Cleveland Browns: Looking at potential draft steal Genard Avery

The Cleveland Browns just signed fifth-round selection Genard Avery to his rookie deal. Let’s look deeper at the player who can be a huge steal for them.

The Cleveland Browns had themselves quite a draft. They believe they found their future quarterback in Baker Mayfield out of Oklahoma as well as a shutdown corner in Ohio State’s Denzel Ward.

From there they made some strong picks by grabbing running back Nick Chubb as well as some shocking picks like defensive end Chad Thomas and wide receiver Antonio Callaway.

Thomas could be a solid depth piece, but felt like he went early. Callaway was a player that had several red flags, but the team was sold on his potential.

Related Story: Three players that can surprise in 2018

One move that hasn’t been as discussed is the selection of Memphis linebacker Genard Avery. Chosen in the fifth-round, Avery had a good career for the Tigers and hopes to continue that int the NFL.

This week he signed his rookie deal, looking good in the Browns gear while putting pen to paper.

https://twitter.com/Browns/status/996070171583373313

In honor of him signing that deal, let’s look deeper at the player who could be the biggest steal in the draft for Cleveland.

Avery was a playmaker at Memphis who owns their single season record of 22 tackles for a loss. In doing so, he proved he can be a playmaker all over the field as his versatility is his biggest asset.

"“Avery has a number of qualities that teams will like. He’s big enough to play inside linebacker in the NFL but athletic enough to play outside. His surprising prowess as an edge rusher adds to his value as well. That said he’s coming from Memphis, not exactly a hotbed of defensive NFL talent. He feels like a perfect 4th round option who can be developed into a long-term starter if he finds the right system.” — Erik Lambert, NFL Mocks"

For his career, Avery recorded 230 tackles (fifth best in Memphis history) and added 21.5 sacks and two interceptions. It was really that ability to play off the edge and still provide solid coverage that made him a favorite of NFL scouts.

What hurts Avery is his length. At 6-foot-1 and 248-pounds, he lacks ideal height but using that as an indicator of his pro potential is foolish.

Next: Nick Chubb impresses at rookie camp

Avery is a football player and can help the Browns defense in a multitude of ways. While he may not have as big an impact as others drafted in 2018, don’t be shocked if he’s the one that exceeds his draft stock more than any other player.