Tony lists two excellent safeties who should still be there at 49th overall: Jonathan Abram and Amani Hooker.
Many of you want to replace Terrence Mitchell for some reason...is a broken forearm now an indication that one of PFF's highest rated cornerbacks is injury-prone or something?
A versatile DB who covers well makes a lot more sense in a Wilks 3-deep defense, and both Hooker and Abram look like great deals at 49th overall.
Not that there isn't room for a third outstanding pure cornerback, or anything.
Or a rotational Defensive Tackle. As Peter Smith tells us, the 2019 Browns seem to have Defensive End covered in depth.
Like yours truly, he reminds us that Ogbah was playing hurt (and often inside) through 2018. If you've never had a high ankle sprain, you need to trust me: it takes a very long time to heal, and the ankle has to be immobilized with a couple pounds of tape.
Pete and I would like to see what this player can do playing on two legs--and the implied urgency to trade him makes no sense.
Genard Avery is certainly a factor coming off the edge. He needs to stand up, but that's not a big deal; he does the same job.
Peter doesn't know if Avery will play SAM too (he can actually play WIL as well, Pete), but certainly on passing downs he can rush the passer, and spell either Garrett or Vernon.
With these four players, if Ogbah returns to the player he was prior to Gregg Williams' tenure and his injuries, look really solid and deep.
Smith and Thomas are good players too, but the numbers indicate that from among them and Ogbah, at least one will be a GMF.
Peter finds no DT depth behind Richardson and Ogunjobi, as the other guys have failed to impress. Those guys take a lot of abuse, and depth there might actually be the biggest hole on the roster.
Dorsey, as he himself says, has options at safety, including converting Carey or another cornerback (*You know that he talked to Steve Wilks and his assistants first, right?*) to safety.
...and zzinnggg! Well, it didn't go over my head! Carey and company are not Strong Safety types!!! It sounds to perceptive ears like Wilks doesn't plan on using a conventional strong safety.
Now Freddie Kitchens chimed in with his comments on using linebackers in coverage, and
I've been trying to tell you all along that Wilks prefers ZONES and off-man coverages, but it's fallen on deaf (or dumb) ears...but I digress:
Defensive Tackle is a bigger need than safety, and the timing couldn't be better.
As it turns out, Defensive Tackle is exceptionally deep in this class (and they have an outside shot at Jeffery Simmons), and safety is much deeper than I had expected too. (Good cornerback depth, as well).
The Browns are showing interest in Homie DT Dremont Jones, who could make it to 49 as well.
I have to apologize for repeating myself here, but part of what Greg Robinson's one year contract did was buy time for Desmond Harrison to grow into his freaky physical talent, and I doubt that John Dorsey feels he needs to replace Harrison with a less talented rookie.
Does that make sense? Anybody home?
I don't have to be "bold" to predict that John Dorsey will NOT draft an offensive tackle before the 4th round, and that both of his top two picks will be defensive players.
I hereby predict that Dorsey will draft a Defensive Tackle in the 2nd or 3rd round, and that the other player will be a linebacker or defensive back.
Dorsey won't need to "reach" for his (real) positions of need, and can immediately increase the Browns 2019 Superbowl chances with these two draft picks.
Say it's just Dremont Jones at 49. Well, Dremont is really a lunchpail guy, but he's ready to play in the NFL as a rotational DT. He's not as talented as some of the other guys, but he's accomplished, smart, and ready to go.
The third round player is not expected to start immediately either, but will play a lot as a role or rotational player (to upgrade coverage somehow).
These two defensive players will be immediately important, as the Browns are getting all up in the Steelers' grill in 2019.
Big Ben is still Big Ben, that's still one of the best offensive lines in the NFL, and they'll still be able to outscore most teams.
They'll probably have an upgraded defense when the dust settles, too; certainly they've added a really good run-and-hit veteran linebacker in free agency, and historically draft well.
...what? Ray-what? OH! Somebody is reminding me that the Ravens won the AFC North last year.
Big deal. They just lost three linebackers, and their number one receiver is a little slot guy they got from Dallas.
Their quarterback is only a semi-quarterback, and Harbaugh will have to run a gimmicky offense to make him effective.
That third defensive tackle will be critical for the Browns, as the Ratbirds signed Melvin Ingram, and can steamroll defenses on the ground.
Wilks wants those four down linemen (or three and Genard Avery) on the field all the time, partly to smother the run, while his other seven guys are in coverage.
Lamar Jackson won't crack that code as a passer (just the facts man), and the fast, converging back seven will slow down that running game (including Jackson himself), and get turnovers too.
Gimmicks or no, a one-dimensional offense can be stifled.
The Ravens also want to tell you that losing three linebackers (including Suggs and Mosely) doesn't matter (pay no attention to the man behind the curtain), but this matters in the real world.
Baker Mayfield beat them in game one and racked up 24 points on them in the season finale.
NOW he has OBJ, and the Ravens need three linebackers! NOW, Richardson and Vernon will be joining Garrett and Ogunjobi in checking into Lamar and Melvin's business.
It's a mismatch. The Browns will sweep the Ravens in 2019. You can keep arguing with me, perhaps saying "they're still the Browns" or whatever, but my team is too much better than your team for yours to beat mine.
Anyway back to the REAL threat in the AFC North:
The Steelers are rightfully the underdogs, but under Mike Tomlin win when they're supposed to lose (and lose when they're supposed to win), so there's a scary factoid for you.
Here's the deal with this "they're still the Browns" stuporstition:
Freddie Kitchens and Baker Mayfield don't "choke". They are technically "Browns" now, but didn't get taken over by pod-people at the door.
The Browns have been "the Browns" for nearly two decades because (since Tim Couch, whose injuries destroyed him), they never found their franchise quarterback.
Now they have one. He tore up the league with what he had last season, and Dorsey just brought him OBJ.
I have a lot of fun with Steelers (and to a lesser degree) Ravens fans. A lot of them seem to dislike their respective Head Coaches.
With the Steelers, I get that. But the Ravens fans disliking Harbaugh? ...nevermind.
Anyway, they admit that they are afraid of the Browns...but more precisely of Baker Mayfield.
Stick your "still the Browns" where the sun don't shine.
Slow news day...oh!
Another excellent writer (maybe Peter Smith again) anticipated some new developments with how Olivier Vernon and Myles Garrett would be used.
Garrett is bigger and taller, while Vernon is more of a linebacker (6'2", 268 lbs). But Garrett has already been used (extensively) at DT, and Vernon was a 3-4 OLB.
New Defensive Coordinator Steve Wilks can move these two guys all over the place in search of ideal mismatches.
Myles Garrett (entering his third season) can line up outside a RIGHT tackle, and Vernon can line up almost anywhere (with his hand in the dirt, or standing up).
When you toss in Genard Avery, this can be a an unpredictable, confusing, and adaptable front four (or five, really).
In 2018, opposing Offensive Lines pretty much knew where Garrett would be (including between the left guard and tackle).
In 2019, the addition of Vernon offers Steve Wilks a great opportunity to really screw up enema blocking schemes by moving both of these guys (and Avery) around.
They're zeroing in on Myles Garrett, of course, but they have to adjust protections to wherever he is, and can't help anybody with Vernon (wherever the hell he might show up) or Avery.
Pick your poison. What a nasty "edge"/passrush combo we got here *remember Ogbah was an outside linebacker under Mike Pettine, and played inside a lot under Williams, and on both edges?*
Peter Smith is on the money: First and foremost, Dorsey needs that third rotational DT to anchor (and exploit) that (into the fourth quarter).
...and that's just the defense!
No comments:
Post a Comment