Cleveland Browns feel like they had two first-rounders in 2021
The Cleveland Browns are no strangers to being active and entertaining during the NFL Draft. Unlike most years, however, the Browns were not sitting near the top of the 2021 NFL Draft. After years of unmet expectations and, frankly, losing, the Cleveland Browns emerged in the 2020 NFL season as one of the league’s top up-and-coming teams under new head coach Kevin Stefanski.
The Browns’ success led them to the 26th overall pick in the 2021 Draft following a playoff victory.
That playoff victory and winning feeling has the Cleveland Browns rightfully feeling pretty confident going into the 2021 season when they will hopefully have a healthy Odell Beckham Jr. to add to an already very balanced offensive attack as well as a reloaded defense with some big-name players coming in through free agency, coming back from injury, and through the top two picks this team had in the 2021 Draft.
The Browns are understandably giddy about their top two picks in the draft — Northwestern cornerback Greg Newsome and Notre Dame linebacker/safety Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah — who should both be big-time contributors in Joe Woods’ defense.
Woods was the defensive backs coach once upon a time for Wade Phillips with the Denver Broncos when the team had the No Fly Zone, arguably the best secondary in league history.
Woods worked as the 49ers‘ defensive backs coach in the 2019 season when San Francisco won the NFC and boasted the NFL’s number one pass defense.
Cleveland Browns: Newsome and Owusu-Koramoah will be major pickups
The Browns’ pass defense didn’t immediately transform in 2020 upon Woods’ arrival as the team’s defensive coordinator. With that being said, the team has had some time to assemble some talent back there and add to the defensive backfield by bringing in veterans John Johnson III and Troy Hill from the top-ranked Los Angeles Rams defense in 2020.
They also are getting high draft choices Grant Delpit (safety) and Greedy Williams (cornerback) back off of injury.
Newsome comes in after a couple of really strong seasons at Northwestern when he was one of the top playmakers in the country and as close to shut down as you’re going to see anymore.
Owusu-Koramoah lined up all over Notre Dame’s defensive formation and flies around the field like a heat-seeking missile as soon as the ball is snapped.
After seeing those two guys work at OTAs, it’s safe to say that Woods is impressed.
"To me, it felt like we got two first-rounders, for sure.Joe Woods (via NFL.com)"
To get Newsome and Owusu-Koramoah at picks 26 and 52, respectively, was insane value at the time and continues to feel like it, even more, the more time passes.
The proof of these guys being great NFL Draft values will obviously be unknown until we see them work on the field, but Woods has some substantial weapons to work with and two legitimate CB1 types of playmakers in Denzel Ward and now Newsome.
Owusu-Koramoah is not a traditional off-ball linebacker, and could perhaps be utilized in similar ways to how Woods once used TJ Ward in Denver.
The team speed of this Cleveland Browns defense has been substantially upgraded by these two players and with all of the other moves made on that side of the ball in 2021, the hype for this team has been well-earned.