The Cleveland Browns moved up seven spots in the second round to select Notre Dame linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah. Owusu-Koramoah was last season’s Butkus Award winner given to the best linebacker in the country and received ACC Player of the year honors.
Dane Brugler, Draft Analyst for the Athletic had Owusu-Koramoah as the second-best linebacker in this year’s draft class and most pundits had him being taken in the first round of the draft. It was interesting to see him fall all the way to pick number 52 where the Browns jumped at the opportunity to take him. It would appear to be a situation where Owusu-Koramoah’s ability to play numerous positions on the field and a lack of traditional size for an NFL linebacker likely left teams wondering exactly how they would use him in their defensive scheme.
This isn’t an issue for the Browns and defensive coordinator Joe Woods who have been stockpiling versatile pieces all off-season. Woods will look to deploy a number of different looks including a dime scheme with three safeties and three cornerbacks on the field. Owusu-Koromoah’s elite athleticism will allow him to cover wide receivers in the slot, play the run and rush off the edge, posing a number of problems for opposing offenses.
At 6-foot-1, 215-pounds he said would prefer to play linebacker in the NFL but is ready to take on a number of responsibilities. He was able to recognize that he would be a good fit with the Browns when he met with them during the pre-draft process, saying as much during his pro day Zoom.
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Woods has a number of players in his front four who can play both the interior of the line and the edge. They have three safeties that are similar in size and interchangeable in their roles. In adding Owusu-Koramoah, Woods gets needed speed and athleticism in his linebacker room and increases his ability to be versatile as a defense in hopes of presenting a variety of issues for opponents.
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