5 Defensive standouts from the NFL Scouting Combine the Cleveland Browns should go after

There were several standout defensive player performances at the NFL Combine this week and the Cleveland Browns should center their attention on these prospects

The NFL Scouting Combine has been going on this week in Indianapolis and after a few days of the defensive prospects performing on various skill tests, the Cleveland Browns should have a lot of talented players to choose from when they select in the upcoming NFL Draft in April. The team doesn't have a first-round pick but selects for the first time in the second round at No. 42.

Speed and quickness seem to be the name of the game as the NFL keeps becoming faster every day. The Browns, like every team in the league, are trying to stay up with this new style of football and to stop teams like the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles. They need quicker players that are able to be powerful but also agile.

Let's take a look at five of these type of players on the defensive side of the ball that could potentially look really good in the Orange and Brown uniform.

No. 5: Adetomiwa Adebawore, DT, Northwestern

Adetomiwa Adebawore, made a splash with his Scouting Combine performances this week. For a defensive lineman, he was super fast running the 40-yard dash in 4.49 seconds. He came to the tryouts in Indy weighing a solid 282 and for a player that size to run under 4.5 seconds is really amazing. His vertical jump wasn't too shabby either as he went 37.5 inches on that.

He's been a good player at Northwestern in his four years there. He had 12.5 sacks and made 24.5 tackles for losses in that time as well. He was active on the line as well on passing attempts as he had six pass deflections and he was good at attacking the rusher as he forced four fumbles too.

Adebawore did so well at the combine this week that he's racing up draft boards as we speak. Many projected him in going in the middle to latter rounds but now some are suggesting he could be a Day 1 pick.

With the Browns ready at No. 42 in the early part of the second round, grabbing a player of Adebawore's talents might be the best move to start the team's picks.

No. 4: Isaiah Land, Edge/linebacker, Florida A&M

Another player getting a lot of buzz this past week was Isaiah Land from Florida A&M. That fact of coming out of a small school program could be a deterrent to some teams, but for the Browns, they are looking for quickness and flexibility on the defensive side of the ball.

In college, he was primarily used as a linebacker but he's been working more and more on getting down on the line and becoming more of an edge rusher. He certainly showed the speed to be a factor with whoever selects him on draft day. He ran the 40 yard dash in an impressive 4.62 seconds.

The knock on Land, coming to the combine is his small size — he came in at 236 pounds which is actually more than his listed weight — but his quickness can't be overlooked. Cleveland needs to continue to find those types of players that can stay up with the faster offenses like the Chiefs and Buffalo Bills. And if the Browns are looking for a player that could make an impact, then maybe they need to bring Land to The Land.

His production in college was impressive as he once led the country, back in 2021, with 19 sacks and 25. 5 tackles for losses. His numbers slipped in the 2022 season, but he still managed to record eight sacks and 12 tackles for losses.

No. 3: Yaya Diaby, DL, Louisville

Yaya Diaby is fast and he was one of the edge rushers that was getting a lot of praise for his combine workout this week. He's listed at 6'4 and 265 pounds and showed fluidness in his 4.51 40-yard dash results.

The burst he showed in his first few strides was what caught many by surprise. His 10-yard split was 1.56 seconds. He followed his speedy performance up with a 37-inch vertical jump and a 10-foot broad jump.

Diaby had a good senior season at Louisville where he finished second in the ACC conference with nine sacks and seventh in tackles for losses with 14. He also had two pass deflections and recovered two fumbles. He had a game early in the season against Florida State where a tallied seven tackles, three for losses, and had two sacks.

He followed that up a few weeks later with a five-tackle game, including 2.5 for loss in a winning effort against Pittsburgh. He topped off his time at Louisville with a win against Cincinnati where contributed four tackles, 2.5 for losses, and 1.5 sacks.

Diaby would definitely be a work in progress for a team like the Browns but if the team were to select him in the draft, having him learn the edge rushing game more from a veteran defensive coordinator like Jim Schwartz and a player like Myles Garrett might be an intriguing move. Diaby might not be expected to be a starter for a while, but he could be a big pick and a potential star in the league over time.

No. 2: Jartavius Martin, Safety, DB, Illinois

Illinois had one of the best defenses in college football this past year and one of their defensive backs, Jartavius Martin impressed scouts a lot this week with his efforts at the combine.

The Browns will be in search of some new help in the secondary as they are parting ways with safety John Johnson soon as he'll likely be released to help Cleveland's cap space concerns. Ronnie Harrison, anther safety is entering free agency and won't be back either.

Adding a young player like Martin could certainly help the Browns moving forward. At the combine, he blew folks away with his 44-inch vertical jump and followed that up with an 11-foot, 1-inch broad jump. On some of the other drills, he showed very smooth movements and soft hands when tracking and catching passes.

Martin is listed at around 6 feet tall. He played in five seasons at Illinois, taking advantage of the extra Covid season and making the most of his time. He had 225 tackles including 64 of them in his last season. He also had three interceptions and 11 pass deflections which ranked him as third-best in the Big Ten this season.

No. 1: Julius Brents, DB, Kansas State

I've discussed Julius Brents out of Kansas State in previous articles and if the Browns are wanting to bring in a great contributor to the secondary, then look no further than this kid. He's got the height at 6-foot-4 and can jump out of the stadium.

He's getting a lot of praise from across the league after his combine performances and he could be taken as soon as the first round, but if he were there in the second or third round come time for the Browns to make a pick, I'd take him in a heartbeat.

Last draft, Cleveland surprised many when they traded down and took Martin Emerson, a cornerback out of Mississippi State. That pick has worked out so far for the Browns as Emerson had a great start in his NFL career.

Brents could be a great addition as well. Yes, the team has Denzel Ward and Greg Newsome in that cornerback room already, but you can never have too few cornerbacks. Ward has been injury prone his whole career and Newsome has had some concussion issues himself.

At Kansas State this past season, Brents was very good. He grabbed four interceptions and had 45 tackles including 3.5 for losses. Having watched several Kansas State games this season, seeing Brents dominate at times on the defensive side of the ball and be seemingly everywhere when opponents were throwing up passes was fun to watch. He has a smooth-running stride and loved to tackle. At the combine, he jumped incredibly well when he went for an 11-foot-six-inch broad jump to go with a 41.5 vertical jump.

Whoever, the Browns take in this draft on the defensive side of the ball, I'm certain the player will be quick and there is a ton of athletic and speedy talent out there this draft. Here are a few other players to keep an eye on as well as the draft gets closer. These players could be there for the Browns when their picks come around.