2015 NFL Draft: Cleveland Browns Draft Class Recap
By Paul Noel
2nd Rd – 51st Overall
Jan 21, 2015; Mobile, AL, USA; North squad tight end Nick Boyle of Delaware (86) battles defensive end Nate Orchard of Utah (99) during Senior Bowl North squad practice at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Glenn Andrews-USA TODAY Sports
Nate Orchard
The Cleveland Browns selected Utah defensive end Nate Orchard with their second round pick of the 2015 NFL Draft, the 51st overall selection.
The Browns selected Orchard after making a trade with the Houston Texans to acquire additional draft picks. The Browns sent picks No. 43 and and No. 229 to Houston in exchange for picks No. 51, No. 116 and No. 195.
The 6-foot-3, 250-pound Orchard set a school record in 2014 with 18.5 sacks, while also leading the nation in quarterback knockdowns with 28. Orchard was second-team All-American and first-team All-Pac-12 in 2014, and won the Ted Hendricks Award as the nation’s top defensive end. He finished second on the team with 84 tackles.
According to his draft profile at NFL.com, Orchard has:
"“Good foot quickness. Tackles struggle to handle his inside move. Explodes out of a track stance on passing downs. At his best as a squared-up rusher with a two-way go. Utilizes unique stutter step combined with burst to beat tackles inside. Seamless coordination of hands and feet as a rusher. Smooth hips to backpedal into space or turn and run laterally. Stronger at the point of attack than given credit for and offers scheme versatility. Shows juice upfield out of stand-up position. Still improving and learning his craft. Has ability to discard and make plays against the run. Has upper-body flexibility to beat blocker with shoulder turn. Still improving, but shows ability to use hands to help him win quickly. Played well against Stanford LT Andrus Peat.”"
“I’ve got a great work ethic and I think that’s just hard to find,” Orchard told KSL.com in a story this week. “I’m just really passionate about the game, and I can’t wait for it to be a full-time job instead of being a student athlete. Football is going to be my life, and wherever I end up I’m going to be excited to be there.”
Orchard is married and the father of a young daughter, who he refers to as his “little princess,” and the fact that he has a support system in place at home could have been another selling point to the Browns and general manager Ray Farmer. After dealing with the suspension of
Josh Gordon
and the off-the-field problems of
Johnny Manziel
last season, the selection of Orchard and first-round draft picks
and
signal a shift in the team’s philosophy of looking for good players who are also good off the field.
Next: 3rd Round