The Cleveland Browns are in desperate need of a linebacker
To anybody who has watched a down of Cleveland Browns football this year, the revelation that a linebacker is needed is not a surprise at all. Easily the worst position group on the roster, the Browns will need to make a significant upgrade this offseason in order to get a jump out of their defense led by Joe Woods. What better place to look for a new and young talent than the 2021 NFL Draft?
Mangles by injuries, the Browns have gotten just limited action out of 2019 starter Mack Wilson and 2020 third-round pick Jacob Phillips. This has forced the brunt of the workload onto journeymen linebackers B.J. Goodson and Malcolm Smith, with 2019 third-rounder Sione Takitaki playing a significant role as well.
With Wilson and Phillips both set to potentially return this week, the unit as a whole could see an improvement in their performance. Regardless, it is likely an upgrade at the second level of the defense is in order in Cleveland. Who are some names to keep an eye on? Here are some fits in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Honorable Mention: Micah Parsons, Penn State
Penn State’s Micah Parsons lands as an honorable mention here, because in all reality, the Browns will likely find themselves far out of reach of his services. Likely a top-five pick, with top-ten being his floor, the Browns would have to win just four or fewer games the rest of the way to find themselves in range to land Parsons.
Some have Parsons ranked higher than top 2020 linebacker Isaiah Simmons, he will be a hot commodity for teams picking at the top of the 2021 NFL Draft despite playing at one of the lower priority positions in the league. While Parsons in a Cleveland uniform would be the dream, it looks to be quite literally that: a dream.
5. Dylan Moses, Alabama
The first linebacker the Browns could realistically find themselves in range to land is the one who has been called “the LeBron James of football.” Alabama’s Dylan Moses has been the consensus second linebacker in the 2021 NFL Draft by most big draft pundits and is in his senior season with the Crimson Tide after tearing his ACL in 2019.
In his first game back, Moses looked just like his old self before his injury for the Crimson Tide. He wreaked havoc for two tackles behind the line of scrimmage in Week 1 of the SEC season as Alabama took down the Missouri Tigers. Listed at 6-foot-3 and 240 pounds, Moses can move incredibly well for a man his size as he is a fluid athlete.
Great in coverage, great against the run, Moses plays with a high level of intellect and instincts from the second level of the Crimson Tide defense. With Goodson and Smith both on one-year deals, the Browns will need a significant upgrade to their linebacking corps, and while the linebacker position is not one taken in the first round, Andrew Berry and company may have to make a desperate move to upgrade the position.
Moses would more than likely be the guy early in the 2021 NFL Draft the Browns would target in this case.
4. Nick Bolton, Missouri
Up next is one of the best run defenders in all of college football in Missouri’s Nick Bolton. Consistently in the right fit and where he needs to be, Bolton has little issue with initiating contact at the line of scrimmage and the point of the attack. Bolton is a straight-up thumper whose tape can be used as teaching tape for young linebackers to learn from.
Listed at 6-foot-0 and 232 pounds, Bolton is coming off of his first season as a full-time starter as a Sophomore season in 2019. He stuffed the stat sheet for the Tigers, racking up 74 solo tackles, eight and a half of which came behind the line of scrimmage, and a sack. In coverage, Bolton recorded an interception (which he returned for a touchdown) and seven passes defended.
He has the makings of a day-one starter at MIKE, displaying the versatility against the run and the pass. A converted safety, Bolton has no issues hitting his landmarks in zone coverage, and even tracking with running backs out of the backfield and tight ends down the seam. This is an element of the defense the Browns have been missing for quite some time.
Bolton figures to be a top-40 pick by the time the 2021 NFL Draft rolls around, so the Browns will either need to grab him in the late first-round or early second.
3. Chazz Surratt, North Carolina
As the NFL is transitioning to a pass-heavy, the need for linebacker to show the ability to be consistent in coverage and not only against the run grows. Perhaps the most fluid linebacker in coverage in this 2021 NFL Draft crop is North Carolina Tar Heel Chazz Surratt.
The twin brother of another 2021 draft prospect and Wake Forest wide receiver Sage, Surratt frequents top-five lists at the linebacker position this year. At 6-foot-2 and 225 pounds, Surratt is a bit thin, but has great athletic ability and is still not afraid to shy away from contact at the point of attack. Fun fact about Surratt as well: he was the starting quarterback for the Tar Heels for a stint as a freshman in 2017.
A year ago in Chapel Hill, Surratt racked up 15 tackles behind the line of scrimmage, 66 solo tackles, six and a half sacks, and one interception. He is extremely fluid in coverage, showing the ability to consistently hit his landmarks in zone coverage, and no slouch against tight ends either given his length.
He is a likely day-two target, so if the Browns land a linebacker in the second round of the draft, then Surratt is a great talent to bring to Cleveland.
2. Garret Wallow, TCU
A late day-two or early day-three target for the Browns in the 2021 NFL Draft at the linebacker position is TCU’s Garret Wallow. Now a Senior with the Horned Frogs, Wallow flashed all over the field a year ago. While he may not be a day-one starter at the next level, he has the tools and instincts to develop into a starter early in his NFL career.
Wallow racked up a massive 18.5 tackles for loss for the Horned Frogs a year ago, and has already tallied two tackles in the backfield and a sack at TCU in one game this season. His versatility and fluidity in coverage raises a question, as well as what his testing numbers will be at the NFL Scouting Combine.
He would fit as a MIKE linebacker for the Browns as he likely does not have enough juice in coverage or as a versatile rusher to play elsewhere at the second level at the next level. However with his level of intellect and intuition, Wallow is the type of player who will have a green dot on their helmet for the player identified as the sideline communicator.
At this point, Wallow remains a name to keep a close eye on as the Browns continue to search for new linebackers.
1. Kuony Deng, Cal
One of the more tantalizing prospects in all of the 2021 NFL Draft has got to be California linebacker Kuony Deng. Once featured on the Netflix original series “Last Chance U,” Deng made his way to Cal from Independence Community College and debuted with the Golden Bears in 2019.
Playing next to Evan Weaver (the NCAA leading tackler), Deng still managed to rack up 62 solo tackles, seven and a half tackles for loss, and three sacks for the Golden Bears’ defense a year ago. He also defended a whopping eight passes from the second level of the defense.
The most tantalizing tool Deng possesses, however? His massive size and length. Deng is listed at 6-foot-6 and 250 pounds for the Golden Bears, and is now entering his second full season playing the linebacker position. He posted the numbers he did still raw to the position, and now with some experience and with Weaver departed, it will be well worth the watch to see how Deng can play when the PAC-12 returns to play in November.
He can provide valuable reps not only against the run and the pass from the second level, but Deng has the versatility to provide fluid reps off the edge as well in passing situations. Should Woods get ahold of him in 2021, Deng could make a swell SAM linebacker for the Browns.