Cleveland Browns Senior Bowl watch: defensive end Marcus Davenport

The Cleveland Browns may be looking to add more firepower to their pass rush, meaning that UTSA defensive end Marcus Davenport could be a player to watch.

The Cleveland Browns may not have put up big sack numbers in 2017 – just 34 – but defensive ends Myles Garrett and Emmanuel Ogbah showed promise in the limited amount of time they were on the field together.

But even with Garrett and Ogbah on the roster, that doesn’t mean the Browns can be complacent when it comes to adding players who can attack opposing quarterbacks.

One such player is University of Texas-San Antonio defensive end Marcus Davenport, who is showcasing his talent this week at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala.

Davenport left his mark on Conference USA in his four years with the Roadrunners, closing out his collegiate career at the top of the school’s all-time list in tackles for loss with 38, quarterback hurries with 21 and sacks with 22.

He earned the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year award as a senior after finishing the season with 55 tackles, 17.5 tackles for loss (a school record), 8.5 sacks (another school record) and eight quarterback hurries (yep, you guessed it, a school record).

The 6-foot-7 and 245-pound Davenport is hard to miss, but Browns general manager John Dorsey did his best to keep Davenport out of the public eye on Tuesday as Dorsey reportedly took off with Davenport for an unscheduled private session:

Well, isn’t that interesting?

If the Browns truly have an interest in Davenport, the question then becomes when to draft him?

Unless Dorsey elects to fix the quarterback situation via free agency, think Washington Redskins Kirk Cousins, or through a trade, think Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith, the most likely avenue will be through the draft at the No. 1 overall selection.

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If the Browns no longer need a quarterback come the opening night of the draft, or simply can’t bring themselves to select one with the top pick, they would likely still look to add a playmaker to the offense, most notably Penn State running back Saquon Barkley.

Cleveland has been projected to go with a defensive player with the No. 4 overall selection, with the most popular choice being Alabama defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick. But if Dorsey really does want Davenport, he may have to pass up Fitzpatrick as Davenport’s stock keeps rising.

Either player would help the Browns defense and the pass rush, but it opens up the old debate about which position has more impact: does a stronger secondary help the pass rush of Ogbah and Garrett, or will a stronger pass rush with three talented players help the secondary?

It is a question that obviously won’t be answered until draft night, but is also one that will be fun to debate in the coming months.

Next: Josh Allen is a perplexing prospect

Browns fans can see Davenport in action on Saturday during the Senior Bowl, which will take place at 2:30 p.m. at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. The game will be televised by the NFL Network.