Notre Dame, Cleveland Browns fans welcome JOK to the Dawg Pound

Fan bases for Notre Dame and the Cleveland Browns are equally ecstatic to see Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah drafted by Cleveland 

Judging from the Twitter reaction, there are a lot of happy, happy fans who really wanted Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah to come to the Dawg Pound to join the Cleveland Browns.

Although Ohio State probably has the largest regional following, Cleveland has always also had a huge Notre Dame following, the so-called “Subway Alumni,” who follow Notre Dame football, probably because the community has several Catholic High Schools with strong football programs.

I would name a few, but someone would get mad if I left out their school. Plus there are many fans who have some other faith entirely but are just crazy for Notre Dame football. Let’s just say that Notre Dame has a great recruiting base as well as a great fan base in Ohio.

https://twitter.com/j_owuu/status/1388468353514278912?s=20

Several mock drafts had Owusu-Koramoah going to Cleveland in the first round since linebacker was a spot that needed some help. Plus, in the Joe Woods defense, they want to play linebackers with speed.

Owusu-Koramoah is one of the best coverage linebackers in the draft class, and is perhaps the Browns answer to covering some of the monster tight ends who are coming into the league. Run coverage is a group process rather than one-on-one these days.

Traditionally, however, the middle linebacker is a lineman with better wheels, and perhaps there is still that image today of the big run-stopping middle linebacker types of the 1970s. One of the most disappointing moves of the 2020 season was not making a concerted effort to re-sign Joe Schobert, despite the high regard everyone had for his dedication, hustle, and style of play.

However, Schobert runs a 4.76 40-yard dash. If you liked Schobert’s level of play, you should love JOK. He did not run the 40 at Pro Day due to a hamstring tweak, but he is believed to be among the fastest linebackers in the draft. His three-cone time of 6.81 is scorching fast for a linebacker.

The Notre Dame website lists a ridiculous number of honors and accolades for him, starting with Butkus Award Winner (2020) and Associated Press All-America First Team.

When the news came out that the Browns had traded up in the draft, there was an immediate buzz in the Dawg Pound Daily virtual conference room. “It’s got to be for JOK! Who else could it be?” Twitter also started to rumble as fans started throwing out his name online.

When the news hit, there was a minor explosion from the combined fan bases of Notre Dame and the Cleveland Browns. It was wildly applauded live as well as in the cyber-universe.

Hopefully first-round pick Greg Newsome II will not be jealous of the extra attention afforded to Owusu-Koramoah. Northwestern is a terrific academic institution, but somehow the Wildcat fan base kind of peters out before it extends into Ohio.

At the same time, despite the excitement of the talent he brings, we in the media ought not place too many expectations on him too quickly. Playing linebacker in the NFL is a lot like playing quarterback in terms of the complexity of the playbook and the need for making decisions that affect the rest of the team.

It may not happen for him all at once, and he may need to be a situational linebacker for a while. It’s probably better to find a few spots for him in which he can excel, rather than ask him to digest the entire playbook all at once and have him make mistakes by being on the field for too many plays early on.

The Browns have a rotation set up with veterans Sione Takitaki, Malcolm Smith, Anthony Walker, Jacob Phillips, and Mack Wilson. JOK and fellow rookie Tony Fields from the West Virginia Mountaineers are looking to take jobs away from Mack Wilson and possibly Walker or even Smith.

Wilson has started 22 games for the Browns the past two years, but as good as he is, it will be tough for him to make this year’s squad.