Cleveland Browns: 2020 NFL Draft late-round targets

Lack of depth at the defensive end position really bit the Cleveland Browns last season, particularly following the suspension of Myles Garrett. LaDarius Hamilton of North Texas is a player that I think could develop into a solid starter in the NFL and would provide very solid depth right away.

Hamilton really came on strong in his final two seasons at North Texas with 7.5 sacks, over 10 tackles for loss and over 30 tackles in both his junior and senior seasons for the Mean Green. While the numbers aren’t anything crazy, it shows that he can consistently get the job done, and the tape backs that up.

LaDarius Hamilton first stood out to me when watching the 2020 NFL Draft Scouting Combine. In addition to his impressive 4.89 40-yard dash time and his 27 bench press reps, Hamilton looked very smooth throughout the on-field drills as well. When you watch him on film, all of those qualities come out in his play.

The thing that I noticed about Hamilton the most was his willingness to take on and go right at some of the biggest and strongest blockers on the field, doing so with great success. At 6-foot-2 and over 260 pounds, Hamilton is no slouch himself, but he has the ability to stand up tackles and guards and not let them move him back one bit.

This strength and power allow him to be a great edge setter in the run game and an effective bull rusher on passing downs. He doesn’t show quite the get off and bend that you look for in a typical ideal edge rusher, but Hamilton gets the job done with grit and will.

A very fiery player with a high motor, Hamilton plays to the whistle snap after snap, always chasing the ball. He excels when stunting and lined up at various spots across the defensive line in some interesting fronts employed by North Texas.

Hamilton would immediately add depth at the defensive end should anything happen to Garrett or the other solid players that the Cleveland Browns now have at the position. Learning from Garrett would be instrumental in the growth and development of a player like Hamilton who has such a high ceiling.