Cleveland Browns: Emmanuel Ogbah should ‘stand out’ this year
By Randy Gurzi
Emmanuel Ogbah, the first pick in the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft has been quietly improving for the Cleveland Browns and should stand out in 2018
Listening to the calls for North Carolina State defensive end Bradley Chubb ahead of this past draft could make it seem as if the Cleveland Browns weren’t already strong at that position.
They are though, and it’s not just because of 2017 first-overall pick Myles Garrett. While the rookie did show flashes last year, he wasn’t alone as second-year player Emmanuel Ogbah also looked to be a strong competitor opposite Garrett.
Heading into 2018, the team thinks he will be even better.
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Speaking about his players, defensive coordinator Gregg Williams heaped praise on the former second-round pick and talked up how he looked during minicamp this offseason.
"“I’m so excited to see how well (Ogbah’s) doing out here this year. He’s night and day more relaxed and doing things more instinctively, not overthinking and not as afraid to make a mistake as he was last year because we moved him into a new position. Knock on wood, staying healthy, he’s going to really stand out this year.” — Mary Kay Cabot, Cleveland.com"
Williams has reason to be excited. When Ogbah and Garrett were on the field together, the Browns defensive line looked as strong as almost any in the NFL. Now they each have another season under their belt and that could prove to be dangerous for opposing offensive lines.
Ogbah did suffer a set back in year for Cleveland as he suffered a broken foot and thus missed the final six games of the season. He had four sacks and was on pace to surpass his rookie total of 5.5 if not for the injury.
On top of his pass rushing, Ogbah is a solid defender against the run and played better in that regard in 2017. His production and effectiveness was encouraging considering he did switch positions as Williams said.
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The sky is the limit for this defensive line as a whole and Ogbah will be a big part of that success for them.