Thursday, April 29, 2021

Cleveland Browns Persons of Interest: Defensive Front Seven

 The Cleveland Browns defense still needs more help on the front seven even after signing Jadeveon Clowney at defensive end, Malik Jackson at defensive tackle, and Anthony Walker at linebacker.

The Browns will likely select a defensive lineman in either the first or second round, but the question is which position will they address?

Defensive end seemed to be the clear choice before the signing of Jadeveon Clowney, but between adding Clowney and then releasing Sheldon Richardson to make cap room for the draftees (and Clowney) defensive tackle could also make a lot of sense.

After Myles Garrett and Jadeveon Clowney, the Browns only have free agency addition Takk Mckinley, who comes with injury questions, and returning depth players Porter Gustin and Joe Jackson to round out the unit.

The defensive ends come with questions, but Dane Brugler has first-round possible grades on five players at the position.

Georgia's Azeez Ojulari has the speed and athletic ability but isn't as big as you'd like to see and the two pass rushers from the Big Ten in Michigan's Kwity Paye and Penn State's Jayson Oweh are supposed to be pass rushers that didn't sack many quarterbacks in their college career.

Oweh didn't register a sack at all in Penn State's seven games and Paye would finish with only two, although Michigan only played four games.

Paye has terrific athletic ability but needs lots of refinement on his pass rush.

Miami's Jaelan Phillips has first-round ability but has had concussion problems that once forced him to medically retire.

Combine that with an admitted passion for music (remember another Miami bust that loved music more than football in 2018 3rd rounder Chad Thomas?) and despite the upside of Phillips, I would stay away from him unless he would fall to day three, which is unlikely.

I like Washington's Joe Tryon's (pictured) size and speed, but he only started for one season with Washington, sat out 2020, and Dane Brugler's comment of a "work in progress" seems dead-on.

Tryon is rated as one of the draft's biggest "Boom or Bust" questions, but physically he looks the part.

As does, Miami's Gregory Rousseau, who may have been a top fifteen pick had he entered the 2020 draft after finishing with 15.5 sacks in 2019 in his first year as a starter for the Hurricanes.

Like Tryon, Rousseau sat 2020 out and like Tryon (also 6'5) comes with all the physical tools that an end rusher needs, but has some developmental processes to go through to reach his potential.

Should the Browns go for a depth pick on the final day of the draft, I like Iowa's Chauncey Golston, who doesn't pass the looks test and then goes onto the field and produces.

If you want a true player to develop from a day three pick, Florida State's Joshua Kaindoh has the size to eventually start for someone (6'5 260) but will need lots after a somewhat disappointing Seminole career.

This is an especially weak defensive tackle class with Brugler rating only one player with a full first-round grade and only one other with a first/second-round grade.

The Browns will have new starters at defensive tackle after allowing Larry Ogunjobi to leave via free agency to the Bengals and releasing Sheldon Richardson.

Cleveland will be relying heavily on 2020 third-rounder Jordan Elliott, Andrew Billings, who sat out 2020, and free-agent signee Malik Jackson.

If this was a better class, the Browns could go defensive tackle.

But it's not with Alabama's Christian Barmore the best available at the position.

At 6'4 and over 300 pounds, Barmore can be rotated around the line according to situations, but he only started one year at Alabama, so he has not taken as many snaps as you may think.

Barmore will likely go earlier than he should due to the down year at the position,.

Levi Onwuzunke of Washington is the other highly rated DT and yet another sit-out for the 2020 season.

At his best Onwuzunke is an active and athletic tackle that can run down backs, but he needs to add strength and is taller than most defensive tackles used as run-pluggers.

Should the Browns wait until day three, there are two players that I'd be interested in taking.

Florida State's Marvin Wilson played better as a sophomore and junior than as a senior.

Wilson is a natural stopper in the running game, blocked three kicks in 2020 so he could help there and Wilson played for three coaches in four years which likely didn't help his development very much.

Wilson has the tools to be an excellent player but comes with risk if taken earlier than day three.

Tommy Togiai was just starting to come into his own at the end of 2020 for Ohio State and might have been better suited to return to Ohio State.

Still, Togiai at worst will be a rotational player against the run and could evolve into a pass-rushing threat up the middle with work.

Togiai may go in the third round, so Cleveland may have to move to get him then should they want him.

I'll be around tonight to look at the Browns selection in the first round or any potential trades up or even out of the first round. 

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