Cleveland Browns: 4 Undrafted free agents from 2019 that can be starters

Linebacker Willie Harvey

Willie Harvey, the undrafted linebacker from Iowa State, went on IR before he could show whether his exhibition game performances can translate to the regular season. In particular, Harvey blew away the Indianapolis Colts in the fourth quarter of Week 2 of the exhibition season.

In that quarter, he stuffed D’onta Foreman for a loss, hit Chad Kelly on a blitz, tackled Hale Hentge, and tackled Aca’Cedric Ware for no gain. Harvey’s most outstanding play came on fourth down, when he blew through the Colts’ pass protection, then batted down the attempted pass from Chad Kelly and clinched the victory for the Browns.

Harvey was not drafted, probably on the grounds that he is a little undersized at 5-foot-11, 230-pounds, and did not burn up the 40-yard dash at 4.72 seconds. That’s a few ticks faster than Joe Schobert, who turned in a 4.76 at the NFL Combine, so Harvey is well within the range for an NFL outside linebacker.

We did not see Harvey at linebacker during the regular season, although he did appear at the top of the depth chart on special teams before he hurt a shoulder and wound up on IR. His chances were also diminished because former defensive coordinator Steve Wilks preferred to play only two linebackers, with a nickel defensive back in place of the usual third linebacker. We need to see more during this pre-season and hopefully, he will stay healthy this time.

The Browns are expected to play three linebackers this year rather than only two, and that means Harvey may get a shot, especially if Joe Schobert does not return.