Too small? Cleveland Browns rookie Willie Harvey defies critics

Signing as an undrafted free agent, Cleveland Browns linebacker Willie Harvey has overcome his small stature to have a chance to make the NFL.

Cleveland Browns undrafted rookie linebacker Willie Harvey has been given an opportunity to make the Browns roster this year. After prepping for the Browns with four solid years at Iowa State in the Big 12, he should have a good shot at it.

The Browns defense crumbled against the run in 2018, giving up an astounding 2,163 rushing yards. This is almost impossible on a team that has both Myles Garrett and Joe Schobert, but somehow the Browns found it within themselves to get pummeled up front.

This offseason, the Browns have added star players in defensive end Oliver Vernon and defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson. However, linebacker remains the single most serious weakness on the 2019 Browns, both at the starting position as well as depth at the bottom of the roster. The Browns added Adarius Taylor while losing their leader in tackles and tackles-for-loss in Jamie Collins. Collins simply had an untenable contract situation and moreover, underachieved the massive expectations levied on him by Sashi Brown, who made him one of the highest paid linebackers in football.

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As one measure of talent, Pro Football Focus ranks Schobert as the 11th best linebacker in football, meaning that he is close to Pro Bowl level but not quite there. However, no one else ranks higher than 85th (among Taylor, Genard Avery, Christian Kirksey, and Ray-Ray Armstrong), which means it is questionable whether they are even starting caliber, at least according to the PFF grading model. Rookie draftees Mack Wilson and Sione Takitaki were drafted to help plug the holes in the lineup, but there is an excellent chance for an undrafted rookie like Willie Harvey to make the team.

Harvey’s agent Dusty Gwinn seems to have a knack for matching rookie free agents to teams that are going to need their services. Harvey, who according to cbssports.com, stands 6-foot-0, 224 pounds and runs the 40 yard dash at 4.75, has been criticized for being too small to play linebacker in the NFL. Says Gwinn: “Some people said he was too small but Willie was too strong to hear it. He is undeterred and remains focused. See you in the Dawg Pound!”

Zach Thomas and the late Sam Mills, Jr. come to mind as guys who were too small to make it in the NFL but went on to have All-Pro careers. This analyst still has nightmares about the 1981 Browns who signed Mills as an undrafted free agent and watched him light up the preseason….and then cut him. At Carolina, the other players made fun of the 5-foot-9 Mills by reserving one of the urinals in the locker room just for him, putting his name on a step-stool in front of the urinal. But the dude made five Pro Bowls and was an All-Pro at age 37, which is totally insane. Who else does that? Height matters for evaluating talent, but it is not decisive. Smaller linebackers can absolutely make it in the NFL, but it has to be the right small linebacker.

Harvey was impressive at Iowa State University in the Big 12, where he was a four-year starter after being red-shirted his freshman year. He brings a strong resume to the NFL, even though Iowa State was not a world power in football. In particular, they have had winning teams and bowl appearances for the past two years, with Harvey one of the mainstays on defense. He was a three-time All-Big 12 honorable mention and was among team leaders in tackles, tackles for loss and sacks. For his career, he had 289 tackles, 31 tackles for loss, 12.5 sacks, five forced fumbles, and three fumble recoveries in 42 starts. He ranks sixth all-time at Iowa State in tackles for loss and eighth in sacks. There is no reason to think that he can not play.

It might be that Baker Mayfield recalls making the acquaintance of Willie Harvey in a 2016 contest won by the Sooners 34-24. Harvey sacked Mayfield in that game, incidentally. The following year Harvey did not play in the Oklahoma game due to injury, but Iowa State beat Oklahoma in a stunning upset, coming into the game as 31-point underdogs. That win snapped Oklahoma’s 14-game win streak and nearly cost Mayfield the Heisman. So, things might be a little chippy out on the practice field this summer between the former Sooner and the former Cyclone.