Cleveland Browns sign Cameron Erving, Danny Shelton
By Thomas Moore
Jan 1, 2015; Pasadena, CA, USA; Florida State Seminoles offensive tackle Cameron Erving (75) gestures during the second half of the 2015 Rose Bowl college football game against the Oregon Ducks at Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports
The Cleveland Browns officially signed their pair of first-round draft picks, Cameron Erving and Danny Shelton, the team announced on Friday.
The signings mean the Browns have reached deals with eight of their 12 draft picks. In addition to Erving and Shelton, the team has signed cornerback Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, linebacker Nate Orchard, defensive lineman Xavier Cooper, defensive back Charles Gaines, fullback Malcolm Johnson and tight end Randall Telfer.
It was reported earlier this week that the Browns had reached a deal with Shelton, but nothing official came from the team until today.
The Browns selected the 6-foot-2, 339-pound Shelton in large part to help fix the run defense after finishing last in the NFL against the run in 2014.
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“I know he is going to help us to get to third and long,” general manager Ray Farmer said on draft night. “The question is do we have better rushers than him? Potentially. I think that we probably do have some guys that are better rushers, but I don’t think this guy is a void of playing three downs. I think there is a possibility he does play all three downs.
“Here’s a young man who played upwards of 90 to 100 snaps out there in the PAC-12. He showed some ability to rush the passer, can play lateral and down the line of scrimmage. Definitely is a guy who I like to refer to as a guy who requires four hands, where he’s going to require more than one guy to pay attention to him. I love his temperament. I love how he played. I love that this kid is a smart kid, high GPA – high school and college. The guy is a football player. We’re excited about the fact that we’re going to add a guy that helps us solidify the middle of our defense and make us better up front.”
The Browns selected the 6-foot-5, 313-pound Erving for his versatility on the offensive line. He started his college career at Florida State as a defensive tackle before moving to left tackle his sophomore year. Last season, he played the final five games on the schedule at center.
“As rule of thumb, teams find a lot of ways to win games,” general manager Ray Farmer told the team’s website. “From my perspective, I think our competitive advantage right now for the offense is the offensive line. To bolster that group, we took the guy that we thought had the most additional versatility and the skillset for who we wanted to be. Regardless of where he gets inserted, it is a positive for us.
“Whether you took him and wanted to run downhill at people or whether you wanted to run laterally, the guy has a skill set that allows him to play in any of those schemes and at a variety of positions. He is a valuable guy in that way.”
What do you think of the work the Browns are doing on both sides of the ball?