Cleveland Browns Team Draft Grades
How did the Browns do in the 2021 NFL Draft? We give the Cleveland Browns draft grades for every pick they made.
Round 1 Pick 26 (26) CB Greg Newsome II
I’m not a big Greg Newsome fan, but I see why people are. He’s a 6 foot fast cornerback, so that’s always nice to have. Newsome has a nice vertical, but I was disappointed with his short shuttle and 3 cone drill times. You need to be able to accelerate and change direction as an NFL corner. Newsome is a zone corner and that’s what Cleveland likes to run, so that’s good to see. Neither analyst had Newsome in their top 5 cornerbacks, so that hurts the grade. Grade: B-
Round 2 Pick 20 (52) LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah
Now this is an absolute steal, something to really feel good about. I get that he’s a tweener, between safety and linebacker, but he’s also a stud. As a small linebacker you would assume he can cover, and he can, but he also defended the run well for two years at Notre Dame. JOK is a great athlete and a player that can be moved around depending on the situation. It’s easy to see him as a Jeremy Chinn for the Browns. Grade: A+
Round 3 Pick 28 (91) WR Anthony Schwartz
Anthony Schwartz is an absolute burner. He’s 6 feet tall and ran a 4.26 40 yard dash. Schwartz needs to develop, he’s a gadget play guy right now. If he’s coached up though, look out. He really is that fast and plays at that speed. Schwartz is a lottery ticket that might pay off. Put him on special teams and let him run back kicks and he can create fireworks. Grade: B
Round 4 Pick 5 (110) OT James Hudson III
I’m not a big fan of this pick. Hudson is really raw, but he’s not an athlete. He put up bad numbers at his workout and has short arms. Hudson was decent in college, but not a standout. He got beat up by NFL caliber defensive lineman. I guess he’s a project that the coaching staff thinks they can develop, but there were a lot of other projects I liked better. Grade: C-
Round 4 Pick 27 (132) DT Tommy Togiai
Back to the positivity Browns fans, I love the Tommy Togiai pick. He played very well at Ohio State for three years. Togiai also put up freakish workout numbers including 40 reps on the bench. He combines that strength with elite quickness. Togiai is a 3 technique defensive tackle, who is strong against the run and the pass. He’s still got room to grow and could be a real steal in this draft. Grade: A
Round 5 Pick 9 (153) LB Tony Fields II
Another small fast linebacker for the Browns. I guess you could call Fields the poor man’s JOK. It’s a bit odd that the Browns took another player like JOK, only with a lower skillset and worse athleticism. He put up big tackle numbers, but he also missed a lot of tackles. I don’t love this pick, but the Browns must have some sort of defensive plan that involves linebacker/safetie tweeners. Grade: C
Round 5 Pick 25 (169) SAF Richard LeCounte III
Richard LeCounte III played at a very high level at Georgia after coming out of high school as a five star recruit. He ran an awful 40 at his pro day, but he was in a serious accident in November, so he may have still been recovering physically. LeCounte was hit by two cars on his motorbike, so I could see that taking a while to come back from. I’m not sure where his athleticism is, but he was a hell of a football player at a big school so nice pick. Grade: B+
Round 6 Pick 27 (211) RB Demetric Felton
The Browns are about as stacked at running back as you can get with Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt, but I remember a week or two that both were hurt. This is also a fun reminder of the time I asked John Dorsey a softball question about Chubb and Hunt at the 2019 Combine and he got mad at me. Felton is a smaller running back, but he’s not a great athlete. However, he is good at catching the ball. He will look to make the team as a 3rd down back, a reliable receiver out of the backfield. He started out as a slot receiver and could line up there as well for the Browns. There were definitely running backs I liked better, but Felton can be an effective 3rd down back. Grade: B-
Overall Cleveland Browns Draft Grades: B
