The Cleveland Browns can’t afford to only hit on their top picks in the NFL Draft, late-round players need to pan out for this team to turn it around fast.
The NFL Draft is usually filled with busts and underperforming talent throughout the early picks. It’s imperative that when you step into the Draft room to start picking talent that you make sure those late-round picks land. If those late-round picks are treated without the respect they deserve, then you end up relying on a team with only one or two rookies to build upon.
According to a 2015 article, more than 40% of the 2014 NFL starters came from rounds four through seven, or via undrafted rookie free agents. In a 2018 article, it’s reported that first-round picks only have a 53% rate of success. If you don’t think the Draft matters beyond the third round, and if you don’t think those late-round picks are valuable, you’re a fool.
Finding success in the later rounds is imperative. Think about that, nearly 40% of the league’s starters came in the later rounds, with nearly 14% of that sum coming via rookie free agents. Being good at drafting and scouting talent beyond the first few rounds has to be a priority. Especially with the Browns, who have just so many holes that need to be filled. That’s why it’s so important for people to keep in mind these later rounds, because it’s more than likely that 30%-40% of the Browns starters will be taken in these later rounds at some point, during some year.
So let’s take a look at some talent the Browns should look at in the last day of the Draft and beyond.
Wyoming – LB Logan Wilson
Logan Wilson is an absolute stud inside linebacker. His stats are usually across 12-13 games, so keep in mind how dominant he was at Wyoming. In his career, Wilson had 409 tackles, 34.5 for a loss, seven sacks, 10 interceptions, 14 pass deflections, two touchdowns, and four fumble recoveries.
If there was a prototypical replacement player for Joe Schobert, it’d be Wilson. There might be a better cover linebacker in the draft, but who knows? There is no formula, there is no stat that defines who a great player is or could be. Think about all those times Mel Kiper and Todd McShay said “…this player is a can’t miss prospect” and that prospect ended up busting. The Draft Combine, the ESPN draft ‘experts’, there’s no guarantee. There’s no promise.
Wilson plays just like Schobert did and has the legs to keep up with tight ends and running backs out of the backfield. Shobert showed a lot of quickness, but Wilson is an even better athlete. He’s got that ball-hawking mentality and has the ability to average double-digit tackles for the team.
Currently, he’s being projected in the 4-6 round area. An ideal pick up around the 4th-round for the Cleveland Browns. The Browns have a lot of pressing needs, namely on the offensive line. There’s quite a good number of players that could help the line, and the area of need is deep. The linebackers may not be as deep quality-wise, but some of them are being dismissed due to not having flashy combine stats. It’s very clear that someone like Wilson might be overlooked because of where he went to school. Giving him an opportunity to fill the hole that the Browns foolishly created by not re-signing Schobert is the only way to go, outside of dumping huge money on free agents.
Boise State – G John Molchon
John Molchon is another player projected to go in the mid-late rounds. The 6’5, 322 lbs. offensive guard is one of the better interior line prospects in the third day. Strong as an ox, and nimble, the guard from Boise State offers a litany of possibility for the offense. He can play all over the line, which is a valuable commodity. Even if he’s not a starter in his first few years, he could be a reliable option to fill multiple positions in the place of an injured player.
Having a fast, and nimble guard allows an offense to run more traps on offense. Pulling guards who can run well are more able to stay ahead of the ball carriers. They can turn upfield and provide the needed blocking to propel the runners to the second level and beyond. This is something the Browns lacked last year on the right. Joel Bitonio is a heck of a guard but even he isn’t as nimble as Molchon.
Molchon doesn’t have a lot of holes and is a reliable player with regards to durability. In his three years starting consistently at Boise State, Molchon didn’t miss a single start. The Las Vegas native would be a valuable asset to a Browns team still struggling to find it’s identity since the retirement of first-ballot Hall of Famer Joe Thomas.
Short of getting G/C Tyler Biadasz from Wisconsin the early rounds, Molchon is the best interior linemen option in the later parts of the draft, with regards to his reputation and pro-level attributes. The fact he could be had in the fifth or sixth round is a steal for what he could potentially be for the Browns offensive line.
Penn State – WR Dan Chisena
Dan Chisena is a name you don’t know, not yet anyway. Originally set to play football for Penn State University, the dynamic dasher instead left the football program when a track scholarship opened up. Not thinking about football, Chisena became a star for the track program, competing in many team events where he won a team Big Ten title, a conference championship in the 4×400 relay, and a leg on the Penn State-record 4×100-meter and 4×400-meter relays in 2017.
This isn’t an understatement, Chisena might be the best athlete available for the entire rookie class. Chisena is clocked in at having a 4.32 40-yard dash according to several draft data sites. The only thing better is if he was tall. Like, I don’t know…6’3?
What? He is? Huh….look at that.
The former track champion didn’t play much football at Penn State, but was the standout player in the Blue and White game at PSU when he returned to the team for his senior year. He then went on to win the MVP fo the Tropical Senior Bowl, where he hauled in 155 yards on five receptions, with a single touchdown to his name. The state winner in the 100-meter has so much untapped potential and has so much ability that he’s getting a chance to finally discover what he could be.
His career trajectory could look similar to former Los Angeles Chargers future-Hall of Famer Antonio Gates. Gates didn’t play any football in college but still went on to have a legendary career in the NFL. No one is asking Chisena to become the team’s greatest wideout, but as a tall slot guy, who can play special teams? That’s entirely possible. Chisena will more than likely go in the seventh-round if he’s drafted at all. If he’s not, he should be scooped up immediately as an undrafted free agent because this young man oozes potential.
Baylor – DE James Lockhart
James Lockhart’s senior year didn’t generate the numbers of a Chase Young, but the hard worker from Baylor found some nominal success with 8.5 tackles for a loss and six sacks. He’s not very tall, at only 6’2 (which for an end isn’t huge) but he’s strong and fast. Clocking in at a 4.74, Lockhart might find more success as an outside linebacker who can pressure the offense with his pass-rushing skill.
The possible versatility of Lockhart could prove to be invaluable as the team continues to look for more defensive pressure aside from Myles Garrett. After Garrett got suspended in the 2019 season, only Joe Schobert kept pace with his early stats, but he even fell off a bit due to the changing dynamic on defense. The front four fell apart without Garrett, tack on the lack of positional depth and the absolute travesty that Olivier Vernon was, and you can see why having as many options to play opposite of Garret is paramount for the Browns.
The team isn’t going after Jadveon Clowney, so a combination player like Lockhart and maybe former Browns defensive end Carl Nassib could be exactly what the team is looking for as a counter punch to Garrett’s dynamic skill set.
Lockhart though may not be the answer, he is a bit small, but what could it hurt to try him out? There have been shorter defensive linemen before. Size really isn’t everything in pro sports, no matter how much the talking heads on ESPN like to wax poetically at the whole ‘…you can’t teach height’ narrative. A player like Lockhart, who’s going to put in the work, is exactly the type of player who could potentially make a difference and do so at a cap-friendly price.
Navy – QB/WR/RB Malcolm Perry
The dynamic playmaker from Navy, Malcolm Perry played running back, wide receiver and eventually quarterback for the Midshipmen and even lead Navy to a win over arch-rivals Army in 2019. That rivalry win had to disappoint his parents some, seeing how they were both in the Army. Jokes aside, Perry did himself, his parents, his school and his country proud in his senior year, where he was an absolute force of nature on the ground; running the Midshipmen’s complicated option offense with ease.
Perry played quarterback at Navy over his last two years, but only threw for 1,084 yards and seven touchdowns his senior season. It was his playmaking skills on the ground, however, that gets him on this list. In 2017, he had over 1,800 yards all-purpose, with 13 touchdowns. He rushed for over 1,000 yards across his last three years with Navy, eventually taking over fulltime at quarterback in 2019. In his last year with the team, he rushed for 2,017 yards and 21 touchdowns. The versatile Perry just needs the ball in his hand for magic to happen.
Despite coming out as a wide receiver, Walter Football doesn’t have him listed in the top 50 at receiver, which is an incredible oversight. Draft Countdown has him at 43 among wide receivers. Yes, he’s short, only 5’9 and he’s not big, barely 190 pounds. Yet, he’s a natural playmaker. Don’t be hung up on height. Perry is a natural leader, a solid and viable all-purpose player, and someone who can do amazing things on a football field.
He could probably be had in the seventh round, if not as a rookie free agent pick up.
Draft Site is comparing him to Taysom Hill, which is a super spot-on comparison. Perry isn’t the fastest kid on the field downhill, but he’s got incredible lateral agility that allows him to make the defenses go wild. Shifty hips are more important than track speed, and Perry has that skill locked down thanks to his time leading Navy’s offense.