2021 NFL Draft grades: Cleveland Browns win the weekend

Cleveland Browns draft grade: B+

I was a bit surprised to see the Cleveland Browns select another linebacker in the 2021 NFL Draft, but Tony Fields II is a promising young player.

Tony Fields II thrived for two different top NCAA programs. Fields spent three seasons at Arizona, where he totaled at least 89 tackles a season and broke onto the scene as a freshman with 104 total tackles. Prior to this past season, with the future of the Pac-12 2020 playing season in question, Fields opted to transfer to the Big 12 and the West Virginia Mountaineers.

At both Arizona and West Virginia, Tony Fields II displayed is upside as an NFL defender. He is a very explosive athlete with impressive sideline-to-sideline speed. He has good vision and instincts and is aggressive and athletic when getting to the ball. He isn’t afraid to battle through blocks and is a heavy hitter once he finds the ball carrier.

He isn’t overly effective in coverage, especially for being a little undersized as a linebacker. He needs to be more cerebral and disciplined both in coverage and with his gap integrity in the run game.

There is definitely a lot of upside with Fields, who compared his own game to the likes of Devin White and Darius Leonard. He plays with that same confidence and swagger, and backs it up with his production.

With 375 career tackles, it’s clear that Fields can get find the ball and bring down the ball carrier. If he can improve in coverage and add some play strength to his frame, Fields could develop into a starting MIKE linebacker. But for now, he finds himself in a very crowded, young linebacker room for the Cleveland Browns.

Cleveland Browns draft grade: C

The selection of Richard LeCounte III was my least favorite pick that the Cleveland Browns made in the 2021 NFL Draft. He is a rather risky prospect at a position that I didn’t view as a big need for the Cleveland Browns heading into this season.

With Grant Delpit set to make his NFL debut, John Johnson III coming in from the Los Angeles Rams and guys like Ronnie Harrison and Sheldrick Redwine likely returning to the Cleveland Browns in 2021, I don’t see a glaring need at safety. Especially with the second-round selection of hybrid player Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, I think the Browns could have gone in a different direction with this pick.

Richard LeCounte III is a player that was once very highly recruited out of high school. He is an incredibly athletic defensive back who thrives when roaming centerfield. He has solid instincts and impressive closing speed to the catch point and the ball carrier.

As a very aggressive, downhill player LeCounte can take too many chances at times. He often misses tackles and occasionally blows coverages when in a deep zone. He plays a lot more physical than his body displays at 5-foot-10 and 196 pounds, needing to add more strength at the next level.

Richard LeCounte III put up solid numbers in six starts in 2020 (26 tackles, three interceptions, four pass breakups) before suffering a season-ending injury via a motorcycle accident. LeCounte did come back to play one last snap in his team’s final game after leading his team out of the tunnel, showing his toughness and leadership, but has yet to truly play since the injury.

The Cleveland Browns took a chance on a very talented and athletic player who is coming off of injury. If LeCounte can prove that he is healthy, bulk up and develop a more well-rounded skill set, he could become a starting safety down the line in the NFL. However, I think this selection could have been better used elsewhere.

Cleveland Browns draft grade: A

Like they did last year, the Cleveland Browns spent a sixth-round pick on a fun and promising young offensive playmaker. In 2020, it was Michigan wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones. This year, it is UCLA do-it-all offensive weapon Demetric Felton.

Throughout his time at UCLA, Demetric Felton was deployed at both wide receiver and running back. Not just a gimmick play here and there. He really has logged valuable snaps as a true wide receiver and as a true running back.

As a receiver, where he spent a lot of time in 2018 and 2019, he is actually a rather polished route runner. He can line up outside or in the slot and has very solid hands. Many evaluators viewed his primarily as a receiver coming into the draft and looked very good there at the Senior Bowl.

He saw a lot of work at running back in 2020, where he displayed his quickness and second-level speed. He really excels when bouncing plays outside. Felton is explosive through the hole or around the edge, shifty in the open field and has solid closing speed to finish off plays.

With a creative offensive mind like Kevin Stefanski, Felton should be able to find a unique role with the Cleveland Browns. The team announced him as a running back when the selection was made, placing him in a crowded room with Nick Chubb, Kareem Hunt and D’Ernest Johnson.

Felton can be an offensive Swiss-army knife right away for the Cleveland Browns and could develop into a legitimate running back behind two of the best in the league. If the team were to move on from one of the two in the coming years, Felton could help pick up the slack at running back.

For the future and for right now, Demetric Felton is exactly what a team should look for with their last pick in the draft. His incredible upside is polarizing and should be realized by a coach like Stefanski. Whether it’s as a versatile weapon or as a true running back in the future, Felton is a great pick to round out the 2021 NFL Draft for the Cleveland Browns.

Overall Cleveland Browns 2021 NFL Draft grade: A

The Cleveland Browns addressed a lot of team needs, while also grabbing many very talented players. From top to bottom, there were very few picks that I even questioned. Andrew Berry, Paul DePodesta, Kevin Stefanski and the rest of the organization seem to have a common goal and a great vision to reach it.

The 2021 NFL Draft was excellent for the Cleveland Browns, and expectations should be sky-high for the team heading into the playing season. The Browns have talent up and down their roster, addressed a couple of the last “holes” in their roster and should be primed for a deep playoff push in 2021.