Cleveland Browns: Late-round hidden gems to unearth

Travin Howard, OLB, TCU

The Browns really aren’t bad at the linebacker spot with Jamie Collins, Joe Schobert and Christian Kirksey on the roster. There’s room for improvement as is the case with every position, but the need there isn’t dire.

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What Cleveland can do then is look to fill other positions of need and address linebacker later. Or they could even add someone early, but still return to the position and add depth to their corps.

Either way they decide to go, someone like Travin Howard could be on their radar. He’s similar to a player they already have in Jabrill Peppers, as they both played linebacker and safety while in college. Howard was listed as a safety as sophomore in 2015 and spent his next two seasons at linebacker for Texas Christian.

Howard was listed at just 213-pounds and 6-foot-1. Even so, he was able to make plays all over the field for the Horned Frogs. In three seasons he never had less than 107 tackles and finished with 345 total. Howard also showed off his versatility by recording 5.5 sacks and three picks during that time as well.

He may not ever develop into a starter at the NFL level, but he could be a strong special teams player who can find a role as a situational defender.