Tag: Browns UDFA

Alex Taylor: What the Browns are getting in the UDFA offensive tackle

Alex Taylor: What the Browns are getting in the UDFA offensive tackle

The 2020 NFL Draft is in the books and the Cleveland Browns have received positive grades from practically every media outlet, but the off-season is not quite done yet and new rookies have been coming in as undrafted free agents. Among the first players noted after the draft was over was former Senior Bowl standout, Alex Taylor. He was one of the bigger UDFA fishes both figuratively and literally considering he was viewed as an early-round prospect by many outlets.

Name: Alex Taylor

Position: Offensive Tackle

School: South Carolina St.

Height: 6-8

Weight: 308 pounds

Strengths: It is completely shocking that Taylor went undrafted especially after measuring in as the biggest player at the Senior Bowl and one of the biggest at the combine at 6’8″ and also was in the top echelon in wingspan at 88 inches and hand size at 11 inches. To go along with his freaky long limbs, Taylor has a great frame that has the potential to add even more weight before any athleticism is sacrificed.

As if his size wasn’t tantalizing enough, Taylor also has a ton of room to grow on the field as well considering he only started playing football since his junior year in high school and after transferring from Appalachian State, basketball became his focus again during his first year. Taylor leaves the Bulldog program with 23 starts under his belt and two straight seasons of earning first-team All-MEAC.

Weaknesses: Taylor went undrafted for a reason. Despite checking a ton of boxes scouts look for, it is important to treat his rawness as both a positive and negative. This is a prospect that may take a few years to develop into an adequate contributor. That projection is based on film where he is playing inferior opponents each week. We also mentioned Taylor’s basketball features including his freaky long limbs, but those limbs are characteristic of basketball players in another way as well as they are not even close to the tree trunk like pythons most NFL tackles need to deliver a powerful punch to defenders.

Overall: Taylor is a phenomenal UDFA pickup and is one of the few players that didn’t get selected that might actually grow into an impact player. His obvious size and athleticism give him a starter-level ceiling, but there are a ton of issues that need to be sorted for him to even make this roster.

Most Browns fans will remember former Florida State standout and 2017 fifth-round selection, Roderick Johnson and Taylor has been compared frequently to him due to their similar body types and playing style. This comparison is fair and Johnson was honestly better coming out of college, but he was obliviously a non-factor for Cleveland and is now with the Houston Texans.

I do think it is reasonable to expect a higher ceiling on Taylor and my money would be on him making this roster whether it be active or practice squad, but he needs to get better quickly to stay.

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Browns announce their 2020 UDFA class with 15 new players

Browns announce their 2020 UDFA class with 15 new players

The Cleveland Browns have agreed to terms with 15 rookie free agents who went undrafted in the 2020 NFL Draft in April.

Most of the names had previously been linked to the Browns, but none of the UDFA deals were officially confirmed by the team until Tuesday’s press release. That includes Oklahoma State CB A.J. Green, who received a hefty signing bonus to join the Browns.

 

Name Position College
Solomon Ajayi LB Liberty
Elijah Benton S Liberty
Ja’Marcus Bradley WR Louisiana
Tony Brown WR Colorado
Kevin Davidson QB Princeton
Drake Dorbeck T Southern Mississippi
A.J. Green CB Oklahoma State
Brian Herrien RB Georgia
Jameson Houston CB Baylor
Ben LeMay RB Charlotte
Jovante Moffatt S Middle Tennessee State
George Obinna DE Sacramento State
Alex Taylor T South Carolina State
Jeffery Whatley DE South Alabama
Nate Wieting TE Iowa

This group joins the six players drafted by the Browns to make up the rookie class of 2020 in Cleveland.

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Solomon Ajayi: What the Browns are getting in their new LB

Solomon Ajayi: What the Browns are getting in their new LB

The 2020 NFL Draft may be over, but the off-season isn’t complete just yet as NFL teams were on the phone immediately after the virtual event was complete. Liberty linebacker Solomon Ajayi was one of the first to be plucked by the Cleveland front office. It is important to note that the COVID-19 situation clearly impacted the number of small schoolers selected and some of the players signed afterward including Ajayi may have been selected within the initial seven rounds under normal circumstances.

Name: Solomon Ajayi

Position: Inside Linebacker

School: Liberty

Height: 6-0

Weight: 235 pounds

Strengths: Full disclosure, Ajayi was not a player I spent a lot of time on during the pre-draft process, but there are some traits that lead me to believe Ajayi can grow into a quality depth piece at both linebacker positions and be an impact player on special teams. A ton of focus was given to the Liberty skill position players on the offensive side of the ball, but Ajayi was rumored to be a player that was going to light up their scheduled pro day before the cancellations due to COVID-19.

It was rumored Ajayi was going to run the forty in the 4.7 seconds range and was going to light up the speed/agility drills. Ajayi not only had an impressive career at Liberty but worked up to that level coming from the JUCO ranks at Bakersfield College.

 

Weaknesses: Ajayi had some very productive games and moments at Liberty, but wasn’t dominant on a consistent basis. He was expected to be the stud on their defense after leading the team in tackles as a junior, but he wasn’t a player that popped off the screen even against non-BCS opponents. It is not surprising that he went undrafted as he lacks both the ideal size and athleticism you want at linebacker, but again it should be noted he was robbed of his pro day.

Overall: Ajayi has an uphill battle to make this roster and it would be pretty shocking if he stuck around on the practice squad as well. Unlike Alex Taylor, who is another undrafted free agent target of the Browns, Ajayi doesn’t have eye popping traits and there doesn’t seem to be anything other than a adequate back-up and consistent special teams player ceiling.

LB Solomon Ajayi signs with the Browns as an undrafted free agent

He is the younger brother of former NFL RB Jay Ajayi

The Cleveland Browns made it official with one of the reported undrafted free agents signing with the team. Liberty Flames linebacker Solomon Ajayi inked his contract with the team on Thursday from his home.

Ajayi joins the Browns after a prolific two-year stint at Liberty. At 6-1 and a muscular 235 pounds, Ajayi primarily played outside but could also project to playing ILB in the NFL. He had 165 total tackles, two sacks, 2 INTs and 10 TFLs in his two seasons in Lynchburg.

He is the younger brother of former NFL running back Jay Ajayi.

UDFA WR Tony Brown comes with connection to an old Browns wideout

Darren Chiaverini still holds the Browns rookie record for catches in a game

One of the more promising undrafted free agents signed by the Cleveland Browns in the aftermath of the 2020 NFL Draft is Tony Brown. The wide receiver from Colorado might have received a little guidance to Cleveland from his college position coach, a name that is familiar to Browns fans.

That would be Darrin Chiaverini. The current Colorado coordinator and receivers coach played for the Browns from 1999-2000. In fact, Chiaverini still holds the franchise rookie record for most receptions in a game, with 10.

Brown has some of his coach’s old game style to him. Like Chiaverini, Brown doesn’t win with speed but rather precision and strength. Playing with Laviska Shenault, Brown caught 56 passes in 2019, scoring five TDs.

Browns UDFA Alex Taylor worth watching as a developmental OT

Browns UDFA Alex Taylor worth watching as a developmental OT with a lot of potential but some much-needed work to be done

One of the most interesting undrafted rookie signings following the 2020 NFL Draft is the Browns agreeing to terms with South Carolina State offensive tackle Alex Taylor. Per his agent, Taylor quickly signed with the Browns after Saturday’s final round ended.

Taylor will be easy to spot in Berea. He’s the 6-foot-9 guy with incredibly long arms (36-plus inches) and giant hands (11 inches).

The Browns are taking a chance on the former basketball standout from the FCS level, hoping that he can continue to grow as a football player. Based on the film I watched and then seeing Taylor in person at the Senior Bowl practices, there is a lot of growth needed before Taylor can sniff the 53-man roster. He’s woefully underpowered and inexperienced as a tackle, playing too methodical and upright.

Taylor does have nimble feet and the arm length is spectacular when he fires it out quickly. He moves cleanly and hits his reach blocks well outside the formation, a critical component of coach Kevin Stefanki’s zone blocking system. But at 308 pounds, he sorely lacks core and lower-body strength, an issue exacerbated by his upright gait; he’s not a natural, instinctive knee-bender.

Expect Taylor to spend a year on the practice squad and hopefully get stronger and more experienced in a de facto redshirt NFL season.

Georgia RB Brian Herrien, a fan favorite, signs UDFA deal

Georgia football RB Brian Herrien has signed an undrafted free agent deal with the Cleveland Browns following the NFL Draft.

Georgia running back Brian Herrien, a fan favorite during his four years as a Bulldog, has signed an undrafted free agent deal with the Cleveland Browns, WSB-TV’s Zach Klein reports.

During his time at Georgia, Herrien served as a backup to NFL backs Nick Chubb, Sony Michel, D’Andre Swift and Elijah Holyfield, but always made the most of his opportunities when on the field.

As Klein said in his tweet, Herrien runs angry. And when he does, he has no issue running over you.

Herrien accumulated 1,413 rushing yards in four seasons at Georgia, adding 15 total touchdowns.