Cleveland Browns: 5 Under the radar breakout candidates in 2020
By Randy Gurzi
3. Sione Takitaki, Linebacker
When the Cleveland Browns landed Greedy Williams in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft, there was a collective cheer throughout the Dawg Pound. However, when they made their next pick, there were many fans asking “who?”
BYU linebacker Sione Takitaki was the selection and it was announced by Christian Kirksey, the veteran linebacker who, along with Joel Bitonio, is the longest-tenured player on the roster at this point. Then there was a collective “why” as fans learned that Takitaki was suspended several times to start his collegiate career. It also further cemented the belief John Dorsey has to get guys with question marks in every single draft.
Eventually, some fans started to warm to the idea of Takitaki as their third-round pick as his highlights at BYU showed a kid who knows how to find the ball and is a sure tackler. Unfortunately, we didn’t see that during his rookie season. Instead, he finished with just 16 tackles while playing mostly on special teams.
Now with the Browns potentially allowing Joe Schobert to leave in free agency, and possibly releasing Kirksey who has been unable to stay healthy, Takitaki should get his chance to show he can contribute on the base defense. And he has a chance to improve as he’s entering the offseason healthy, after missing time in camp as a rookie.
He’s shown in college that he has the talent and 2020 could provide him a chance to make a name for himself in the NFL.