Up next is Chauncey Gardner-Johnson of the Florida Gators. Gardner-Johnson was highly productive in his three seasons with the SEC program, but his name seems to be forgotten about at times. Part of the reason for that could be the inconsistencies in his game.
Even with that being the case, Gardner-Johnson is an intriguing prospect considering his ability to play all over the secondary. He spent time as a deep safety for the Gators while also playing in the box as a more traditional strong safety and even spent time manning the slot.
The Numbers
Height: 5-foot-11
Weight: 210-Pounds
Career Tackles: 161
Career Interceptions: 9
40-Yard Dash: 4.48
Bench Press: 17 Reps
What the Scouts Say
One thing that baffles scouts is how Gardner-Johnson struggled in coverage in 2018 despite excelling in this area the year prior. The good news for him is he did clean up his tackling — which was a problem for him previously.
"“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.” — Jon Ledyard, The Draft Network"
Is he a fit in Cleveland?
Gardner-Johnson has some incredible upside and if he can blend his 2017 and 2018 play together, he could be one of the more complete safeties in the draft. He makes a lot of sense for Cleveland considering how well he tackled this past year. He’s also fast enough to keep up with tight ends, which was a big problem for the Browns over the past few seasons.