Retooling the Cleveland Browns 6.0: Post free agency mock draft

ATLANTA, GA - NOVEMBER 30: Andrew Thomas #71 of the Georgia Bulldogs celebrate's following the Georgia Bulldogs win over the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 52-7 at Bobby Dodd Stadium on November 30, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA - NOVEMBER 30: Andrew Thomas #71 of the Georgia Bulldogs celebrate's following the Georgia Bulldogs win over the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 52-7 at Bobby Dodd Stadium on November 30, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images) /
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KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE – NOVEMBER 30: Darrell Taylor #19 of the Tennessee Volunteers stands ready for a play against the Vanderbilt Commodores during the second quarter at Neyland Stadium on November 30, 2019, in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Silas Walker/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE – NOVEMBER 30: Darrell Taylor #19 of the Tennessee Volunteers stands ready for a play against the Vanderbilt Commodores during the second quarter at Neyland Stadium on November 30, 2019, in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Silas Walker/Getty Images) /

DarrellTaylor. player. 839. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. Round 3. Pick 97. DE

Even with the added depth at defensive tackle with Andrew Billings, I expect a later round pass rusher to be taken by the Browns.  Darrell Taylor from the University of Tennessee is exactly that, a pass-rushing expert.  Taylor is not a guy who could come in as a day one starter but could come in on passing situations and give opposing quarterbacks issues.

Taylor is very familiar with getting to the quarterback racking up 8.5 sacks in his senior year with the Vols.  Taylor added 46 total tackles with 10 being for loss.  Taylor had a total of 19.5 sacks during his time in Tennessee, with most snaps coming from linebacker and not consistently rushing the passer.

As with most late-round picks, Taylor does need to continue to develop.  Currently, he lacks the ability to play on early downs as he is slow at recognizing play development.  His athleticism was able to bail him out at the collegiate level but likely will not transfer to the NFL.  Taylor also needs to develop better pass-rushing moves as he tends to rely on the bull-rush too often.

Another positive for Taylor would be the flexibility to play linebacker or defensive end in the NFL.  At this time, he appears to be a 4-3 defensive end or 3-4 linebacker but could transition if needed.  At six-feet four-inches and 247 pounds, Taylor could be a powerful edge defender if groomed properly.