Apr 28, 2017; Berea, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns first round picks, defensive lineman Myles Garrett , left, defensive back Jabrill Peppers , center and tight end David Njoku talk to the media at the Cleveland Browns training facility. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
The Cleveland Browns selected 10 players in the 2017 NFL Draft. Using athletic and production metrics as well as analyzing the film, projecting their roles on the team now and going forward.
With the NFL's annual gift giving holiday compete, it's time to figure out which gifts the Cleveland gave the team this year and which ones were the equivalent of socks. A huge thank you to Jim Cobern, who runs a website entirely around draft analytics, for providing the comparison charts.
The way this works is, we'll look at a player's athletic profile, production and game film individually, then put them all together to make a projection on the player the Browns against the data provided by NFL history.
Certainly, there are outliers in NFL history, but the data is pretty overwhelming as far as how stacked the odds are against those outcomes happening. At the same time, it can help to illustrate just how good some of these players can be.
This is especially pertinent to the Browns, who have openly embraced the use of analytics in their player evaluations. This draft, like last year shows a heavy influence in relying on the numerical data in addition to the film at least early in the draft. There are some notable exemptions where it's pretty evident the picks were coming from different sources and the numbers show the difference.
So with that, let's take a look at what the Browns got this year.
Sep 24, 2016; Dallas, TX, USA; Texas A&M Aggies defensive lineman Myles Garrett (15) in game action against the Arkansas Razorbacks at AT&T Stadium. Texas A&M won 45-24. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
Myles Garrett, DE – Texas A&M
Despite rumors to muddy the waters, the Browns were united and took the best in player in the class in Myles Garrett. As much as the NFL did not want the news to get out before their television show started, the news that they were taking Garrett got out a few hours before the draft.
Athletic Profile
Age: 21 (Born Dec. 29, 1995)
Height: 6-4.25
Weight: 272 lbs
40 Yard Dash: 4.64s
Broad Jump: 10'8″
Vertical: 41″
3-Cone: DNP
Shuttle: DNP
Bench: 33 reps
Credit: Jim Cobern
It's a little disappointing that Garrett didn't do the agility drills if only for the sake of posterity. Based on the tape, it appears as he would have dominated in that area as well. Still, Garrett's an outstanding athletic specimen and compared to prospects from the past, it's easy to see just how impressive he is in terms of explosion.
Production
Career Games: 36
Solo Tackles: 84 (5.2 percent)
Sacks: 32.5 (30 percent)
Tackles for Loss: 48.5 (16.2 percent)
Credit: Jim Cobern
In his final season in College Station, Garrett finished with 18 solo tackles, 15 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks. His worst year in terms of raw statistics, though he missed two games and was hampered by a high ankle sprain. Even with all of that in mind, when comparing Garrett against the former NFL studs, it's easy to see why, from a production standpoint, the future is extremely bright and concerns about his production overblown.
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Game Tape
In every game, Garrett is the most talented player on the field and is the focal point for how opposing offenses operate. Every play has him accounted for and in mind. Opposing teams go in with the mindset that they do not want Garrett to beat them and too often, he does anyway.
As a run defender, Garrett can be devastating, shooting gaps and running down running plays from behind. At times, he needs to do a better job squeezing the offensive tackle to reduce the space in which opposing ball carriers have to work. When he rushes too wide and the offensive tackle follows him, he can end up creating a running lane underneath without making the blocker earn it. In effect, he gives the offensive tackle a break while taking himself out of the play.
Garrett has tremendous vision and is rarely fooled. Teams try to misdirect and use fakes to try to slow him down with minimal success. There are plenty of examples where teams try to use a fake and Garrett is fast enough where he simply blows up the mesh point. Most teams opted to use read plays with Garrett the key specifically to try their best to avoid him.
Sep 19, 2015; College Station, TX, USA; Texas A&M Aggies defensive lineman Myles Garrett (15) in action during the game against the Nevada Wolf Pack at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
As a pass rusher, Garrett can attack inside, work outside, bull rush opponents, spin and convert speed to power. He's so explosive off the ball where he almost immediately has the opponent off balance and it comes a matter of how he wants to finish them.
There are certainly times when Garrett can do a better job using his hands to defeat blockers, which will be increasingly important at the next level. He can be too satisfied to win with speed and use his arms and shoulders as shields, but not actively win with his hands.
Garrett's flexibility and pad level make him extremely difficult to block. He does an excellent job of generating power off the snap and when he can get an edge, he is easily able to turn the corner and flatten to the quarterback. And when he has the opportunity, he capitalizes with sacks, hits with power and looks to strip the ball.
Fit, Usage and Projection with the Browns
Garrett walks in and is presumed to be the right end. Certainly, the Browns will move him around the formation, both inside and out to probe weaknesses in the blocking scheme, but his home is almost certainly the right end spot.
The expectations, even as a rookie, will be high since Garrett's the top pick in the draft and he is a particularly impressive one. Garrett can come in and have a pretty big year as a rookie, but at the very least if he stays healthy, there should be consistent flashes of what is to come in his NFL career. His sheer size and speed are difficult to miss.
In the long run, the sky is the limit for Garrett. If he continues to refine his technique and is fortunate enough to maintain good health, he should be a truly special player that can be a cornerstone on a young defense and maybe the centerpiece for the team as a whole.
Oct 8, 2016; Piscataway, NJ, USA; Michigan Wolverines running back Jabrill Peppers (5) celebrates after scoring a touchdown during their game against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at High Points Solutions Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports
Jabrill Peppers, LB/DB – Michigan
The Browns held the 12th overall pick before opting to trade with the Houston Texans to move down to the 25th pick and add an extra first-round pick in 2018, adding to the second-round pick they got for taking on Brock Osweiler and his contract. With the the 25th pick, the Browns opted to select Jabrill Peppers to be a strong safety.
Athletic Profile
Age: 21 (Born Oct. 4, 1995)
Height: 5-11.375
Weight: 213 lbs
40 Yard Dash: 4.46s
Broad Jump: 10'7″
Vertical: 35.5″
3-Cone: DNP
Shuttle: DNP
Bench: 19 reps
Credit: Jim Cobern
As with Garrett, it's irritating purely from an evaluation standpoint not to have hard data on his agility and flexibility. It's something that was also apparent on his game tape, so he likely would have done well there. His explosion isn't elite, but in stacking it up against former strong safety prospects, he's not too far from it. His speed is just a notch below the best.
Production
Career Games: 27
Solo Tackles: 93 (9.1 percent in 2015 & 2016)
Interceptions: 1 (4.3 percent in 2015 &2016)
Pass Deflections: 10 (9.2 percent in 2015 & 2016)
Credit: Jim Cobern
The fact that Peppers played linebacker this past season should not have stopped him from making plays on the football. In all, he didn't break a single pass and just had the interception. Despite all of that, Peppers has far more than enough pass break ups by market share to compete with some of the best. The interceptions are obviously low since he only had one in his career.
This year, Peppers loaded up the stat sheet with 48 solo tackles, 15 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, one forced fumble and one interception on defense. On special teams, Peppers returned 21 punts for an average of 14.7 yards each and a touchdown. He returned 10 kickoffs for an average of 26 yards each. On offense, Peppers ran the ball for 167 yards on 21 carries and three touchdowns.
Game Tape
As an outside linebacker his junior year, Peppers played everything from an outside in perspective to try to force ball carriers back inside to a talented but not particularly fast box. The only two times the Wolverines lost with Peppers in the lineup, it was due to Iowa and Ohio State being able to win inside.
Peppers shows terrific range and excellent speed. This is particularly obvious when Peppers closes or has to recover. Peppers is a pretty solid wrap up tackler with some strength, but can do a better job of driving his legs on contact and will occasionally miss because he's diving.
He's at his best when he's able to play downhill and attack, bringing a ton of aggression and physicality. Peppers isn't someone a team wants to have to take on blocks as he will get slowed down or stopped entirely, but he did improve at being able to take on contact and work angles to try to make plays, especially when blitzing.
In coverage, the Wolverines didn't ask Peppers to do too much. He played an outside zone forcing things inside, which he did, but that doesn't really showcase much outside of the fact he's good at following directions and doing the job he was asked to do.
Oct 17, 2015; Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Michigan Wolverines safety Jabrill Peppers (5) runs back a kickoff against the Michigan State Spartans during the1st half of a game at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports
Peppers did play a handful of snaps in man coverage and was successful there, but he did far more in shorts at the scouting combine in terms of giving teams looks to how good he might be in terms of man coverage. In the two days of drill work Peppers did there, he was smooth in flipping his hips, changing directions and generating speed quickly.
When Peppers got the ball in his hands, be it as a returner or a designed play on offense, his burst and speed are evident. The other thing that stands out is just how fluid he is and outstanding balance.
Occasionally, Peppers did drop back to a free safety position and played over the top as well as playing in the slot, though his responsibilities in the slot were largely the same as linebacker. He worked outside in and was tasked with forcing players back to the middle of the field.
Fit, Usage and Projection with the Browns
Jackson said the plan was for Peppers to play strong safety and will come in and compete with Derrick Kindred and Ibraheim Campbell for the job. After he's done that, Gregg Williams is probably going to move him all over the place even if it's called strong safety, using him deep, up in the box, in the slot and off the edge.
Peppers is likely going to be tasked with man coverage against tight ends, covering the deep half of the field and occasionally playing a joker role. This could be a spy on a mobile quarterback, blitzing him or following a particular matchup he likes in man coverage.
The coverage aspect of this is somewhat of a projection. For most of his best coverage tape, teams have to go back to 2015 when Peppers was still a true safety. It's not ideal to have Peppers coming off a year where he didn't play a ton of man coverage to then put him in a role where he's asked to do a lot of it. He certainly has the athletic traits to be effective and there may be some growing pains, but he should get more comfortable with time and a ton of reps.
Peppers clearly has enough range where, if the Browns want, they can divide the deep part of the field in half and allow Peppers to cover over the top for half the field. Again, a slight projection in that he didn't play backward nearly as much this past season, but he could be a real weapon back there.
In addition to playing defense, Peppers is clearly the favorite to be the punt returner for the Browns. He'll likely also be back there for kickoffs to watch the ball sail over his head out of play.
Jackson also suggested Peppers could see him time on offense and he may simply replace Terrelle Pryor in running those read plays the team used last year. Those plays weren't terribly effective last year and didn't really add much, but Peppers is a more dynamic runner than Pryor was.
Even with Peppers' junior season as a linebacker, he projects to be an effective starter in the NFL with the talent to be potentially special. It will be interesting to see how fast he takes to the NFL given he's once again changing roles. But given his intelligence and athletic ability, it may not take too long.
Dec 28, 2016; Orlando, FL, USA; Miami Hurricanes tight end David Njoku (86) scores a touchdown in the second half against the West Virginia Mountaineers in the Russell Athletic Bowl at Camping World Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-USA TODAY Sports
David Njoku, TE – Miami(FL)
The Browns had the first pick in the second round but opted to package it as well as the first pick of the fourth round to move up to select David Njoku with the 29th pick of the draft. Njoku is a redshirt sophomore that played two full seasons at Miami, played every game and might be just scratching the surface of what he's capable of as a player.
Athletic Profile
Age: 20 (Born July 10, 1996)
Height: 6-3.75
Weight: 246 lbs
40 Yard Dash: 4.64s (4.56 at Pro Day)
Broad Jump: 11'1″
Vertical: 37.5″ (40″ at Pro Day)
3-Cone: 6.97s
Shuttle: 4.34s
Bench: 21 reps
Credit: Jim Cobern
Njoku is a tremendous athlete with elite explosion. His speed and agility both in testing and on tape show a tight end that can move like a receiver. It's interesting to note he's only slightly more slower but far more explosive than former Browns tight end Kellen Winslow Jr. Winslow was more flexible which is saying something because Njoku is excellent in that area. It's also not entirely clear if Njoku is done growing.
Production
Career Games: 26
Receptions: 64
Receiving Yards: 1,060 (14.7 percent)
Touchdowns: 9 (20 percent)
Credit: Jim Cobern
In his redshirt sophomore season, Njoku caught 43 passes for 698 yards and eight touchdowns. As the season rolled on, Njoku got better and better becoming a more significant portion of the offense, scoring six of his eight touchdowns in conference play with another coming in the team's bowl game against West Virginia. As shown here, his production is enough to match some of the greats that have come out in the NFL Draft.
Game Tape
Njoku's 3-point stance is ineffective. He utilizes a frog stance so when the ball is snapped, he tends to bounce straight up as opposed to firing off forward. When he's blocking, this makes it so he has very little power and ends up getting shrugged off far too often.
As a result, most Njoku's blocks amount to stepping inside and walling the player off from the play, which can work, but on play calls where he is tasked with blocking down, that won't work. Njoku is willing to block and puts in effort, but just doesn't have a ton of success.
For the most part, Njoku does his best work as a giant wide receiver. He's able to win deep down the field or make cuts and create separation pretty easily. And obviously, he's physically bigger than a lot of people covering him so he is able to overpower them getting the ball. He's also not afraid to use his incredible leaping ability to go up and high point the ball.
Nov 27, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Miami Hurricanes tight end David Njoku (86) catches a pass against the Pittsburgh Panthers during the second quarter at Heinz Field. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Njoku is great after the catch. He can make opposing tacklers miss with cuts as well as running through tackle attempts with power. And he's not afraid to jump over opponents to try to get in end zone (watching him leap that high, one cannot help but wonder if it hurts when he comes back down).
Njoku is a confident hands catcher that has a wide catching radius. He will occasionally drop the ball, but it's usually because he's taking his eye off the ball as he tries to anticipate what's coming at him and what he can do next.
Fit, Usage and Projection with the Browns
Hue Jackson is quite confident he can be an inline Y. If he fixes his stance, gets stronger and genuinely wants to do it, he could become a tremendous all-around threat from that position. Certainly, Jackson will also split him out and use him in space in what Jackson calls the U (presumably for 'unattached').
The afternoon after the Browns selected Njoku, they released Gary Barnidge, the team's starting tight end from the previous year. With Barnidge gone and the only Y on the roster Randall Telfer, it stands to reason the Browns plan to start Njoku and play the heck out of him.
This also suggests they are extremely confident in last year's fourth-round pick Seth DeValve, who is purely a U. Longterm, the Browns really seem to want to have Njoku at Y and DeValve at U on the field at the same time to create mismatches. Both are almost 250-pound pass catching threats with tremendous explosion for the position.
For Njoku, the blocking part is likely going to be a process with some growing pains because even if he improves his stance, he had a difficult time blocking college players. Now, he's going to be attempting to block grown men with mortgages, so there should be some expected growing pains.
Hopefully, Njoku being an inline threat can really create opportunities in the middle of the field and the playaction passing game. That would force defenses to cover a ton of ground and make it harder for them to get a true read for what the Browns are doing on offense. Even if the blocking part takes time for Njoku, he should be able to come in and make plays in the passing game almost immediately. And for his career, Njoku has the talent to be a truly special player that could become a focal point in the offense and a star.
Nov 26, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback DeShone Kizer (14) throws a pass against the Southern California Trojans during a NCAA football game at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
DeShone Kizer, QB – Notre Dame
The Browns sat tight with the 52nd pick of the draft and selected DeShone Kizer from Notre Dame. After initially targeting Mitchell Trubisky and then Patrick Mahomes, the team passed on Deshaun Watson in favor of a trade package. The Browns waited out 23 picks to select Kizer.
Athletic Profile
Age: 21 (Born Jan. 3, 1996)
Height: 6-4.125
Weight: 233
40-Yard Dash: 4.66s
Broad Jump: 8'9″
Vertical: 30.5″
3 Cone: 7.4s
Short Shuttle: 4.53s
Bench Press: DNP
Radar Gun: 56 mph
Hand Size: 9.875″
Kizer is big and has the physical stature teams are looking for, but his athleticism proved to be underwhelming, especially as it relates to his ability to slide in the pocket and agility. Once he gets going, he has some pretty good speed but purely as it relates to escaping pressure, it's not great.
He also has huge hands which appear to be quite strong, which is certainly beneficial for holding onto the ball and performing in poor weather.
Production
Career Starts: 23
Passing Statistics: 422 of 695 (60.7 percent) for 5,805 yards (243.8 per contest), 47 TDs (1.95 per start), 19 INTs (.9 per start)
Rushing Statistics: 263 carries for 992 yards (3.77 yards per carry) and 18 touchdowns (.78 per start), 6 fumbles, 4 lost.
Credit: Jim Cobern
Kizer has a chance to be a starter, but based on the numbers, it's pretty unlikely that he realizes any personal success beyond that. In the past 49 years, just three quarterbacks have been to multiple Pro Bowls. Those are really long odds.
@NCVBoydBurgess @_PeteSmith_ Outliers since 1958 with same or worse QB score to Kizer are Brett Favre, Drew Bledsoe and Matt Hasselbeck only.
— Jim Cobern (@Jimetrics) May 1, 2017
Game Tape
Kizer's got a strong arm, both in terms of his ability to drive the ball down the field and velocity. He's also got a quick release. There is no throw on the field Kizer can't make. The problem is there's no throw he can't miss either.
Kizer's accuracy is incredibly inconsistent and he's not a rhythm passer where he gets in and out of grooves. From one pass to the next, it's almost impossible to know where the ball is going to go. He can miss a basic hitch, throwing it into the eighth row of the stands, then the very next play put a fifty yard bomb right on the money.
His ball placement is just as erratic. Kizer will occasionally put his receivers in perfect spots and lead them to additional yardage or away from danger. Other times he forces receivers into awkward positions as they have to adjust to a ball behind them or they are hung out to dry in the air.
Kizer's accuracy is actually at its best when his lower body is not involved. Either when he is rolling out or employing chaos mechanics to avoid pressure, his accuracy improves a great deal, so the problem is with his lower body.
At times, Kizer shows great footwork. He's smooth, light on his feet, able to maneuver in the pocket and be able to quickly throw from a balanced platform. Too often, Kizer has a really wide stance and ends up stepping even further when he throws, so the ball come out like he's throwing a javelin. When that happens, if his release point is early, he ends up over throwing his target significantly. Other times, he throws passes that short hop the receiver.
Sep 24, 2016; South Bend, IN, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback DeShone Kizer (14) runs for a touchdown in the first quarter against the Duke Blue Devils at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports
Kizer has a good sense of the pocket. He has a good feel for pass rushers and will occasionally avoid problems before they start with a good slide step. He almost exclusively works forward, which works in his favor because he will either step up and throw or pull the ball and scramble to gain yardage.
Kizer does not read coverages quickly. He assumes throws and at times will throw passes into double and triple coverage on the first read like he didn't see them there. There are also countless examples where Kizer has a ton of time to make a decision and he still struggles to find an open receiver as he works through his progressions.
Kizer can make plays with his legs and is not afraid to run with power, which is not ideal, but that was part of Notre Dame's offense. They ran a lot of zone and power reads with Kizer. As a passer, Kizer did a pretty good job of getting out of bounds and avoiding taking unnecessary punishment.
Overall, Kizer's college career was a roller coaster ride at the quarterback position. He had some of the highest highs of any quarterback in college football, but he also had some of the deepest valleys. Kizer showed the potential to lead the Fighting Irish to some big wins in his time there but ultimately his shortcomings were a major reason they so often fell short.
Fit, Usage and Projection with the Browns
Short of preseason, Kizer shouldn't see the field in his rookie year and potentially longer than that. The issues he need to work out will take time. Specifically, this is regarding his footwork, how quickly he processes information, decision making and accuracy.
The problem for Kizer is the Browns aren't likely to be a good team in the 2017 season and have two first- and three second-round picks in the 2018 draft class. Unless Cody Kessler or Brock Osweiler is a revelation at the quarterback position, the Browns are probably looking at quarterback prospects in the 2018 draft class.
There is a real possibility that the Browns move on to what they feel is a franchise quarterback before Kizer ever gets on the field. Even if he plays as a rookie, as ill equipped as he is, would probably not give a particularly good read on what he is ultimately capable.
Kizer might start next year as they their next quarterback ready for him, but that player would be ultimately where this team would be going and Kizer would effectively be auditioning for other teams. It's in that respect that this pick is confusing and could be looked at ultimately as a terrible pick.
This issue isn't specific to Kizer but any quarterback that they would select that wasn't deemed the franchise quarterback to plan around for the future, though Kizer's sketchy prospects for the NFL don't help. It would hardly be a surprise if there is a healthy amount of buyer's remorse in the next year as players the Browns could have picked with the 52nd pick aren't shining for other teams and Kizer is ultimately immaterial to the future.
Jan 26, 2017; Mobile, AL, USA; North squad defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi of Charlotte (95) hits a tackling dummy during Senior Bowl practice at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Glenn Andrews-USA TODAY Sports
Larry Ogunjobi, DT Charlotte
With the 65th pick at the top of the third round, the Browns grabbed defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi. From a new program and smaller FBS school in Conference USA, Ogunjobi was not a hugely known prospect until he went to the Senior Bowl. He played for the North team and the Browns coached the South.
Athletic Profile
Age: 22 (Born June 3, 1994)
Height: 6-2.5
Weight: 305 lbs
40 Yard Dash: 5.09s
Broad Jump: 9'8″
Vertical: 32″
3-Cone: 7.55s
Shuttle: 4.75s
Bench: 25 reps
Credit: Jim Cobern
Ogunjobi's story of how he went from a 350-pound kid in high school to transform his body by the time he graduated college is pretty inspiring. It's also apparent here just how successful he was. He's powerful, which shows up in his game tape and his agility is not bad either.
Production
Career Games: 46 games (22 in FCS in 2013 & 2014, 24 in FBS in 2015 & 2016)
Solo Tackles: 123, 64 in FBS (6.7 percent in FBS)
Sacks: 13, 5.5 in FBS (15.7 percent in FBS)
Tackles for Loss: 47.5, 28 in FBS (20 percent in FBS)
Credit: Jim Cobern
In his senior year, Ogunjobi finished with 31 solo tackles, three sacks and 13.5 tackles for loss. Partly because Charlotte wasn't terribly good and partly because Ogunjobi was simply a player who made a ton of plays, his market share production is pretty eye-opening compared to previous prospects.
It's understandable if people are want to pump the brakes a bit given that he did play at Charlotte, but nevertheless, he finds himself with some very talented company. It's just something to keep in mind.
Game Tape
For Charlotte, Ogunjobi played both the nose and 3-tech. He's a load when he's moving forward and is difficult to slow down as well as being stout at the point of attack. Ogunjobi can dominate single blockers and cause problems for double teams.
When he has an issue, it's either because he's got his weight too far forward which makes him liable to be knocked off balance or he will occasionally play too high which limits his power. When he's right and he's got his weight distribution properly, he's difficult to slow down, let alone stop.
Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Ogunjobi has the potential to blow up plays on his own, but he's actually most effective creating opportunities for teammates. The reason is two-fold as Ogunjobi gets too deep to break down and stop running plays and when he's too high, he has trouble sinking his hips to change direction. Usually defensive linemen are coached to stop at heels depth of the offensive line to make it easier to find the ball carrier and be in a position to stop them. It also helps to prevent creating cutback lanes.
The other part of Ogunjobi's tape that's worth noting is that while only managed to secure 5.5 sacks in the past two seasons, he generates a lot of pressure and generates hurries. Hopefully he can improve his technique and finish more of those sacks in the NFL. Nevertheless, he does create opportunities for teammates and that could be a huge benefit for the Browns.
Ogunjobi does an excellent job feeling out screens and reacting accordingly. He plays with tremendous motor and effort, willing to chase down plays laterally or down the field. And at times, will appear to have a sense of where a team is trying to go with a play and beat them to it.
Fit, Usage and Projection with the Browns
Ogunjobi was brought in to play the 3-technique. Given his ability to play the run, he's likely to be the starter at least technically in that he'll be on the field first. If nothing else, Ogunjobi is going to be on the field next to Danny Shelton for obvious run downs with the hope that they coach up his pass rush techniques, so when he has a shot at the quarterback, he can better capitalize. He has the talent to be a full service starter and really good player.
The Browns have a couple players that will be competing for spots behind Ogunjobi who are more suited to come in rush the passer, including Xavier Cooper, Desmond Bryant and fellow draftee Caleb Brantley.
With his strength and power along with Shelton, it seems as though they are going to be asked primarily to stay in their lanes and try to collapse the pocket as much as possible, which has a a couple benefits.
First, it hopefully protects their linebackers so they can fly around unencumbered. Second, it makes it more difficult to run the ball up the middle. And third, when the opponent does pass, it makes it difficult for the quarterback to step up in the pocket and gives their edge players a more predictable point to impact the quarterback.
Ogunjobi is a power player first, but he does have some quickness, so as he gets more confident, he may trust his quickness more and really cause problems for opponents sitting on tendency.
What may benefit Ogunjobi most is the fact that he's likely to be playing between Shelton and top pick Myles Garrett. Shelton is coming off a fantastic sophomore campaign and Garrett is the most touted rookie of the class. The result should be a lot of favorable matchups and solo blocks that Ogunjobi can hopefully take advantage and may allow him to have a more productive rookie year than he otherwise would.
Longterm, the future is bright for Ogunjobi and the Browns defensive line as a unit. They have a corp of extremely young players that should only get better with time and development. Ogunjobi can not only become a full service player but potentially make the Pro Bowl.
Sep 3, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Cougars cornerback Howard Wilson (6) reacts after recovering a fumble against the Oklahoma Sooners in the second half at NRG Stadium. Houston Cougars won 33 to 23. Mandatory Credit: Thomas B. Shea-USA TODAY Sports
Howard Wilson, CB Houston
The Browns determined they couldn't wait until their picks in the fifth round, so they opted to trade up and swap picks with the Denver Broncos. The Browns sent the Broncos picks 145 and 175 in exchange for 126 and 252. They then used 126 to select Wilson.
Athletic Profile
Age: 21 (Born Oct. 30, 1995)
Height: 6-0.625
Weight: 184 lbs
40 Yard Dash: 4.57s
Broad Jump: 9'11″
Vertical: 33.5″
3-Cone: 6.68s
Shuttle: 3.94s
Bench: 10 reps
Credit: Jim Cobern
Wilson's agility is outstanding but the explosion shows what could be a major stumbling block for his career in the NFL. The challenge for Howard is to get more explosive, which is a matter for the weight room. Wilson needs to add weight to his frame anyway, so if that can be muscle, especially in his lower body that might mean the difference between success and failure from a physical standpoint.
Production
Career Games: 29 (Howard played 3 games in 2015 before tearing his ACL and taking a medical redshirt)
Solo Tackles: 77 (7.3 percent in 2014 & 2016)
Interceptions: 9 (34.6 percent in 2014 & 2016)
Pass Deflections: 15 (16.1 percent in 2014 & 2016)
Credit: Jim Cobern
Wilson finished his final year at Houston with 45 solo tackles, 10 pass deflections, five interceptions, 2.5 tackles for loss, one fumble return and one defensive touchdown. This past season, every three times Wilson got to the football, he intercepted one of them. It's 37.5 percent for his career with the Cougars.
Game Tape
Houston had Wilson play tight man, off man and drop shuffle technique in coverage, so he has the benefit of playing different coverages and techniques. He's accustomed to playing off and coming up as well as playing with his back turned to the play while he's locked in coverage.
As a tackler, Wilson is certainly a physical football player. He doesn't have a ton of strength but he brings all of it. At times, he gets himself in trouble because he will just throw his body at opponents, which can miss far too often. The flip side is he's not afraid to wrap up ball carriers and take them to the ground.
Sep 3, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; Oklahoma Sooners wide receiver Jeffery Mead (15) attempts to catch a pass as Houston Cougars cornerback Howard Wilson (6) defends during the game at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Wilson is also not afraid to sacrifice himself when it comes to taking on a block while maintaining outside leverage to force a ball carrier inside to his teammates, so they can make the play. He's willing and often eager to read and then attack the running game.
In coverage, Wilson does not have elite speed and can get beat deep. He is someone that can be overaggressive going for interceptions and can be susceptible on a double move. Wilson plays like someone who is not only looking to prevent the offense from scoring, but is actively trying to figure out how he can cause a turnover.
His favorite way to do that is attempting to undercut routes to try to cause the interception and ultimately score. He also does a pretty good job of attacking the opponent arms and working to pry them off the ball when he goes to break up a pass. Wilson is physical and aggressive with opponents in coverage and has pretty good mirroring skills.
Fit, Usage and Projection with the Browns
Initially, Wilson is probably going to be a depth corner that plays on special teams. Right now, he projects better to play in the slot, where the Browns have a ton of depth. In the event of an injury, he could see time on the perimeter as a corner early, but his lack of physical strength and explosiveness poses a problem that plenty of opponents will take advantage.
If Wilson can get strong enough to hold his own physically on the outside he has a chance to be a pretty good boundary corner after a year or two. Considering the comments Joe Haden revealed from Gregg Williams, they may well be looking for Howard to play his spot after this year. Howard is aggressive enough to play the strong side as he has shown to be an extremely agreeable run defender.
For his career, Wilson has the chance to be a pretty good corner, but that may only go as far as his body can take him in terms of additional strength. If for some reason that doesn't happen, Wilson's impressive agility might make him an interesting slot corner because of his height. The Browns certainly did not draft him for that purpose, so they will be interested to see how much work he'll put in the weight room.
Oct 3, 2015; Winston-Salem, NC, USA; Florida State Seminoles offensive lineman Roderick Johnson (77) lines up during the second half against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at BB&T Field. Florida State defeated Wake Forest 24-16. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports
Roderick Johnson, OT – Florida State
The Browns made another trade where they moved up from 181 and threw in pick 188 to get the 160th pick and 224th pick from the New York Jets in order to select Roderick Johnson. Johnson was a two-time All-ACC selection and was a Freshman All-American. The ACC coaches awarded him the Jacobs Blocking Trophy for back to back years as the conference's best lineman.
Athletic Profile
Age: 21 (Born October 30, 1995)
Height: 6-6.625
Weight: 298 lbs
40 Yard Dash: 4.9s
Broad Jump: 8'7″
Vertical: 29.5″
3-Cone: 7.92s
Shuttle: 4.94s
Bench: 21 reps
Credit: Jim Cobern
Johnson is clearly fast in a straight line. After that, the explosion is good enough to do the job. The problem is his flexibility. He isn't remotely flexible. The short shuttle specifically measures a player's ankles and the 3-cone measures a player's hips. Johnson did extremely poorly on both. The tape agrees as he struggles to move laterally, which is kind of important as a tackle.
Game Tape
Johnson is quite tall and high cut. He certainly looks the part of an athletic offensive tackle. Then the tape starts and one quickly comes to the realization just how stiff and slow he is.
Johnson's stance is uneven in terms of weight distribution from a 2-point stance. In effect, when he tries to push off his right foot, he's almost doubling the workload in terms of weight it has to move off the snap. As a result, it is slower to get out of his stance to get to his first step, regardless of the direction. It also means he has to plant his left foot in order to go right, which is inherently slower than having an even stance where he can fire off from the left.
This also means he has far less power with his first step, which carries over to the next few steps. And since most plays for an offensive linemen are determined in the first few steps, he's at a massive disadvantage every single play. On tape, there are plenty of times where Johnson gets blown off the ball or knocked down entirely as a result. If he evens out the weight distribution, he comes off that foot with more power and with more strength, he's sturdier in absorbing contact and directing power.
He also needs to turn his knee to engage his glute have his left leg prepped like a coil to fire off the ball. Again, this will help him come off the ball with more power, regardless of which direction he needs to go.
Nov 5, 2016; Raleigh, NC, USA; Florida State Seminoles tackle Roderick Johnson (77) blocks against North Carolina State Wolfpack defensive end Bradley Chubb (9) during the second half at Carter Finley Stadium. Florida State won 24-20. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports
Johnson is better in a 3-point stance simply because his weight distribution is substantially better and he really only used it in short yardage situations. He's far more powerful because his initial step puts him in a better position to succeed, but he still needs to engage his guilt before the snap to create that spring effect.
In large part because of his stance, Johnson's first step in pass protection is terrible. He has to push off his right leg with his first step to simply re-balance himself and there are plenty of examples where Johnson steps out while the defender steps inside of him and he gets beaten as a result.
This is easy to exploit because opponents who study him can see him doing this every play. Johnson has to essentially step and immediately go into panic mode to get back inside to try to cut the opponent off from getting a straight line to the quarterback and there are numerous examples where he is unable and the defender has a kill shot.
Combine that with the fact that Johnson is so poor working laterally that he struggles to win on the outside as well. Every play, defenders have effectively two ways to beat him and just have to choose which one they prefer. When Florida State was in obvious passing situations, Johnson was beaten before the play began. He tries to work outside and use his length and long arms to push opponents around the quarterback, but his success was limited.
When he engages as a blocker, he doesn't have his hands and lower body in sync, so his power is extremely limited and gets overpowered by players he shouldn't. He also has a tendency to stop his feet on contact and rely entirely on his length to win.
In any situation where Johnson is asked to pull or go to the second level, he looked horribly unathletic. He is slow and inflexible, so he ends up falling off of or missing blocks entirely. Johnson was utterly hopeless when hitting a moving target.
Fit, Usage and Projection with the Browns
The Browns announced in their press conference that Johnson is going to be a left tackle, so currently he is the backup to Joe Thomas. And in practices where Joe Thomas has the day off, Johnson presumably is the guy who would be getting first team reps against the likes of Myles Garrett. This also suggests that when the preseason rolls around, Johnson would be protecting DeShone Kizer's blindside.
Between the athletic testing and the tape, it's unclear how anyone within the Browns organization thought he could be an NFL tackle, let alone a left tackle. If everything goes perfectly for Johnson, he might be Morgan Moses. Moses came into the NFL with the same agility issues as Johnson, though his tape was substantially better and he is a right tackle.
Johnson's tape isn't very good, let alone perfect. As laid out earlier, there are definitely ways for Johnson to improve almost immediately, but not likely to improve enough to save him. It's possible that Johnson could take two reps against Garrett and the Browns see immediately just how impossible it is for him to be a left tackle and either move him to the crowded right tackle competition or just cut him entirely.
It's unfathomable to think that Johnson can show enough in training camp or the preseason to warrant being kept on the final 53-man roster. He looks physically incapable of playing in the NFL, but may get his shot to be on the practice squad if the Browns insist on trying to work with him. Johnson is a poor offensive lineman with a career-killing lack of agility.
The more likely situation is the front office is hoping that a player like Max Rich, currently a New England Patriot, or Storm Norton who is with the Detroit Lions, both signed as undrafted free agents, are victims of a numbers game and the Browns can scoop them up the way they did Anthony Fabiano last year, allowing them to fix a mistake made by a coach picking a player in the draft.
This was truly a terrible pick and they felt strongly enough about to trade up in order to do it. (In the event Johnson is a successful NFL tackle, I will not only be happy for his success, I will happily arrange a way where he can tell me just how awful I am at evaluating.)
Oct 15, 2016; Gainesville, FL, USA; Florida Gators defensive lineman Caleb Brantley (57) against the Missouri Tigers during the first quarter at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Caleb Brantley, DT – Florida
With the first pick in the sixth round, the Browns selected Caleb Brantley. Brantley is currently under investigation for domestic violence, although there is video evidence that appears to exonerate him of any criminal wrongdoing.
In an effort to defend themselves, Sashi Brown announced that the team may ultimately cut Brantley if they are unsatisfied with what they find out about this legal situation. Rather than confidently declare they've done their research on the situation, they came off looking terrible by basically saying that they might go ahead and throw away a draft pick.
Beyond the PR nightmare that came with selecting Brantley already, there are plenty of additional concerns with Brantley that made him seem like a questionable pick, even if this current situation never came up, but the Browns opted to roll the dice here anyway.
Athletic Profile
Age: 22 (Born Sept. 2, 1994)
Height: 6-2.625
Weight: 307 lbs
40 Yard Dash: 5.14s
Broad Jump: 8'9″
Vertical: 27″
3-Cone: 7.66s
Shuttle: 4.62s
Bench: 21 reps
Credit: Jim Cobern
Brantley's athleticism isn't bad, but it's not particularly good either. What makes Brantley's athleticism interesting though is he tested heavy. He played and seems best suited to keep playing in the 290s as opposed to 307 pounds. So, it's possible that if he were retested at a more optimal weight, his numbers across the board might improve.
Production
Career Games: 38
Solo Tackles: 30 (2.2 percent)
Sacks: 5.5 (5.4 percent)
Tackles for Loss: 20 (7.4 percent)
Credit: Jim Cobern
Brantley recorded 16 solo tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks and a forced fumble in his final season at Florida. His tackles for loss are pretty good, but his production overall is pretty underwhelming as was his career with the Gators.
Game Tape
Brantley does his best work as a penetrator. He is able to get off the ball quickly and occasionally get to the backfield before his opponent is able to get out of his stance. Now some of that is due to the fact that Brantley is notorious at trying to jump the snap and was drawn offside 10 times the past two seasons.
When he gets doubled, he is often blown off the line of scrimmage, but he can be a problem when he's left alone because he's quick and has a strong punch. He will occasionally knock offensive linemen back as well as just beating them with quickness and has done this both inside as a 3-technique defensive tackle but also utilized as an occasional defensive end.
Nov 19, 2016; Baton Rouge, LA, USA; Florida Gators defensive lineman Caleb Brantley (57) celebrates after a stop during the second half against the LSU Tigers at Tiger Stadium. The Gators defeat the Tigers 16-10. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Brantley is the type of player where he can blow up a play before it gets started. At times, he shows incredible speed and power looking like the best player on the field.
The issue is far too often, when he doesn't think he is in the play or can make the play, he shuts it down. There are examples of plays where he's walking and the play is still going. His motor runs unevenly and this not just play to play, but there are games when he is a disruptive force and others where he is invisible.
Fit, Usage and Projection with the Browns
Brantley is ideally suited to be a nickel pass rusher that has to earn every rep he gets in order to make sure he's going full speed. That might end up being about 20 great snaps in a game, but he is talented enough where he can get noticed in that amount of time.
Gregg Williams has dubbed himself the 'motor coach' and will be on Brantley every time he even thinks of loafing, be it on the practice field, the game or even walking down the hallway. From that standpoint, Williams might be the perfect coach for a player like Brantley, who may thrive playing under a disciplinarian. Williams has had success working with these types of players in the past.
If Brantley can get with the program, he could become a nice pass rushing asset in obvious passing situations that gives them an athletic boost in the middle. He's the type of player that could chip in a couple sacks a year and blow up a few plays. The potential is there for him to develop into an NFL starter, but he's yet to show the consistency necessary to this point.
It's also possible that even if the legal situation is resolved without any lingering effects that the Browns will get a hold of Brantley, find out that he simply doesn't want to put in the work the Browns will require of him and he'll get beat out for the roster spot. As reported in multiple spots, including Mike Mayock on the broadcast, Brantley's current legal situation was the "last straw" for a lot of teams.
Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com tweeted a similar sentiment.
One league source told me of #Browns Caleb Brantley: "A coach at school told every team he talked to 'stay away even if undrafted."'
— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) April 29, 2017
Even if this current incident never came up, Brantley comes in with character baggage and it could prevent him from enjoying any kind of NFL success. This was an incredibly risky selection for the Browns and the juice may not be worth the squeeze. It does not appear as though the Browns front office was fully prepared to deal for the blow black of this selection.
Oct 22, 2016; Tempe, AZ, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils kicker Zane Gonzalez (5) against the Washington State Cougars at Sun Devil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Zane Gonzalez, K – Arizona State
With the 224th pick of the draft, the Browns selected Zane Gonzalez out of Arizona State. Gonzalez has the FBS record for fields goals with 96. He was named first team All-American and first team All-Pac-12. Gonzalez also apparently suffers from obsessive compulsive disorder, which is appears beneficial for him in terms of the details of kicking.
Bio
Age: Unavailable
Height: 6-0
Weight: 202 lbs
Production
Kickoffs: 125 touchbacks out of 161 attempts (77.6 percent)
Field Goals: 96 of 116 (82.7 percent)
Extra Points: 204 of 209 (97.5 percent)
Fit, Usage and Projection with the Browns
Gonzalez is going to come in and compete for the kicking job with Cody Parkey, who was signed as a free agent during the season last year. Parkey was effective last season, kicking 20-of-25 field goals with a long of 51. His first game was infamous as he missed three field goals out of six in his debut because he had almost literally just gotten there and never worked with the holder.
That said, Gonzalez is an extremely highly regarded kicker coming out of college and they actually used a draft pick on him. It would stand to reason that Gonzalez does have an advantage over Parkey to make the roster.
For his career, Parkey has kicked five field goals over 50 yards, making all of them. Gonzalez, meanwhile kicked nine this past season, making seven and Parkey has a career touchback rate of 63.7 percent. It at least appears as though Gonzalez has a stronger leg. The one area where Gonzalez does struggle is apparently as a kicker in coverage. He gave up three kick returns for touchdowns over the last two years and may be well served to attend the Chris Gardocki school of ankle slapping.
Nov 25, 2016; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina State Wolfpack running back Matt Dayes (21) runs the ball during the first half against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Kenan Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports
Matt Dayes, RB – N.C. State
With the 252nd pick and their final pick for the class, the Browns selected running back Matt Dayes. Dayes is the only member of this draft class the Browns actually coached at the Senior Bowl as he was a member of their South team.
Athletic Profile
Age: 23 (Born April 1, 1994)
Height: 5-8.625
Weight: 205 lbs
40 Yard Dash: 4.66s
Broad Jump: 9'1″
Vertical: 28″
3-Cone: 7.26s
Shuttle: 4.51s
Bench: 18 reps
Credit: Jim Cobern
His athletic profile is pretty miserable. Dayes did not participate at the combine and it has been suggested that he was playing through pain at Pro Day. Hopefully that is the case because based on the data available, he doesn't have a single trait that looks promising.
Production
Career Games: 45
Carries: 550 at 5.22 yards per carry
Rushing Yards: 2874 (30.8 percent)
Receptions: 98
Receiving Yards: 933 (7.9 percent)
Touchdowns: 40 (24.5 percent)
Credit: Jim Cobern
As a senior, Dayes rushed for 1,168 yards on 249 carries (4.68 per carry) and ten touchdowns. He also caught 32 passes for 267 yards. Dayes was a productive back for the Wolfpack, chipping in rushing and receiving yards every season. On production, Dayes is a far more promising back, but his athleticism may hold him back.
Game Tape
On tape, it's easy to see why coaches would love Dayes. Dayes does most everything correctly and is clearly an intelligent football player, who may be a future coach. He's a zone runner with excellent vision, is a terrific blocker and talented receiver. Dayes does a great job of running slow release routes to create some easy yardage on screens and check downs.
They run gap type plays with designed holes, but Dayes does his best work when he is able to cut back off zone blocking or he can run stretch plays and choose the hole. He is decisive and while he tries to make opponents miss with jukes, spin moves, and cuts, he is a runner that is always going to try to keep gaining yardage. Dayes is not someone who is going to dance in the backfield.
Sep 1, 2016; Raleigh, NC, USA; North Carolina State Wolfpack running back Matt Dayes (21) runs the ball during the second half against the William and Mary Tribe at Carter Finley Stadium. The Wolfpack won 48-14. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports
He's fearless running inside and is pretty good when they can get him in an alley or out to the edge. Dayes runs tough and is pretty savvy when it comes to getting to the sticks as a ball carrier.
At the same time, especially when running between the tackles, Dayes tends to gain exactly as many yards as his offensive line can get him. He can occasionally make tacklers miss in space, but he doesn't make a ton of his own yardage. As shown in his physical profile and confirmed on tape, as much as he does everything right, there's nothing that looks special about him physically. He just doesn't have much juice.
Fit, Usage and Projection with the Browns
When factoring in what Dayes does, the guy he most closely resembles on the Browns is Duke Johnson. Both players are fantastic receiving threats and blockers that do a lot of the little things well. The obvious difference is Johnson brings far more physical talent to the table.
Dayes's best asset may be his vision, so it's a little curious that the Browns picked him, given they run a scheme that is heavy on gap principles and has far more designed holes for backs to run through. This might suggest that Dayes is purely on the Browns for his blocking and receiving ability.
Dayes is also currently the fifth running back on the Browns depth chart, along with Johnson, Darius Jackson, George Atkinson III and Isaiah Crowell, who is still a restricted free agent. He doesn't play the same type of game that Jackson, Atkinson and Crowell do and given where they took him, it seems more direct competition and potentially insurance for Johnson than it is a sea change.
Short of catastrophic injury, it's difficult to imagine both Johnson and Dayes both make the final roster. More likely, Johnson is going to make the team and Dayes is ultimately going to be released with a plan to stash him on the practice squad. In the event of a Johnson injury, they can sign Dayes to fulfill those same responsibilities so the Browns can always have a back that can be a good blocker and be a receiving threat. Even if Dayes is not the most dynamic threat, his willingness to the dirty work will keep him in the NFL for a few years.
