Browns: Who are the undrafted free agents Cleveland signed?
By Chad Porto
The Browns have signed several undrafted free agents after the 2021 NFL Draft.
The Browns took an interesting step this year, signing just five undrafted free agents following the 2021 NFL Draft. This is a big change to past years where Cleveland signed 15 undrafted free agents in 2020 and another 15 in 2019. That was a strong sign that the Browns weren’t happy with the roster by and large, which is no longer the case.
The two biggest names from those crop of signings were punter Jamie Gillian and fourth-string tight end Stephen Carlson.
Could one of these five undrafted free agents be the next Gillian or Carlson? A guy who can start or at the very least, make the team as a player to fill out the positional depth? That’s a toss-up question that can’t be answered at the start of May. So let’s get to know who these players are.
Marvin Wilson, DT Florida State
"Age: 22 Height: Nearly 6’3 Weight: 303 lbs 40 Yard Dash: 5:09 20 Yard Shuffle: 4:83 3 Cone Drill: 7:71 225lbs Bench: 23"
Described as a man with great size, who was a rising prospect at Florida State until his Junior season when he stopped improving. DraftNetwork claimed he was a player who would be a nice addition in pass-rushing downs, but by ProFootballNetwork said he’s a player with no real pass-rushing abilities. Marvin Wilson doesn’t seem likely to make the Browns at this rate. Especially if the best part of his game is nearly non-existent.
WalterFootball calls him a “quality run defender”, despite everywhere else saying he wouldn’t be able to do so at the next level. It pretty much sounds like he’s not great at any one thing, nor does seem to have any skillset that would transfer well to the NFL level. When evaluations are this all over the place, it’s usually because evaluators are trying to find something, anything, nice to say about the guy.
Here’s what we know about him; he has nice measurables. He’s strong, which is needed upfront, and he’s also quick for a man who’s 300 lbs. As a three-technique or even a five-technique tackle, there might be some value here. For those not familiar, a three-technique is when a defensive player lines up on the outside shoulder of a guard. Five-technique is over a tackle and used more in a 3-4 defensive alignment, with tackles often playing defensive ends in those fronts.
So he does have some versatility and that’s the best thing to say about him.