football Playoff semifinal on Saturday. Williams is criticized a bit because of how Alabama uses him. He’s largely focused entirely on being a pass rusher, so some may hold that against him.
When working as a pass rusher, Williams is an outside linebacker. That’s what he’s done at Alabama and what he would do in the NFL—stand up in base packages and then come off the edge in subpackages. Of all the guys in this class, he—along with Carl Lawson of Auburn—are the most obvious fits for a traditional 3-4 defense.
Taco Charlton of Michigan has had a fascinating path to prominence in the draft. A terrific athlete with length and size similar to that of Garrett at a listed 6-6, 272 pounds. Charlton was regarded as a reasonably decent prospect coming into this year and he’s gotten better and better as the year has gone along. His best was saved his best for Ohio State and Florida State in the Orange Bowl to finish out the season, giving him a ton of momentum for the draft.
In some ways, Charlton is similar to Chandler Jones, who wasn’t highly regarded by the media and then they caught onto him at Syracuse. He was a tremendous athlete and ended up going in the first round of the 2011 NFL Draft. Like Jones, Charlton has a ton of upside and could easily go that high in April.
If the Browns have the top pick in the draft, they should take Myles Garrett and it becomes a question as to how they address the other spot in this draft. Double up in the first round or grab a quarterback and grab help there later?
If the Browns end up with the second pick, several of these players may come into play, especially if the Browns use that pick to take a quarterback. This draft class has a ton to offer in terms of help for the Browns that could really make a weakness into a strength, bolstering a front seven into a unit that could be special. The Browns need a quarterback, but they also need to be able to stop the run and put pressure on the other team’s quarterback. This draft could definitely help them achieve the latter. And the bowl season is putting many of their potential options on display.
