Tag: Browns UDFA

Browns add 5 undrafted free agents including DT Marvin Wilson

Browns add 5 undrafted free agents including DT Marvin Wilson

The Cleveland Browns have officially added five undrafted free agent rookies to the roster.

The quintet:

  • RB Tre Harbison – Charlotte
  • DE Romeo McKnight – Charlotte
  • CB Emmanuel Rugamba – Miami (Ohio)
  • CB Kiondre Thomas – Kansas State
  • DT Marvin Wilson – Florida State

Wilson is the most prominent of the new additions. A one-time fixture in the first round of future mock drafts, injuries and an overall decline in play pushed the Seminoles standout off draft boards. The Browns won a bidding war for his services.

Both cornerbacks, Rugamba and Thomas, are transfers from Big Ten programs. Harbison and McKnight were teammates for the 49ers program that has produced some other Browns players lately, notably Larry Ogunjobi.

The new UDFAs and the addition of DT Malik McDowell push the Browns roster to 89. That leaves just one opening on the 90-man roster.

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Browns add Kansas State CB Kiondre Thomas as an undrafted free agent

Thomas was a grad transfer from Minnesota

The Cleveland Browns continue to add undrafted free agents following the conclusion of the 2021 NFL draft. One of the latest is Kansas State cornerback Kiondre Thomas.

A 6-0, 186-pound outside corner, Thomas played for his first three seasons of college at Minnesota before transferring to Kansas State for the 2020 season. He played in all eight games, starting four, and logged four total passes defended while making 27 total tackles.

At Minnesota, Thomas was a full-time player but only started occasionally. He ran a 4.44 40-yard dash and blazed an impressive 6.97 in the three-cone drill at his pro day.

Thomas’ agent, Paul Sheehy of Pro Star Sports, made the announcement.

Browns win bidding war for UDFA DT Marvin Wilson

Browns win bidding war for UDFA DT Marvin Wilson

The Cleveland Browns didn’t waste any time when the 2021 NFL Draft ended, signing priority UDFA DT Marvin Wilson to rookie free agent deal. Tom Pelissero of NFL Network broke the news, describing Wilson’s market as a “swift bidding war.”

Wilson was a consensus five-star prospect and the top defensive tackle recruit in the country coming out of Texas’ Episcopal High School. The Bellaire, Texas, native received 27 offers from the best programs around the nation before choosing Florida State.

Should Wilson have entered the NFL Draft last year he would have likely been drafted in the first half of the draft, being projected by most as an early Day 2 selection. However, he made the decision to return to school in hopes of driving his value up higher. Unfortunately, the result was contrary to what he had envisioned. Wilson was asked to play a different role in the Seminole defense and as a result hurt his draft stock to the extent he went undrafted. This opened the door for a number of teams to seek out his services once the UDFA period opened on Saturday.

The Browns are getting an extremely powerful 6-foot-5, 305-pound defensive tackle with with terrific upper body strength, good balance and a nice array of pass rushing moves. The issue will be figuring out what happened to him in 2020 and finding a way to bring out the excellent player he portrayed in 2018 and 2019.

Listen: ‘All Eyez on Cleveland’ with Josh Keatley talking UDFAs, Clowney, Mack Wilson and more…

Listen: ‘All Eyez on Cleveland’ with Josh Keatley talking UDFAs, Clowney, Mack Wilson and more…

‘All Eyez on Cleveland Podcast’ with guest Josh Keatley, contributor at The Browns Wire and host of The Browns Wire podcast is now available. Listen to show host Brad Ward (@WardonSports) as he talks Cleveland Browns football with the most influential personalities in the Cleveland sports landscape.

On this episode of ‘All Eyez on Cleveland’ –

  • Special guest Josh Keatley, contributor for TheBrownswire.com and host of The Browns Wire podcast joins the show
  • Josh provides a break down the Browns UDFAs
  • Should Browns continue to pursue Clowney?
  • The makeup of the linebacker room
  • Prioritizing who is a part of the Browns long term core
  • Who gets extensions?
  • What rookie contributions can be expected?
  • Plus Brad on Fauci and NFL
  • What he learned about Garrett lifting weights barefoot
  • The T-shirt contest winners
  • And tons more…

You can listen to all episodes of ‘All Eyez on Cleveland’ podcast on multiple platforms, including iTunes, Spreaker, Spotify, Stitcher, iHeart Radio, Google Play, TuneIn, Radio.com, Podknife and Player FM.

‘All Eyez on Cleveland’ with guest Josh Keatley –

Listen: https://chtbl.com/track/DDGB4C/traffic.libsyn.com/secure/alleyezoncleveland/All_Eyez_on_Cleveland_with_Guest_Josh_Keatley.mp3

Listen(Apple Podcast): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/all-eyez-on-cleveland-podcast/id1497838211#episodeGuid=ebfaa0c3-72ad-46a9-a270-582a132dffb8

Listen:https://soundcloud.com/brad-ward-355479499/all-eyez-on-819079494

Listen(Web Page): http://alleyezoncleveland.com/all-eyez-on-cleveland-with-guest-josh-keatley

 

Ja’Marcus Bradley: What the Browns are getting in their UDFA WR

Ja’Marcus Bradley: What the Browns are getting in their UDFA WR

The Cleveland Browns are deep at wide receiver and they went out and signed two undrafted free agents to an already talented position. Both of those players are not going to make the team, but below we dive in to see if Ragin Cajun product Ja’Marcus Bradley is the chosen one if Cleveland does decide to keep a UDFA wideout.

Name: Ja’Marcus Bradley

Position: Wide Receiver

School: Louisiana

Height: 6-0

Weight: 198 pounds

Strengths: Another prospect that likely should have been drafted, Bradley was seen as a late-round target by most analysts. He had an extremely productive college career, statistically speaking, especially the last two seasons. Bradley had a very impressive East-West Shrine Bowl week and was expected to explode during his pro day before the pandemic hit. He still held a virtual workout and reportedly ran a blazing 4.4 forty yard dash.

Weaknesses: I think a big reason why Bradley didn’t hear his name called on draft night was due to him not meeting expectations this past season. Although there was no dip in production — Bradley actually hauled in 20 more receptions — he had a lower yards-per-reception average and the same amount of touchdowns. This is not just based on statistical expectations, either. He didn’t dominate the Sun Belt like many expected him to based off his 2018 film.

Overall: Bradley is talented enough to make an NFL roster as he is a good enough receiver to provide adequate depth when needed and could be a great special teams contributor. It is hard to predict whether or not Bradley can make the Cleveland roster, because they are so talented at the position, but it would not be surprising to see him hang around at least on the practice squad. He does appear to be the more talented of the undrafted receiver duo.

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Jeffery Whatley: What the Browns are getting in their UDFA DT

Jeffery Whatley: What the Browns are getting in their UDFA DT from South Alabama

The 2020 NFL season is gradually coming up closer and closer and we are still diving into the Browns undrafted free agent crop. One of the last guys to get signed in this group is a smaller-school interior defensive lineman that doesn’t get talked about enough.

The Browns are trying to get a strong rotation in the middle and it will be interesting to see if the big new guy can hang.

Name: Jeffery Whatley

Position: Defensive Tackle

School: South Alabama

Height: 6-1

Weight: 300 pounds

Strengths: Whatley was a big-time recruit for South Alabama and he lived up to the hype. He actually grew into a more complete player after gaining over forty pounds during his collegiate career. Whatley saved his best for last as he tallied 39 tackles and 4.5 sacks as a senior. He will offer unique versatility as he played on the edge for South Alabama. Whatley was named honorable mention All-Sun Belt by PFF after his outstanding senior campaign.

Weaknesses: Whatley was not drafted for a reason and honestly him not being selected was not a surprise to anyone. He does not have the athleticism needed to stay on the outside in the NFL and lacks the ideal anchor you look for on the interior, which gives him a bit of a tweener label. We mentioned him being a late bloomer as a positive above, but it is also a negative it took Whatley four years to be a real stud in the Sun Belt Conference.

Overall: It is going to be a real uphill battle for Whatley to make this roster despite the defensive tackle position being so thin for the Browns. He could develop into a reserve, bottom-of-the-roster type, but it is unfair to expect him to be a regular contributor. Perhaps the Browns see some untapped potential considering his senior performance was his best and he does have a large frame that may allow for more weight.

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A.J. Green: What the Browns are getting in their UDFA CB

Green has a lot of positives but is not a great athlete

Once the NFL Draft was complete everyone on the Twitter-verse had a list of their favorite undrafted free agent targets and the young corner from Oklahoma State was a consensus pick. The most heralded UDFA pick-up in the Cleveland class will be an extremely interesting story-line to follow. Green may be the most hyped undrafted player since Isaiah Crowell.

Name: A.J. Green

Position: Cornerback

School: Oklahoma State

Height: 6-1

Weight: 202 pounds

Strengths: The fact Green wasn’t drafted at all is mind-blowing as most analysts had him going in the early rounds. He has the obvious size coaches love at corner and his film showed speed that was perfectly fine for the next level. Green is a versatile player who can play either man or zone at a high level and can play physical at the line of scrimmage forcing receivers to have adjust almost immediately.

Weaknesses: Green likely didn’t get drafted because his combine was a disappointment. Green ran a pedestrian 4.62 40-yard dash and despite having the height to excite scouts, his arms were still under 30 inches long. It is hard to take a player that doesn’t have the measurables that match up with their style of play and his transition could be hard at the next level. Green also likes to provide a ton of cushion when playing in off coverage and this will eat him up at the next level with the lack of speed.

Overall: Green is the best of the undrafted bunch and should make this Browns roster. He has enough tools to develop into a meaningful contributor down the road while being a consistent special teamer in the meantime. With that said, he needs to clean up his play as he relied a lot on his physical traits like size and speed in college, and as his combine showed, those traits may not be enough in the NFL.

 

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Elijah Benton: What the Browns are getting in their UDFA safety

Elijah Benton: What the Browns are getting in their UDFA safety from Liberty

The Cleveland Browns added 15 undrafted free agents. GM Andrew Berry dove deep into some smaller school guys, including two defenders from Liberty. Cleveland is clearly trying to add pieces to the defensive backfield and add more depth to a positional group that lacks superior quality.

Name: Elijah Benton

Position: Safety

School: Liberty

Height: 6-0

Weight: 205 pounds

Strengths: Much like his teammate, Solomon Ajayi, Benton was rumored to be poised for a major pro day, but due to COVID-19 the event was canceled. As stated in the tweet above, Benton has a very impressive 2018 season and really shined in a few games including against Old Dominion where he was named Defensive Player of the Week for accounting for eight tackles and one pass deflection, which came on a key fourth-down play in the fourth quarter. He ended that season with 76 tackles, which tied for the team lead.

Weaknesses: A major jump was expected for Benton in 2019 and although he still had a statistically productive season, like his tape nothing really jumps off the page. Although he hasn’t missed any significant time with injury, his smallish frame could be an indicator of issues to come. Benton didn’t dominate against the lower competition that Liberty faces and there is nothing to indicate that the jump to the NFL will be very easy.

Overall: Benton has an uphill battle to make the final roster. Unless he can show that he can contribute on special teams, I just don’t see any value here or even the potential for Benton to become a consistent contributor. The Browns staff clearly sees something that I do not and the safety depth is weak, but seeing his name on the final roster would be shocking.

 

 

Brian Herrien: What the Browns are getting in their UDFA RB

Brian Herrien: What the Browns are getting in their UDFA RB

We have been diving into this deep and impressive undrafted free agent class that the Cleveland Browns signed and we are going to take a closer look at another extremely talented pick-up today. Out of the 15 prospects snagged after the 2020 NFL Draft’s completion, the talented back out of Georgia may be the most intriguing.

Name: Brian Herrien

Position: Running Back

School: Georgia

Height: 5-11

Weight: 209 pounds

Strengths: Herrien not hearing his name called is a major surprise as most pundits had him etched in the middle rounds. Although he was never the main back at RBU, this could also be seen as a positive as Herrien has a ton of tread left on his tires and he was sitting behind absolute studs in early round selections like current Brown, Nick Chubb, Sony Michel and D’Andre Swift. Herrien checks all of the measurement boxes you look for in a prototypical NFL running back and as evidenced by last season’s Florida contest in the clip below, Herrien has the ideal hands to contribute in the passing game.

Weaknesses: As stated above, Herrien was viewed by most as an easy middle-round prospect, but it is easy to see why NFL teams have concerns. Herrien never earned enough trust from the Georgia coaching staff to earn lead back consideration. We talked about all of the early-round talents ahead of Herrien while at Georgia, but he also failed to beat out Elijah Holyfield, whose NFL career is hanging by a thread and that is also concerning. The most carries Herrien ever received in a collegiate game was in 2016 against Tennessee with 15 rushing attempts and that should absolutely raise concerns.

Overall: 

Herrien has the potential to contribute on a consistent basis in the NFL and has shown flashes of excellence when given the opportunity, but those opportunities were few and far between. A common comparison is to current Arizona Cardinals RB Kenyan Drake and this makes sense due to their unfortunate college situations and intriguing athleticism. Herrien isn’t quite on that level, but has all of the potential to play in the NFL and have a much better professional career than what he had in college.

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