Cleveland Browns: 3 players on the 49ers to watch for

Kyle Juszczyk plays a position that is all but phased out in the modern NFL game. Juszczyk is a fullback. The majority of teams in the NFL don’t even carry a traditional fullback on their rosters. And although Juszczyk can do everything that a traditional fullback can do, there is nothing traditional about how he is used in San Francisco.

There is no better proof of his untraditional fullback usage than his 14 yards per reception so far this season. Do not be fooled though, the 49ers will line him up as a traditional fullback and let him do the dirty work as well. He is an excellent lead blocker and will personally escort their running backs in goal-line situations.

Where Juczczyk can kill a defense is his ability to slip out of the backfield and become a dangerous receiving threat. Browns’ fans need only to think back to Juczczyk’s stint with the Baltimore Ravens, where the Northern Ohio native found himself in the endzone on multiple occasions. He is a sneaky agile athlete with good balance and is not easy to bring down with just one defender.

Juczczyk’s versatility combined with Kyle Shanahan’s creative play-calling makes him a problem the Browns have to worry about on third downs.

The Cleveland defense will need to be cognizant of Juczczyk and not get lulled into a false sense of security because he isn’t just a fullback.