Browns: Early returns are excellent for Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah

Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah has been very good in his rookie campaign with the Cleveland Browns thus far.

It was a little shocking to see Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah tumble out of the first round in the 2021 NFL Draft. Yes, his size wasn’t that of a traditional linebacker, but with defenses inserting more hybrid defenders into the fold, his game fit very well with the modern NFL. It turned out there was a medical flag, and that caused his fall to 52nd overall, where the Cleveland Browns stopped the slide.

The Browns made a serious commitment to having Owusu-Koramoah as a focal point of their base defense, committing to him as a hybrid WILL linebacker by getting a good backup in Tony Fields later in the draft. His abilities when blitzing, erasing tight ends and succeeding in man coverage, along with his awareness in zone were too good to pass up and are too good to keep him off the field. Owusu-Koramoah is still out there in certain packages, but he makes the most of his reps.

In week one, he had some good reps in coverage against All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce, and took care of his assignments near the line of scrimmage. He played with good, controlled aggression when filling against the run.

JOK’s best game of the season to date was his most recent one against the Chicago Bears. He made great plays against the run, dipping around would-be blockers to reduce surface area. Owusu-Koramoah finished well as a tackler against the run and in coverage to limit yards after the catch. His delayed blitz early on succeeded as he got to rookie quarterback Justin Fields. His awareness and deception in coverage nearly led to an interception as well.

Because of his versatile skill set, play speed, and physical demeanor, Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah has been a great addition for the Cleveland Browns, and his early returns in terms of production and on-field play have them looking real smart with their 2021 NFL Draft decision. His ceiling is very high and his play should only get better as the year goes on in a very good Browns defense.