Cleveland Browns to host Tyrann Mathieu, Dee Milliner, Dion Jordan
The Cleveland Browns are set to host three high-profile prospects in the 2013 NFL Draft in former LSU Tigers defensive back Tyrann Mathieu, Oregon Ducks versatile pass rusher Dion Jordan, and top cornerback Dee Milliner from the Alabama Crimson Tide. This news comes to us from a source close to Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
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The Browns have the sixth pick in the 2013 NFL Draft, and their two top needs are at cornerback and at pass rusher. Signing former Baltimore Ravens star Paul Kruger in free agency has mitigated the need for a pass rusher, but the Browns previously had such a huge need in that regard that adding a guy like Jordan could still help. However, the signing of Kruger has elevated the relative need of a cornerback, and most mock drafts have the Cleveland Browns selecting Dee Milliner.
So it’s a no-brainer to hear that the Browns will be working out Milliner, because he represents the best selection for this team. They need somebody to put next to former coveted draft pick Joe Haden at CB, and Milliner is the best CB in a class that has some solid players at the position in Desmond Trufant, Xavier Rhodes, and Johnthan Banks.
They could also stand to add a cornerback later on in the draft and take a risk on the “Honey Badger”, but I think Tyrann Mathieu’s skill-set is limited to the slot. That’s not to say he is bad or anything, because slot corners are in high value these days- two cornerbacks no longer comprises a base set. Mathieu has the upside of a guy like Cortland Finnegan, and you have to think that the drug-related issues regarding Mathieu won’t be as much of a factor in the NFL. Or, at least, you would hope that isn’t the case.
Jordan is a prospect I have fallen in love with, and I remember the Ducks would even have him covering slot corners despite being a 4-3 DE at Oregon. However, Jordan is an ideal 3-4 OLB fit in the NFL, and that means he fits the Cleveland Browns scheme. Milliner is a better prospect than Jordan, so it’s more likely that we see the former Oregon standout get picked by the New York Jets later on in the top ten.
Cabot also notes that the Browns had a private workout with former UCLA Bruins star Datone Jones, and that Tyrann Mathieu is projected to be a third-round pick in this draft.
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