Cleveland Browns: 3 safety targets in the second round

1. Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, Florida

The third, and final player we look at is Florida’s Chauncey Gardner-Johnson. The former Gator came into the combine and measured in at 5-foot-11 and 210-pounds. Like Thornhill, he showed off great speed as he ran a 4.48 in the 40-yard dash.

That speed showed up often in his film as he was able to keep up with anyone he guarded. He’s also an interesting prospect since he played as a safety near the line, in deep coverage, and in the slot as a corner while with Florida.

The one issue with Gardner-Johnson is he failed to ever put it all together. Jon Ledyard of The Draft Network talked about that in his scouting report as he said Gardner-Johnson improved as a tackler in 2018 but saw his coverage dip some.

"“Gardner-Johnson is the perfect modern NFL safety except for one thing: all-around consistency as a player. If you looked at his 2017 tape, you’d have seen a train wreck as a run defender and tackler, but a promising playmaker in coverage. This year, he was a little inconsistent in coverage as a slot corner, but remarkably improved in his physicality and tackling.” — Ledyard, The Draft Network"

Gardner-Johnson had his best season in 2018 as he had 71 tackles and four interceptions. He took two of those interceptions back for touchdowns and ended his NCAA career with three pick sixes.

Cleveland could elect to go with Kindred still or find a free agent in the later tiers of free agency. But if they decide to go with one in the draft, these three players could make a lot of sense.