scouting report – Page 35 – Syndication Server

Adrian Clayborn: What the Browns are getting in their new defensive end

The Cleveland Browns made a surprising move today after a week of intense rumors surrounding the addition of Jadeveon Clowney or Everson Griffen. Cleveland did add a defensive end, but it was Adrian Clayborn. The move is not surprising as the front office is clearly trying to find solid depth in the front seven.

Name: Adrian Clayborn

Height: 6-3

Weight: 281 pounds

Age: 31 years old

Previous Team: Atlanta Falcons

Clayborn was drafted in the first round of the 2011 NFL Draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers out of Iowa and was with the Buccaneers from 2011-2014. Clayborn started every game as a rookie, but was placed on injured reserve for the last 13 games of the 2012 season. Clayborn again started every game in 2013, but was not exactly living up to his first-round billing, which resulted in the Buccaneers declining the fifth-year team option. Clayborn’s last season as a Buccaneer in 2014 saw him again miss double-digit games due to injury as he missed 15 games.

Atlanta signed Clayborn before the 2015 season and he played as a rotational piece from 2015-2017. Clayborn played much better with the Falcons playing a pivotal role in their Super Bowl season and some consider him being missing from that game due to injury as a key point in the loss. Everyone remembers the huge game Clayborn had against the Dallas Cowboys in 2017, where he recorded an unbelievable Falcons single-game record of six sacks. That effort provided Clayborn with the NFC Defensive Player of the Week Award.

Clayborn moved onto the New England Patriots in 2018 and again was used as a rotational piece and despite having a role on that Super Bowl defense, New England released Clayborn after the season. Clayborn returned to Atlanta for 2019 and again played a rotational role.

Clayborn is not the same player he was in 2017, when he tallied 9.5 sacks. This is clear by his less-than-spectacular season in which he only recorded four sacks, but he can provide solid depth — and that is really all Cleveland is looking for. Clayborn may not be an All-Pro, but he has an extremely high floor and is easily one of the best reserve ends in the NFL.

The biggest reason for Clayborn becoming a bit of a journeyman to end his career is the fact that he never had an elite first step and at 31 years old that first step has gotten even slower, which has made his pass rushing ability slightly underwhelming. With that said, Browns fans should be excited as Clayborn can be an above-average contributor.

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Geremy Davis: What the Lions are getting in their new WR

Geremy Davis: What the Lions are getting in their newly signed wide receiver

Geremy Davis is the latest free agent to sign with the Detroit Lions. The veteran wide receiver agreed to terms on Thursday to join the den.

What are the Lions getting in Davis?

In terms of pass catching, not much. Davis has five career receptions in five NFL seasons spanning two teams, the Giants and Chargers. In terms of everything else asked of a reserve wideout, Davis brings a lot to Detroit.

He’s a special teams ace. Davis has been a standout on coverage and blocking units his entire career. The 6-3, 211-pounder is an instant upgrade on the punt and kick units.

I formally interviewed Davis during the 2015 Senior Bowl (for a now-defunct site, RIP Draft Breakdown) before he was a sixth-round pick by the Giants. Even then he saw the merit in trumpeting his special teams ability, and he’s made it his NFL calling card.

On offense, the Chargers deployed him in short-yardage situations as a blocking receiver. Davis had several games where he did not play at all on offense, and against the Lions last September the UConn grad played exactly one offensive snap. He did catch three passes in 2019, but Davis is not much of a receiving threat. He’s a good example of the notion that bigger receivers who struggled to get open in college don’t get any better at that in the NFL.

Evan Brown: What the Browns are getting in their new center

Evan Brown: What the Cleveland Browns are getting in their new center signed in free agency on Thursday

It appears the Cleveland Browns are done making splash signings, but they are not done adding depth pieces as they have signed Evan Brown to provide depth at the center position. Brown is not a player you want starting, but the additional depth is always nice.

Name: Evan Brown

Height: 6-2

Weight: 302 pounds

Age: 23 years old

Previous Team: Miami Dolphins

Brown went undrafted in 2018 out of SMU and was immediately plucked up by the New York Giants. He actually made the final roster for his rookie season, but bounced from the active roster to the practice squad during the 2019 season. Miami actually picked Brown up off of the New York practice squad midway through the season and again he bounced to their practice squad shortly after. Brown was released by the Dolphins after the season.

Despite going undrafted in 2018, Brown actually made a few waves during the pre-draft process as he displayed his elite upper body strength with 36 reps on the bench press and showed off his explosion with a 36″ vertical jump during his pro-day. These attributes are no joke either as Brown does have the strength and explosion to play in this league.

The problem with Brown is his lack of ideal size and sloppy footwork, which make him a liability against upper-echelon defensive linemen. At only 23 years old, Brown is not yet a finished product, but it is a safe assumption that he has reached his ceiling as his frame is maxed out and he is not a great athlete.

The Browns are not done adding pieces to this offensive line and the addition of Brown should not bring a sigh of relief to anyone. He is young with some intriguing traits, but Brown is not guaranteed to make this final roster. It is likely Cleveland will add a rookie who will push Brown.

Donovan Olumba: What the Browns are getting in their new cornerback

The Cleveland Browns made more moves on a lovely Saturday morning and although not a classic big name, Donovan Olumba is another young player ready to make an impact in Cleveland. The Browns defensive backfield was fairly depleted entering free agency, but the team continue to make additions.

Name: Donovan Olumba

Height: 6-2

Weight: 208 pounds

Age: 24 years old

Previous Team: Dallas Cowboys

Olumba is still extremely young at only 24 years old. He entered the NFL in 2018 after going undrafted out of Portland State. Despite dominating in college, Olumba’s draft stock clearly took a hit due to the level of competition he played. Even though Olumba went undrafted, Dallas decided to snag him and see what they could get out of the tall and long defensive back. He bounced around from practice squad to active roster in 2018 and 2019.

This signing is intriguing, because Olumba is so raw, he only started playing defensive back in college and even then was playing at the division two level with Alderson Broaddus (West Virginia) before taking a shot at the FCS level with Portland State in 2017. Olumba had an excellent season earning All-Big Sky Honorable Mention, but struggled during the pre-draft process only running an alarming 4.62 second forty yard dash at his pro-day.

Olumba checks a ton of boxes ranging from his on-field swagger that allows him to stay confident to his extremely unique height and length for the position. He also uses his size well, playing the position aggressive and physical excelling in press coverage, where he can use his long limbs to disrupt routes.

His biggest knock is his lack of speed. Although he should not be looked at as the answer at corner, Olumba has some interesting potential that warrants a deeper look.

JoJo Natson: What the Browns are getting in their new wide receiver

JoJo Natson: What the Browns are getting in their new wide receiver and return specialist

The Cleveland Browns have signed some big-name studs recently including Andrew Billings, Karl Joseph and Jack Conklin. They are proving to address some of the less obvious needs as well through some lesser-known additions and that includes JoJo Natson.

Name: JoJo Natson

Height: 5-9

Weight: 159 pounds

Age: 26 years old

Previous Team: Los Angeles Rams

Natson went undrafted in 2017 out of Akron and was quickly picked up by the Indianapolis Colts and hung around for a portion of training camp before being let go. Natson then spent the remainder of the 2017 season with the New York Jets, who released him before the 2018 season. He then bounced from active roster to practice squad to active again with Los Angeles and actually saw valuable game minutes as their kick returner and punt returner.

Natson has shown flashes of being a dynamic play-maker with the ball in his hands, but he is one of the smallest players in the NFL. He does have a unique mixture of pure speed and acceleration. He was nicknamed “Flea” by coach Chuck Pagano during his stint with Indianapolis, which was fairly impressive as he showed flashes of excellence during the preseason.

There is an odd amount of hype surrounding Natson like he is the definitive answer in the return game, but he struggled last season with only 7.8 yards per punt return and 22.2 yards per kick return. Natson also lacks the size needed to consistently contribute on offense. Cleveland obviously sees something in the former Zip, but it is safe to say the return game should be an open competition.

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Andrew Billings: What the Browns are getting in their new defensive tackle

The new Cleveland Browns front office made another strong free agent move in signing DT Andrew Billings. Adding one of the younger and more impressive interior defensive linemen from a divisional rival is a win. Cleveland really focused on the offensive side of the ball during the first day of free agency, but the Billings signing will help ease a lot of minds.

Name: Andrew Billings

Height: 6-1

Weight: 311 pounds

Age: 25 years old

Previous Team: Cincinnati Bengals

Billings was drafted in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL Draft by Cincinnati and at the time this was viewed as an absolute steal. His career got off to a late start though, because his first season ended before it started — literally — as he tore his ACL in August before his rookie year. In 2017, Billings was in a reserve role at nose tackle and played very well, which led to him being named the full-time starter in 2018 and 2019.

The former Baylor Bear had a very solid season and even achieved a career-high 35 tackles in 2019. At only 25 years old, Billings has not yet reached his potential. He is already fantastic at taking up blocks, which will free lanes for rushers. Billings is also a reliable asset as a run stuffer. It needs to be noted that Billings has slowly improved since his devastating rookie injury and 2020 could be his best season.

The biggest concern with Billings is that when he does get a chance to reach the backfield he appears lost. He is also not the first person off the snap very often. Billings has also been caught leaning on offensive lineman and losing the leverage battle, but he plays the position like a bowling ball and can be an upper-echelon interior defender in Cleveland.

Karl Joseph: What the Browns are getting in their new safety

Karl Joseph: What the Browns are getting in their new safety with a scouting report from his days with the Raiders

The Cleveland Browns are killing this free agency period with another big-time signing. GM Andrew Berry added former Raiders first-round selection, Karl Joseph. It is no secret that the depth chart is pretty slim in the safety department for the Browns, but adding a dynamic player like Joseph should no doubt get people excited.

Name: Karl Joseph

Height: 5-10

Weight: 205 pounds

Age: 26 years old

Previous Team: Oakland Raiders

Joseph was drafted in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft by the Oakland Raiders. Despite this being viewed as high at the time, he started his career off with a bang and earned All-Rookie honors and a relatively high PFF grade of 75.5. Joseph continued his impressive level of ply in 2017 as he finished his second season with a PFF grade of 80.8.

In 2018, Joseph had another solid season and actually had the highest PFF grade of any defensive player for the Raiders with 74.5. The writing was on the wall for Joseph during his last season in Oakland as they declined the fifth-year option on his contract and he struggled with a foot injury all season, which led to him being placed on IR.

Despite having decent production throughout his career, Joseph will likely be labeled a bust by most due to him being benched from time to time. With that said, he had some flashes of stardom and is an absolute missile in the defensive backfield. You have to take the bad with the good with a player like Joseph, but his aggressive play style and range results in more positives than negatives.

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Joseph is inconsistent and that was the death of his career for the Raiders, but he checks every box you want in a dominating safety. He also has a bit of a lengthy injury resume with the recent foot issues and the torn ACL in college. Joseph is not a small safety, but he does lack ideal size for his style. Despite his few issues, I do believe adding Joseph to a one year deal is a win and he has the ability to dominate in the NFL.

B.J. Goodson: What the Browns are getting in their new inside linebacker

Goodson should not be the end of the Browns imports at LB

Free agency has been utterly insane for the Cleveland Browns. They have grabbed their fair share of headline grabbers as well as solid pieces to the puzzle and that is what we have with B.J. Goodson. We all saw the news of Christian Kirksey signing with the Green Bay Packers and it appears a former Packer in Goodson will be coming to Cleveland.

Name: B.J. Goodson

Height: 6-1

Weight: 242 pounds

Age: 26 years old

Previous Team: Green Bay Packers

Goodson was drafted in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL Draft by the New York Giants and at the time the selection was viewed to be a bit of a reach. After primarily playing special teams as a rookie, he worked his way into the starting inside backer role in 2017. In 2018, New York transitioned from a 4-3 defense to a 3-4 and Goodson was again a starter on the inside and finished the season with a PFF grade of 66.2.

After his third season in the league, the Giants waived Goodson and the Packers snatched him up. Goodson actually started nine games for them last season. Goodson is your typical downhill stack linebacker that can really thump the opponent, but his snaps decreased last season due to Green Bay electing to bring in an additional defensive back. He is an okay off-ball linebacker that will fight for a starting spot, but also has a bit of an injury history that makes me believe the Browns aren’t done adding defenders.

We discussed above the decrease of snaps with the Packers and that is related to his lack of athleticism and struggles to work in space, which is even more evident in coverage. It is also not uncommon for backs to beat Goodson to the edge or flat out burn past his pursuit. Goodson is a solid player, but should not be viewed as the answer at the inside linebacker position.

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Halapoulivaati Vaitai scouting notes on the new Lions right tackle

Film review and scouting report on the Lions new right tackle, Halapoulivaati Vaitai

I must admit, when I first saw the news that the Lions had flooded Halapoulivaati Vaitai’s bank account with more dollar bills than there are letters in his first name, I was a little irritated. I have a few friends who cover the Eagles for a living – if you could call that a living – and I’d heard offhand stories about what a horror show their swing tackle was. From the sounds of it, the guy couldn’t even open a pickle jar while walking backward and live to tell the tale.

A $50M emergency tackle with the motor skills of an industrial Shop-Vac would surely have been the nail in my coffin, but I was pleasantly surprised with his film. That might not be saying much given the expectations that had been set, but I was certainly happy to come away with my corneas intact.

2019 games watched: 11/17 vs. NE, 11/24 vs. SEA, 12/15 at WAS, 12/22 vs. DAL, 12/29 at NYG

Pros

Above average athlete with good quickness and sufficient agility/change of direction/balance
Sufficient lateral agility in his initial kickslide
Good stopping power in his punches and adequate ability to time his strikes in pass pro
Has enough change of direction ability to redirect to handle inside counters and pick up twists
Sufficient anchor
Good power to anchor his run lane on base blocks and create movement on doubles
Has the necessary quickness to cut off B gap defenders on the backside of zone runs
Good hand placement as a run blocker
Flashes fluidity as a pulling guard
Sufficient ability to sustain in the run game

Cons

Tends to stop bring his feet late in the rep as both a pass protector and run blocker
Struggles with speed, especially from wide alignments
Inconsistent ability to stay square negatively impacts ability to withstand speed-to-power
Mediocre awareness to identify stunts and his responsibility against overload blitzes
Marginal screen blocker due to struggles tracking and taking effective angles to assignments in space
Will become top-heavy while driving or anchoring and fall off run blocks late
Plays with mediocre timing off doubles and takes suboptimal angles to second level defenders

The bottom line is that Vaitai is a lower-end starter at RT who has the ability to make spot starts at RG. Although a move to the interior would make him a plus athlete and assuage concerns about his ability to play on an island against speed, he may not see the game quickly enough to make a full-time move to guard.

By all accounts, 2019 was a step in the right direction for him, but he will need to continue to improve his pass pro footwork if he wants to shed his reputation as a marked man. He also has the potential to develop into a very good run blocker if he plays with more body control to sustain his blocks, but this deal will ultimately be judged on whether or not he can consistently hold his own as a pass protector against top competition. He flashed the ability to do so against Demarcus Lawrence in Week 16, but he needs to show more consistency in this regard to earn fan confidence.

Fortunately, his deal is pretty team-friendly and the Lions can get out from under it after just two years if need be. As for now, this appears to have been a slight overpay for a player who should be a team’s fourth- or fifth-best offensive lineman, but nothing catastrophic. And if Vaitai’s performance is nothing catastrophic, then this signing will be just fine.

Danny Shelton: What the Lions are getting in their new DT

Danny Shelton is an easy guy to spot. The new Detroit Lions defensive tackle weighs 340 or so pounds and sports long black hair and distinctive tattoos up and down both arms.

He also happens to be a pretty darn good football player, and the Lions are a better team for adding him as a free agent this week. The five-year veteran instantly bolsters the interior defensive line.

What exactly are the Lions getting in Shelton?

He spent his first three seasons in Cleveland as a first-round pick out of Washington in 2015. In college, he was a versatile nose tackle with a good sense for the ball and an Academic All-American.

For the Browns, expectations were too high based on his draft status. He was a good-not-great contributor on some bad Browns teams. First-round status implies pass rush, fair or not, and that’s not Shelton’s game. He managed just 1.5 sacks among his 11 TFLs in three years before the Browns traded him to New England.

Note the timeline. Shelton did not join the Patriots until March of 2018. That’s two months after Matt Patricia left to coach the Lions. While Patricia and his Lions staff are certainly familiar with his role(s) in New England, they have no real ties to Shelton or history with him.

I say roles in New England, because Shelton’s changed from 2018 to 2019. His first year in Foxboro was a continuation of his Cleveland career, a very good interior run defender with gap integrity and a good nose for the ball but almost no penetration or upfield surge. That changed in 2019.

New England started shading him over a guard or tilting him from being heads-up on the center more. It played to his quick burst and let him get a little more space to operate. He responded by making more plays in the backfield, getting a career-high three sacks and more pressures. It’s akin the jump Damon Harrison made when he joined the Lions in the middle of the 2018 season.

Shelton’s trademark run defense did suffer a bit as a result. Increasing his range led to more opportunities to miss. He’s still a very sure, powerful tackler, but he was more vulnerable to cut and wham blocks in the run game.

Shelton is a quality replacement on the nose for Harrison. If the Lions move to a more traditional 4-man front, and that appears to be the case based on their offseason moves, Shelton will play the 1-tech and play a lot. If he’s more of a 0-tech in an odd front, he won’t make as many noteworthy plays but also won’t be noted missing as many chances, either.