Cleveland Browns 2021 NFL Draft Day 3 do-over

Round 5, Pick 169: Hamsah Nasirildeen, ROVER, Florida State (6.186)

The real-life selection of Tony Fields proves that the team has no issue with redundant skillsets as long as those skillsets are versatile. Richard LeCounte could prove to be a player that fits that mold, but there is a ton of projection involved with him.

Nasirildeen can play in two-high sets as a traditional strong safety or move into the box as a ROVER/hybrid linebacker. He’s good against the run and solid in man coverage. He’d provide some height in the secondary, which is something that would be helpful for this team.

Nasirildeen was mostly mocked in the third round, but went much, much later. It seems like all of the “tweener” or positionless defenders of the JOK breed went significantly later than they were expected to, indicating that most of the league isn’t ready to adopt them just yet. The Browns are one of the smart and progressive teams who are, so adding Nasirildeen would have made their defense just that much more versatile.

Round 6, Pick 211: Tay Gowan, CB, UCF (7.223)

Demetric Felton was one of the team’s more solid picks of Day 3. He tested very poorly, but he plays much quicker. He provides the Browns offense with a great degree of versatility, as he can play running back or slot receiver, as evidenced by his excellent showing during Senior Bowl week.

Assuming everyone is healthy, the Browns are going to have a very good cornerback room consisting of Denzel Ward, Greg Newsome II, Greedy Williams, and Troy Hill. The problem is that three of those four have concerning injury histories, which makes the decision to select only one CB this year all the more puzzling. There were good options available at each of the team’s picks, including Gowan, a top-70 prospect on PFF’s Big Board.

He’s a bigger body who didn’t have a ton of collegiate experience, but looked great when he did play and has plenty of intriguing athletic traits.

Only time will tell whether the Browns Day 3 selections will work out, but they passed on some highly-rated prospects at each of their picks.

Yet so did every team, and with the unprecedented limit of data on all of these players, having one of the smartest front offices in the NFL means that fans should feel good about what they accomplished here, even if some fans would change some picks in hindsight.