4. Jacob Phillips, Linebacker
The Cleveland Browns linebackers corps has been under attack this offseason, and it’s easy to see why that is. What was once a major strength for this team has now become their biggest weakness as they have seen a lot of change there since 2018.
In that campaign, they entered training camp four-deep with Joe Schobert, Christian Kirksey, Jamie Collins, and Mychal Kendricks all on their roster. Kendricks was released before the season began as he was involved in some insider trading, but the others were still solid starters. By 2019, Collins was also gone but with Schobert and Kirksey still on the roster, they seemed perfectly fine.
Now in 2020, both Schobert and Kirksey are playing elsewhere and the most experienced options are free-agent pickup in B.J. Goodson and a couple of second-year players in Mack Wilson, and Sione Takitaki. But while everyone is worried about that trio, they’re overlooking Jacob Phillips who was an excellent draft pick.
Phillips was the top tackler for LSU last season and as a third-round pick, he was a steal. He doesn’t check all the boxes athletically but he’s a sure tackler who always finds the football. Don’t be surprised to see Phillips on the field in the base defense often as a rookie.