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#8 Linebackers – Cleveland Browns
I called out this group of linebackers a little bit ahead of last season when I thought their biggest remaining hole on the roster/ depth chart was MIKE linebacker. But I am not being super excited about the other guys in that group either.
Sione Takitaki was the best of the bunch. While he did make some nice impact plays, I think calling him a fringe starter wouldn't be a stretch. If the Browns start games in nickel, I don’t envision him being on the field. Firstly, Cleveland brought in Anthony Walker from Indianapolis, who I believe has been a very underappreciated player these last three years. That's because he played alongside Darius Leonard.
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Leonard may not have the same type of sideline-to-sideline range as his former teammate, but he is sturdy enough to stonewall linemen working up to him. He has improved as a tackler every year, missing just six of 98 attempts last season while making six plays on the ball in coverage.
They got a major steal due to some late medical concerns about his heart when Notre Dame’s Jeremiah Owusu-Koromoah somehow made it to pick 52. He was my 17th overall prospect and complements very well what Walker does. Koromoah is a more rangy coverage defender who could funnel Lamar Jackson back inside when they face their biggest competitors for the division in the Ravens, for example.
They can also play him as a big nickel as well if they want to put three linebackers out there against heavier personnel. Moreover, the Browns also got Tony Fields out of West Virginia in the fifth round, who I looked at as a sleeper at the position, as a depth piece, at worst, all while not really losing anybody from last year.
Notable Mentions: Miami Dolphins (Bernardrick McKinney and Duke Riley).
