The cities of Cleveland and Baton Rouge don’t have a lot in common, but they might unify to root on the football front.
Drafting safety Grant Delpit and linebacker Jacob Phillips on the second night of the 2020 NFL Draft gave the Browns a new college identity. The two Tigers added to an already distinct LSU flavor to the Cleveland locker room.
Delpit and Phillips join wideouts Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham Jr. and cornerback Greedy Williams, the team’s second-round pick a year ago, to give the Browns five LSU alums on the roster. All five should play significant roles in 2020, with both rookies capable of earning starting spots to join their brethren in the primary Browns lineup.
Now LSU is tied with Miami for the most players on the Browns roster. However, only Olivier Vernon and David Njoku are safely projected onto the team in the fall. Safety Sheldrick Redwine, linebacker Jermaine Grace and EDGE Chad Thomas are all products of the old regime that also included Hurricanes Eliot Wolf and Alonzo Highsmith in the front office.
The shift makes sense. LSU is coming off a national championship and has consistently been one of the top college programs for the last decade, while Miami has struggled to recapture the greatness of prior generations. Adding significant pieces with such a winning pedigree is a smart move for a Browns organization that has made the postseason just once in 20 years.