Cleveland Browns 2016 defensive line review and 2017 needs

The Cleveland Browns have some pieces to work with along the defensive line, but should still look to add an impact player or two in the 2017 NFL Draft.

The Cleveland Browns currently have some talented young players on the defensive line, and after the 2017 NFL Draft the defensive line might be the best position group on the roster.

Taking a look at the current players up front, we’ll start with Emmanuel Ogbah, who had an up-and-down year during his rookie season. Former defensive coordinator Ray Horton played Ogbah at both outside linebacker and defensive end and he played pretty well for switching back and forth between positions, finishing the year with a team-high 5.5 sacks.

In 2017 Ogbah should play as a defensive end under new defensive coordinator Gregg Williams. Now that his rookie year is behind him, Ogbah should be more confident and quicker to react to the play. Ogbah has serious potential and drafting Texas A&M defensive end Myles Garrett to play the other defensive end position would be the wise choice for the Browns.

Cleveland also drafted Carl Nassib from Penn State after he lead the nation in sacks his senior year with the Nittany Lions. Nassib struggled in his rookie season, but he also showed why he lead the country in sacks in 2015. Like Ogbah, Nassib should show substantial improvement in his sophomore campaign in 2017 and rotate in with Ogbah and (potentially) Garrett on the line.

Tyrone Holmes is the other 4-3 end player for Cleveland. This will sound familiar; Holmes is a young player who will enter his second season this fall, he needs reps, and should be part of the defensive end rotation.

Sep 11, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz (11) under pressure from Cleveland Browns defensive lineman Danny Shelton (55) during the first quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports /

Danny Shelton had a very sound second season in 2016. He struggled mightily his rookie year and the improvement from one year to the next was drastic. Shelton played well enough to at least have made the Pro Bowl as an alternate. Shelton was drafted to eat up blocks and free up teammates and this past season he did that and did it well. If the players mentioned above improve the way Shelton did from year one to year two, the Browns defensive line will dominate.

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Jamie Meder has played solid football for the Browns for the most part. Last year Meder got a lot more playing time than in 2015, providing depth for the Browns defensive line. Coming in to spell Shelton is where Meder is needed.

As Williams prefers to run a 4-3 as his base defense, Cleveland would be set on the outside if they selection Garrett with the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, but the interior will still need a boost. Cleveland has been playing a 3-4 defensive front for years and don’t have the defensive tackles to run a 4-3 exclusively. However, if they draft a player like Jarron Jones from Notre Dame (a projected fourth-rounder), Cleveland will have two absolute beasts at tackle.

Desmond Bryant was injured and missed the entire 2016 season, but was the best defensive lineman the Browns had when healthy in 2015. Bryant is 6-foot-5 and 315 pounds, which is about perfect for a 3-4 defensive end. A return to health for Bryant would give Williams quite a few options to match the opposing offense with a minimal number of personnel.

The Browns have another young defensive lineman in Xavier Cooper, who was selected in the third round of the 2015 NFL Draft. He hasn’t done much to distinguish himself, but he has a really quick jump off the ball. After two average seasons, Cooper might have just one more year to show the Browns something. At 300 pounds Cooper has the size to play multiple positions on the line.

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With a position group of Shelton, Bryant, Cooper, Ogbah, Nassib and Meder, the Browns should be OK for 2017, but they should still look to draft another defensive lineman, such Garrett and Jones, and also look at and someone like Oklahoma State’s Vincent Taylor to play inside or Florida Atlantic’s Trey Hendrickson for the edge.

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