Cleveland Browns: 5 less talked about options for the fourth pick
By Ryan Rosko
Derwin James, DB, Florida State
Derwin James can either be a top cornerback or safety in the NFL. He cannot be both like he was in college. If there is a name that cracks the top seven that is not being mentioned it is James. If James does not go to Cleveland at four, he should be off the board by the time the Chicago Bears go on the clock with their eighth pick.
With what Cleveland has in the secondary, James would help the cornerback situation immensely while being a pure difference-maker in the secondary.
Given the athletes these offenses have nowadays, James could also be an enforcer when needed, allowing T.J. Carrie and Briean Boddy-Calhoun among others to cover wide receivers. Simulateounely, James would then have the role of covering those athletes similar to Seattle Seahawks’ Kam Chancellor.
After an impressive freshman campaign, James struggled in 2016. However, he rebounded in 2017 with 84 tackles while making plays all over the field. While technically James is a safety, he is going to be covering corners quite often.
Rather than placing a position label on him, what he should be viewed and labeled as is a defensive answer. With defenses playing more dime than anything else, that benefits James. The more he is on the field, the more plays will be made.