Most people figured the Cleveland Browns would go heavy on defense in this year’s draft, and GM John Dorsey did not disappoint.
He selected five defenders, one offensive lineman, and a kicker on Friday and Saturday, upgrading a defense that ranked third last in the NFL in yards allowed last season. They also ranked 21st in points allowed.
They survived and even thrived early in 2018 because they were causing an inordinate amount of turnovers, but once those declined, the Browns had problem stopping opponents.
And that 29th ranking in yards allowed was helped by two good performances against the offensively challenged Broncos and Bengals in two of the last three games on the slate.
Dorsey took a page out of the Browns’ past with his first pick, the 46th overall, taking CB Greedy Williams from LSU.
The last time the Browns had a very good defense, and indeed, the last time they had a Super Bowl contending team, was in the late 1980’s and their defense was led by a pair of shutdown cornerbacks, Hanford Dixon and Frank Minnifield.
With Williams and last season’s rookie sensation, Denzel Ward, the Browns hope to have the same effect.
Williams’ supposed weakness is considered to be the willingness to tackle, but seriously, would you rather have a cornerback who could tackle, but not be able to cover?
Those 80’s teams did not have a pass rusher like Myles Garrett, let alone someone like Olivier Vernon on the other side. Those guys should see sack totals rise because the corners will be able to provide tight coverage.
Adding those two to T.J. Carrie and Terrence Mitchell give new defensive coordinator Steve Wilks a lot of guys who can cover wide receivers, and that’s is of the utmost importance in today’s NFL.
Dorsey also added two linebackers who should help provide depth in third round pick Sione Takitaki from BYU, and Mack Wilson from Alabama.
Wilson was projected by some draft experts as a second round value, so getting him with the 155th choice (5th round) could be a coup for the front office.
And really, that’s what this draft was about, right? Good teams have depth. You can’t have one injury bring your entire team down. Hopefully, guys like Takitaki and Wilson can challenge players like Joe Schobert and Christian Kirksey, and therefore build a stronger roster.
One thing we know about the NFL, there will be injuries, and how you handle them goes a long way in determining your final record.
6th round choice Drew Forbes, brings another athletic offensive lineman to the roster, again, an area where you can’t have too much depth.
They still have Desmond Harrison, who started early last season, and Austin Corbett is a first year starter. Dorsey brought in Eric Kush, Bryan Witzmann, and Kendall Lamm in free agency, but you can’t have too much depth there.
The surprise pick was kicker Austin Siebert. A former teammate of Baker Mayfield, he is reputed to have a strong leg.
Greg Joseph did a decent job last year after arriving during the season, but was still too inconsistent. We are sure Dorsey and the coaching staff would like someone more “automatic” on field goals and extra points.
We have said this before, but the “trust in Dorsey” folks have it right. After what he has done to this roster, he earned and deserves the benefit of the doubt.
With this draft, he emphasized the biggest area of weakness on the team, the defense. On the other hand, there was talent here, Pro Bowl talent like Garrett, Ward, Schobert, and newcomers Vernon and Sheldon Richardson.
The Browns want a defense that puts pressure on their opponents. Let’s see if this draft helped that. Having two press cornerbacks helps for sure.
MW
Cleveland Sports Perspective 