The Browns have finished their 2021 NFL Draft selections, and it’s time to grade them.
The Browns are finally done with the 2021 NFL Draft and it’s time to evaluate the picks they got. Right now, this is more about if the team did a good job improving the weaknesses the team had, and not completely about the player taken, as it’s hard to really say for sure who’s going to turn into a star and who’s going to be cut after a few years. So here’s how we’re evaluating the picks.
- Positional need (does the Browns need that position.)
- Positional fit (does the player have the attributes to play in the Browns’ scheme)
- Was the player taken too high or too low?
- Does the player possess something that helps him stand out?
If the player meets all four criteria, he’ll get an A. If he gets three, he’ll get a B. If only two, then he’ll get a C, and if he gets 1, he’ll give given a D. If he doesn’t get one, he’ll get an F. Pluses and minuses will be awarded based on how good or bad the pick is and how close they were to move up or down a grade.
Round 1, Pick 26 – CB Greg Newsome III
The Browns made the call to go with Greg Newsome III to start off the draft, in earnest, for the city of Cleveland. Newsome is a good prospect who doesn’t struggle with different coverages too often. His injuries are a concern but his size (6’1) and speed (4.38 40-yard dash) will make him a real problem for teams facing him.
His collegiate competition will also make Browns fans excited, as he’s been tested. The Big Ten has some real tough outs to deal with on a weekly basis, and Newsome did well against them. He’ll be able to fit in nicely with the Browns corners.
While it was probably a better idea to wait until the third or fourth rounds to get a corner, the Browns now have a great-looking corner crew. Denzel Ward, Troy Hill, Greedy Williams, and now Newsome, that’s a foursome that should be able to hang with anyone and everyone. Assuming Williams is healthy for the regular-season debut.
Grade: B+
Not the biggest position of need, but a great prospect.
Round 2, Pick 20 – LB/S Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah
Getting a legitimate hybrid linebacker-safety in the first round is a big deal. Getting a first-round player in the second round, who’s also a hybrid linebacker-safety? That’s even bigger. That’s why the selection of Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah should be as celebrated as it is. Owusu-Koramoah is one of the better surprises picks in the first two days of the 2021 NFL Draft and helps secure not just the linebacking spot but the safety spot as well.
The Browns defense will often run sets with three linebackers, three corners, or three safeties at any given time. That means Owusu-Koramoah will more than likely not just start this year but will be a three-down player at two different positions.
He’ll not only join in securing the linebacking corp but also giving the safeties a big-hitting option and how often do you get a player who can do that. Greg Newsome III was a great prospect but at a position, the Browns weren’t exactly in need of. Owusu-Koramoah is a great prospect who can fit in at two positions that needed help at.
That’s going to be why one gets a better grade.
Grade: A+
Getting such a dynamic pick in the second round isn’t a steal, but grand theft.
Round 3, Pick 28 – WR Anthony Schwartz
The Browns needed some speed at the receiver to help complement Jarvis Landry, Rashard Higgins, and KhaDarrell Hodge and they got it in the third-round with Auburn wideout Anthony Schwartz. The receiver from Auburn has a wicked 40-yard dash with a time of 4.26. That’s not just fast, that’s liquid fast.
Schwartz will have a crowded receiver corp to contend with, however. Hodge and Higgins may not be starters but they’re going to get some real reps. Then you have guys like Donovan Peoples-Jones and Ryan Switzer, the other two fastest players in the corp.
Then there’s also the uncertainty of Odell Beckham Jr., who himself was once a fast player but after all the injuries he’s more than likely lost a step or two. The Browns have seemingly used this draft with eyes on 2023 or later, by getting guys who may one day replace the high-priced players ahead of them.
If the Browns do let guys like Landry and Beckham walk in the next year or two, Schwartz is going to be a guy the team will want to see if he can replace that production.
Grade: A
He’s not the complete package as a receiver, could run his routes better but considering his speed and where he landed, yeah, it’s a good get.
Round 4, Pick 5 – OL James Hudson
The Browns offensive line is the best in the NFL today. Tomorrow, who knows? Jedrick Wills had a subpar rookie year and there were at least four rookies taken after him who played as well, if not better. Joel Bitonio is in his 30’s and has been taking a pounding. J.C. Tretter is 30 and like Bitonio, could be on his way out as they age. Wyatt Teller missed a lot of time due to injury and only has one good year to his name. Then you have Jack Conklin, the best player on the line, who may be gone after 2022 because of how his contract is structured.
So yes, picking an offensive lineman was the right call. Was it the right player, though? At the place in the draft that James Hudson went, there were better options, who may be more versatile than Hudson. It’s not impossible for someone like Hudson to play guard, but he doesn’t appear to have the measurables to play inside as well as others.
That said, the offensive line is like a major league bullpen, you need to constantly have new bodies on your roster because you never know when the injury bug is going to bite someone. Offensive linemen are the most important players in all of football, and you need to be able to plug in a new one whenever an injury occurs or you’re never going to be successful. There are some concerns over Hudson but we’ll see if he can’t prove his value.
Grade: C+
There were better, more versatile linemen on the board still but there’s plenty of potential here and the team didn’t stretch for him.
Round 4, Pick 27 – DT Tommy Togiai
There isn’t a stronger player in the 2021 NFL Draft than the former Ohio State Buckeye pass-rushing defensive tackle, Tommy Togiai. Togiai racked up a crazy bench press figure of 40 reps of 225 lbs., making his strength among the elite in NFL history, not just the draft class. Will that raw strength translate, however? That’s the real question.
Togiai, like most of the defensive players taken at this point, will be in line to push for a starter position. Coming in, he’ll have to contend with Andrew Billing, who has a lot to prove himself, as well as established veteran Malik Jackson. Jackson was a big get for the Browns but some don’t believe he’ll be an every-down defensive tackle. Then you have second-year defensive tackle Jordan Elliot who was so ineffective he barely played, despite the Browns needing some help inside for most of the year.
Normally you don’t expect fourth-rounders to push for a starting job, but the interior pass rusher was a projected third-round pick, meaning that he’s someone you should expect some serious production from early and often. That is if he’s able to get his foot in the door because that’s not always easy to do.
Togiai is going to help guys like Myles Garrett, Jadeveon Clowney, and Porter Gustin get into the backfield more, as Togiai is an impressive interior pass-rusher.
Grade: A+
He’s not a guaranteed starter, but what he provides in potential, and the value pick he came to the Browns at, it’s hard to give this pick anything less than an A+.
Round 5, Pick 9 – LB/S Tony Fields II
The Browns have made versatility the name of the game for the 2021 NFL Draft, especially at linebacker. Tony Fields will be yet another player like Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah who the Browns can use at both safety and linebacker depending on the situation the defense as a whole is in. The defense could be even better than expected if Tony Fields is able to get on the field early and stay on the field as often as possible.
Having both Owusu-Koramoah and Fields on the field at the same time would actually allow the Browns to have “three” linebackers on the field at all times, but that’s only if Fields can actually prove he’s worth starting. Being able to play with versatility is important in the modern NFL.
If Fields and Owusu-Koramoah can both stay on the field at the same time, then both men could just drop into zone coverage and really make some noise. Neither man is a great pass-rusher but both are great tacklers.
Fields in his own right had 375 total tackles as his four years as a starter for the Mountaineers. He never had less than 88 tackles in his career with West Virginia and when you think about that ability, with his speed, he could be a real threat. If he can learn to cover as well as an average NFL pro, then he’ll be a real steal.
Grade: B+
His versatility is great, but a true safety would’ve been better, or finally addressing the defensive end spot.
Round 5, Pick 25 – S Richard LeCounte
It’s not exactly the easiest thing to make every pick look great when you’re an NFL team. The 2021 NFL Draft has been kind to the Cleveland Browns, so when we criticize the pick of Richard LeCounte, it’s not a shot at the organization. LeCounte just has a lot of holes.
The folks on ESPN talked about all the great things that he brings to the table as a football player, that he has all the “skills” to be a good NFL player, and that his lack of speed wasn’t an issue at Georgia. The problem comes with that argument. It was college, not the pros. No matter how much money ESPN has invested by putting over the SEC, the SEC as a football conference is on the same level as the NFL and it’s not even close.
What translated in college very rarely translates in the NFL. Having a safety who is closer to a 5.0 40-yard dash, than a 4.0 40-yard dash is huge. If a fast receiver gets past a corner, LeCounte will have to run with him and if the receiver is a real burner, then LeCounte will struggle. That’s not an insult, it’s just math.
Both linebacker hybrids the Browns took in the draft are faster than LeCounte, for a point of reference. LeCounte is considered a great mind though and may be able to really make a difference, but considering the criteria we have set up, it’s hard to argue that he’s a good prospect on paper. Yes, the Browns needed a safety, but he doesn’t appear to fit Joe Woods’ speed-first defense, so he was a bit of a reach and he has no obvious X-factor.
Some believe that his motorcycle accident in November affected his speed, but it was only reported to have been a concussion, bruised ribs, and a shoulder injury that was cleared up enough for him to return to practice seven weeks later. Now, anything’s possible, but bruised ribs usually clear up in two months or so, and aren’t known to affect speed four months after completely healing.
We’re always rooting for the guys to do well, don’t misconstrue what we’re saying, but we have to be objective and with what this draft has been about so far for the Browns, it’s hard to argue that this pick falls in line with the idea of getting faster. Especially at a position historically known for being fast.
Grade: C-
It’ll be interesting to see if he can step up and make an impact on the team.
Round 6, Pick 27 – RB/WR Demetric Felton
With the final pick of the Browns 2021 NFL Draft class, Cleveland took a running back, wide receiver combo, Demetric Felton. Felton joins a loaded backfield and an even more loaded receiver corp, and with unimpressive speed, will have a hard time finding playing time. He’s behind arguably the best (very least top-three) running backs in the NFL with Nick Chubb, as well as a viable backup in Kareem Hunt. Not to forget D’Ernest Johnson. Then he’s behind Jarvis Landry, Odell Beckham Jr. KhaDarrell Hodge, Rashard Higgins, Donovan Peoples-Jones, and fellow rookie Anthony Schwartz on the receiver side of things. So either the Browns are going to cut or trade certain players or Felton’s going to have a hard time getting on the field when not on special teams.
Part of the issue of why Felton won’t get a great grade is due to the needs of the team. The Browns didn’t need another guy who needs the ball on offense. They needed a defensive end or another defensive tackle. Going with a player at a position(s) of abundance is fine, but only after you make sure you address all of your holes.
The saving grace for why he won’t get an awful grade, on the other hand, is that the Browns have secured their top-four defensive ends already and any pick would’ve been a project pick, a guy the team needs to build and get ready to be a starter after Clowney leaves. So with that in mind, it’s not like they have a gaping hole at defensive end either.
That’s why this is a fine, but not great, draft pick.
Grade: C
Not taking one defensive end will hurt this pick more than others, because “need” should always come before “want” when drafting.
Team Draft Grade
For the most part, the Browns did four things with this draft.
- They went out and got young prospects who could potentially replace veterans.
- They went out and got versatile players who could play multiple spots and probably will.
- Maximized the value of each player, even if they came with risks.
- Got faster on both sides of the ball.
This draft will get a much better review over the 2020 Draft class. The Browns last year were looking to end their 20-year playoff drought and needed to hit on their players. Honestly, a few of them didn’t make a difference. Some did, some have high ceilings, but a couple was just average if that.
This year, the Browns didn’t have the same pressure to hit home runs across the draft, as they had fewer holes to address. This year, the Browns weren’t as desperate and were able to be riskier with their picks. Beyond that, the team won 11 games last year and defeated the Steelers in back-to-back contests.
So the expectations and needs of the draft no longer have the same weight as they did last year. It’s still important, but the feeling of desperation is gone. Most of the 2021 NFL Draft class for the Browns was really good, but the last few picks left something to be desired.
So we’re going to grade the Browns overall draft and remember, this is the mean average of the draft grades. A’s are four, B’s are three, and so on. So, with that said; this is the Browns first grade post-draft.
Grade: B-
The team did a great job setting themselves up for the future.