4 freakishly athletic Cleveland Browns players you might not know about
J.T. Hassell seeks to hassle the opposition
J. T. Hassell is perhaps the most amazing person on the entire squad. Born with only a partially formed left hand, he was blessed with compensating abilities that seem to be far beyond mere mortals.
Because of the hand issue, he was not recruited by the Power Five conferences. He got his revenge by destroying the Gulf South Conference at Florida Tech. As a 5-foot-11 and 200-pound linebacker at Florida Tech, he was a Division II first-team All-American by the American Football Coaches Association and second-team All-American Division II by the Associated Press. He led the Gulf South Conference in tackles (124), tackles per game (10.3), solo tackles (76) and forced fumbles (3).
His Pro Day numbers are off the charts and rank favorably with the best and most athletic Cleveland Browns. He turned in a 40-yard dash in 4.38. Denzel Ward at 4.32 may be the only guy on the team who can take him in the 40-yard dash.
Remember, Hassell weighs only 200 pounds, but he rang up 23 reps for the 225-pound bench press. That is one more than Joe Freaking Schobert. He had a 42-inch vertical leap. That’s higher than Ward, Odell Beckham, Jr., David Njoku, Myles Garrett, or anyone on the team until Donovan Peoples-Jones showed up.
The Cleveland Browns need to beat the Baltimore Ravens, who kill everyone last year on the ground. Lamar Jackson was good through the air but dynamite on the ground. The Browns tried to spy him last year with Schobert, whose 4.76 speed was no match for Jackson.
That just does not seem like the right way to use Schobert. Are you kidding? That is like assigning Green Arrow to cover the Flash! It is just not happening!
But Hassell can match the 4.3 speed and plays linebacker as well as safety. The guy is made to order for stopping a running quarterback. He is also the perfect hybrid player because he can be a safety on some plays and a linebacker on others.
Don’t believe the naysayers who say he will not be able to play with due to his hand. This is a quality player and he should be just fine for the Browns. Next to Myles Garrett, he is probably the most complete athletic player on the team.
Super athleticism and Combine scores indicate potential, but they do not guarantee success at the NFL level. In fact, with the Browns relying heavily on two-back and two-tight-end formations this year, it may be very difficult to justify more than five wide receivers on the 53 player roster.
Next. Former Browns fans would love to see un-retire. dark
From among Hodge, Peoples-Jones, Ratley and Montgomery, probably only two will make the opening day roster. Yet Hassell may be the player most likely to make a major impact this season, particularly if they decide to assign him to neutralize Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson.