The new regime is in place for the Browns and GM BERRY is now purging many of the players that former GM John Dorsey had added to the team’s roster. So the old axiom of one step forward, two steps back, threatens to keep the team from being a legit Playoff contender once again, at least for this season. The best hope the team has now is to strike gold with their 7 2020 Draft choices, set let’s have at it.
Round 1, Pick 10 (PP#14) TRISTAN WIRFS OT Iowa 6’5/320 By the time the Combine was over, it had become pretty clear that at least athletically, WIRFS was the best OL in the 2020 prospect class. Then you throw in the coaching acumen at play under HC Kirk Ferentz of the Hawkeyes, and there should be a good likelihood that WIRFS will succeed in the NFL. The Browns certainly hope so. His 4.85/40-time at the Combine running at 320 lbs. was breathtaking. His 10 1/4″ hands and 34″ arms are the stuff OL Coaches dream of. 36 of the OL at the Combine participated in the Vertical Jump, with WIRFS posting the top jump at 36.5″. His tape shows a strong player, who has excellent foot movement and the ability to mirror defenders at the line-of-scrimmage. Some teams still see him as an OG, which I think is pure lunacy. He played RT for the Hawkeyes, but I think he excels no matter where he plays, and they need help at LT the most. He should be a joy to Browns veteran OL Coach BILL CALLAHAN, not to mention QB Mayfield.
Round 2, Pick 41 (PP#42) JUSTIN MADUBUIKE DT Texas A&M 6’3/293 Madubuike played much of his A&M career at over 300 lbs. But losing about 10 lbs. looks to have really aided him in his playing speed, as evidenced by a 4.83-40 at the Combine. He is still strong at 293. He had 31 reps in the Bench Press, which comes despite fairly long (33 1/2″) arms. That was 4th best at the Combine among the DL group. Justin recorded 45 tackles last season for the Aggies, which included 11.5 TFL and 5.5 Sacks. He shows natural balance and explosion off the snap. He also slaps people around with an explosive hand punch. He will make a solid addition to their DL rotation and has some traits that point to his continued development as a pass rusher.
Round 3, Pick 74 (PP#78) ASHTYN DAVIS S CAL 6’1/202 He has come a long way from his walk-on days at Cal. He actually walked on as a track athlete, before trying out for the football team. He was hindered by a groin injury for much of 2019, especially late in the season. This precluded him from being a 100% participant at the Combine. He’s going to show best in Zone Coverage, but he’s still better overall than some of the 2019 Safeties that are no longer on the Browns roster. DAVIS recorded 57 tackles, while playing through his physical ills in 2019. He also recorded 2 INT’s and 4 PBU’s. In 2018, when he was healthy the whole season, he had 4 INT’s and 5 PBU’s. He is athletic, with good ball skills and instincts, and is very competitive out on the grass. He needs to tighten up his tackling and eschew looking for the big hit too often. DAVIS will not disappoint in his run support effort, compared again to some of last year’s Browns deep secondary.
Round 3, Pick 91 (PP#90) TROY DYE LB Oregon 6’3/231 Another highly productive player throughout his college career that was hindered somewhat last season, having to play late in the year with a huge cast on his right wrist. After recording over 100 tackles in both 2017 & 2018, he dipped to 84 tackles in 2019 but still made it onto the field for 13 games. There are times when DYE correctly diagnoses plays that he flashes onto the scene like a heat seeking missile. And he seems to pack quite a wallop with some of his tackles. He is also athletically talented enough to drop into coverage on TE’s and RB’s. Given the purge of the LB group this-off season by the Browns, the road to compete for a starting job by a player like DYE seems wide open.
Round 4, Pick 115 (PP#119) QUARTNEY DAVIS WR Texas A&M 6’1/201. There is no denying the talent level of the primary receivers in the Browns offense. When healthy, LANDRY and BECKHAM can cause opposing DC’s to put in extra time game planning each week. But attrition has made the depth of their receivers group a bit questionable. Enter one of the best move-the-sticks wideouts in this prospect class. He caught 54 passes for the Aggies in 2019. His appearance at the Senior Bowl seriously helped his prospect ranking in this man’s eyes. He wasn’t burning defenders deep, but they could not handle him on shorter routes. He showed amazing hands in Mobile, catching everything thrown his way. He’s not great in run after the catch, but is sturdier than he looks, and will shake off some weaker tackle attempts. He has the looks of a Receiver 3, whether split wide or in the slot.
Round 6, Pick 187 (PP#184) SAAHDIQ CHARLES OG LSU 6’4/321 CHARLES is an aggressive, athletic OL candidate, who is very raw. Right now, he still wins most battles because of his size and strength. He comes up just a tad short of ideal size for a pro OT slot, at just over 6’4, and with 33″ arms. But given his bulk and nasty attitude it is not hard to envision him transitioning to an Interior OL spot quite handily, and eventually earning a starting job. In a pinch, he might be trusted to protect his QB from an OT spot in short spurts. When you look at his size, and then see his 5.05/40-time at the Combine, it’s not hard to figure out why he intrigues OL Coaches. He should serve as a Gameday back-up with his versatility immediately, with long range starter potential.
Round 7, Pick 244 (PP#239) NIGEL WARRIOR S Tennessee 6’0/197 The son of All-American DB and All-Pro Chiefs CB DALE CARTER. He earned his first start at the end of his frosh season, ending up with 38 career starts as a Vol. Served as a team Captain. He’s a very aggressive player in run and pass defense. Playing in 13 games in 2019, he recorded 70 T’s, 2 TFL, 4 INT’s & 9 PBU’s. Now please tell me why he was not invited to the Combine, and settled for a roster spot at the NFLPA game. Even I have rated him lower than he probably deserves to be. He’s an absolute tackling machine as an in-the-box S, but don’t sell him short in his pass coverage work. There can be no doubt that he helps on Special Teams immediately. However, don’t bet against him getting regular reps with the defensive unit. A steal for Round 7.
This talented Draft group will seriously improve the Browns overall depth chart, as well as provide them with some immediate help where jobs are open to competition from all.
Pigskin
