Grading the Cleveland Browns 2020 draft class at the mid-year point
By Chad Porto
DT Jordan Elliott (88th Overall)
Jordan Elliot looked bad as a rookie, yet fans thought he could turn into something. We noted that he was playing as a reserved and that if he wasn’t playing well as a rotation piece, he’d be further exposed as a starter.
We were right. Elliot was a bad pick from the day he was drafted, and in 2022 that’s even more obvious. In his first season as a full-time starter, he’s posting just a 33.5 PFF grade for defense and a 32.4 grade for his run defense.
This will be the last and only year he starts in the NFL and if he’s not, then Andrew Berry should be fired for football malpractice.
Grade: F
ILB Jacob Phillips (97th Overall)
Jacob Phillips, like Jordan Elliot, never looked good from jump street. Helping further cement the idea that a rookie will tell you his prospects in year one. Phillips, like Elliot, never looked like an NFL starter, let alone a reliable backup. Instead of getting rid of them for guys who could be, Berry kept him around. Phillips can tackle, he has always had solid figures in that, but he gets swallowed up by guards and centers way too easily. That’s because he’s too slow to react and the interior offensive line can cut him off very easily.
It’s his third year in the NFL. He’s been playing ball for at least a decade. Learning how to move is year one, in high school, type of stuff. The fact his fundamentals are so bad is proof he shouldn’t be on this team next season.