Five overlooked prospects the Cleveland Browns can’t pass up in the 2020 NFL Draft, as the team looks to get back on the fast track in the AFC North.
Every year is a big year when talking draft and the Cleveland Browns, and 2020 is no exception. The Browns blew up in 2019 under the weight of expectations and failed first-year head coach.
Despite the six-win season, there’s still talent on the roster, so if the organization can make smart choice this offseason, all the while Kevin Stefanski resurrects Baker Mayfield’s career, the Browns should be in the playoff hunt down the stretch come December.
The Browns have plenty of holes to fill, as the franchise just created another lane for a semi-truck to drive through by letting go linebacker Joe Schobert. Now, the team is in desperate need of a middle linebacker, two offensive tackles, a safety and probably a tight end, depending how you feel about David Njoku today.
The Browns just aren’t going to get all this fixed in free agency and the early rounds of the draft, meaning Paul DePodesta and Andrew Berry have to do something this franchise has stunk at for 20 years: Find talent in the later rounds and develop those players into contributing talent on a winning team.
The Steelers seemingly do it every year. So do the Ravens. It’s not impossible. You might not feel that way being a Browns’ fan, but doesn’t the Law of Averages eventually have to come up Cleveland’s way?
We’ve seen the mocks and we all have our favorite picks for the first couple of rounds. However, perhaps the Browns should consider these prospects in the middle-to-later parts of the draft, in addition to the undrafted free-agent rush that comes in the days following.
1. Joe Bachie, MLB
By refusing to meet Joe Schobert‘s $10 million per season asking price, the Cleveland Browns created a huge need on a roster that already has plenty of holes to fill.
It wasn’t all that surprising to hear the Browns decline to pay Schobert, especially with Paul DePodesta in charge of strategy. He, along with Sashi Brown, made Schobert a middle-round pick in the 2016 draft. One year later, the Wisconsin product was a Bowler.
Schobert can fall out of bed and make 100 tackles, but he’s not considered an elite player. With that said, he’s very, very good and the Browns will probably be sorry they didn’t keep him.
But DePodesta is the man behind “Moneyball,” a strategy entirely based around founding players capable of performing as well as high priced talent, and it’s my belief that Cleveland’s Chief Strategy Officer can do it again.
Enter Joe Bachie, the Brookpark product who attended Michigan State. He’s a prototypical MIKE linebacker and he’s expected to available during the middle rounds of the draft.
Bachie differs from Schobert in that he’s better against the run and probably a better blitzed than he is in coverage. However, he’s expected to struggle in coverage.
He doesn’t scream “elite athlete,” yet he still managed to become an all-conference selection, in addition to be named a two-time captain for the Spartans. While he’s labled to have physical limitations, Bachie impressed with a 6.93 three cone drill. This exercises is supposedly measures change of direction, speed, agility among other things.
2. Antoine Winfield Jr., S
Antoine Winfield Jr. brings impressive genes to the NFL, being the son of former Ohio State Buckeye first-round pick Antoine Winfield Sr.
Winfield Jr. wasn’t recruited to Ohio State when the Buckeyes were led by Urban Meyer, but he was still good enough to play for the Big Ten’s Minnesota Golden Gophers.
The Columbus native was a three-star recruit coming out of high school, and he had two seasons cut short by injury. The redshirt still managed to compile 177 tackles and nine interception during his time in the Land of 10,000 Lakes. Seven of those picks came in his final season as a Golden Gopher.
Winfield was a unanimous All-American selection and named Big Ten Defensive Back of the year. He’s only 5-foot-9, and he may not be be considered an elite athlete, but don’t let that the fact that he displayed great instincts, while possessing the ability to lay a lick on wide receivers.
Safety is a concern for the Browns, especially with Damarious Randall set to walk in free agency. The team added Sheldrick Redwine in the the draft a year ago, but he seems best suited as a strong safety.
This isn’t to say that selecting Winfield Jr. would fix the problems automatically, but he’s someone the Browns should want to see more of during OTAs and Training Camp.
With Joe Louis hired as the defensive coordinator, it makes you wonder what type of player Winfield Jr. could turn into, considering Louis’ success with the 49ers defensive backfield.
3. Rashod Berry, TE
Why 6-foog-4, 255-pound Rashod Berry continues to be overlooked this draft season remains a great mystery. To play tight end at Ohio State means you’re probably pretty good at football, yet Berry wasn’t invited to big events such as the Senior Bowl or the NFL Combine.
He was invited to the NFLPA All-Star game, where he played well, and his next chance to impress scouts will come during Ohio State’s Pro Day.
Berry didn’t churn out eye-popping stats while wearing Scarlet and Gray, but with that said, he wasn’t really asked to be that type of player. He was usually in a fixture in goal line situations, where he was asked to block. Of course, he had a memorable touchdown reception against Washington in the Rose Bowl a couple years ago.
Keeping that in mind, Berry can catch, and it shouldn’t be forgotten in the age of athletic tight ends that the prospect starred for Lorain High’s basketball team. Plus, who helped fill in for Chase Young at defensive end when Chase Young got suspended? Yep, it was Berry.
He’s the type of player you could see Bill Belihick making a cult star out of of…so, will the Browns take him?
Now that analytics is king again in Berea, David Njoku should get a shot to prove why he was a first-round pick. While we all hold our breathes, Berry is the type of player the Browns should be developing because he’s capable of being both a blocking tight end, in addition to a receiver.
There’s a possibility that Berry won’t even be drafted, but if I’m the Browns, I wouldn’t give other teams a crack at signing him in free agency. He’d be worth a draft pick in my book.
4. Kamaal Seymour, OL
The Browns intend to invest heavily on the offensive line during the offseason, which could mean the use of first-round pick, in addition to buying some talent via free agency.
Long term, the Browns would be wise to find a lineman to develop later in the draft, making Rutgers right tackle Kamaal Seymour a prime candidate.
The Scarlet Knight last played during the NFLPA All-Star game last January, which was played at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.
Seymour was measured at just under 6-foot-6, while weighing 318 pounds. He started 41 games for the Scarlet Knights, playing mostly tackle. He started at guard in his only college All-Star game, marking the first time he had played the position.
Cleveland is expected to take a left tackle with their first-round selection, while Chris Hubbard could be replaced on the right side. At guard, Joel Bitonio has the left tackle position locked up, while Wyatt Teller seemed to stabilize the right guard position toward the end of the season.
Seymour, a redshirt senior, may go undrafted, or perhaps a team takes a flyer on him in the later rounds. His size and versatility certainly make him an intriguing prospect, even if his NFL future is at guard.
5. Reid Harrison-Ducros, CB
Reid Harrison-Ducros could be day-one nickel starting corner in the NFL, and considering how pass happy the league’s gone with three-receiver formations, the Duquesne product could be a steal.
Harrison-Ducros started at Boise State, but transferred to the Pittsburgh. He’s considered to be a fluid mover who has a nose for the ball.
The 5-10 defensive back totaled four interceptions in his final season, in addition to nine passes defensed.
The Browns move into 2020 solid at corner, assuming Denzel Ward and Greedy Williams can stay healthy. After parting ways with T.J. Carrie, Terrance Mitchell would seemingly be the choice to start at nickel.
With that said, I don’t think it’s a lock Mitchell makes the squad, leaving room for a competition Donnie Lewis Jr., Robert Jackson or special teams maven Tavierre Thomas.
Corners are like pitchers in baseball, you can never have enough, and Browns fans saw that play out in 2019 as both Williams and Ward were out with hamstring injuries for an extended period of time.