Cleveland Browns: Joe Schobert’s Development
By Peter Smith
Despite being picked in the fourth round, Joe Schobert may be able to make a significant impact in his rookie season for the Cleveland Browns, but where will he actually line up?
The Cleveland Browns used the first of their nine third day picks to select Joe Schobert from Wisconsin. Schobert was an extremely productive player in Madison, showed versatility and tested pretty well among the linebackers in this class athletically. He made it difficult for anyone to find a reason not to want him.
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Schobert’s usage at Wisconsin was as an edge rusher and strong side linebacker. His role evolved during his career from being an off ball linebacker to becoming a purer edge rusher. The skillset he’s developed gives the Browns a number of options in how to utilize him.
So far, the Browns seem to be saying they want him to stay as an edge rusher. They have hedged a little by suggesting he’d have a unique role in that position, but even so, that’s confusing.
Schobert lacks the length that teams would want in a pure edge rusher in addition to the fact that he’d likely be on the bottom of a loaded depth chart. Whether that depth chart proves to be good remains to be seen, but it’s currently quite full.
Paul Kruger, Barkevious Mingo, Nate Orchard, Emmanuel Ogbah, Armonty Bryant, Jackson Jeffcoat and Cam Johnson could all be competing for reps there.
Meanwhile, Schobert possesses traits that would make a ton of sense for him to move inside. His ability as an edge rusher means he’s accustomed to taking on blocks. He’s more than accustomed to chasing down ball carriers, he’s terrific timing up the blitz and has shown some ability to help in coverage.
If the Browns have sort of a combo role in mind for Schobert, that would make far more sense than just putting him on the outside. Ideally, they would just fully move him inside and occasionally give him some reps where they just want to send him as a blitz option off the edge.
Regardless of where Schobert plays, the one area he has to improve is his tackling. For all the plays Schobert makes, including dominant performances against Alabama and Iowa where he was as good as anyone on the field, he still leaves too many plays on the field. Whether it diving or bad tackling form, Schobert had a ton of opportunities he was unable to capitalize on in college.
The one area where it’s clear the Browns want Schobert to make an early impact is special teams. The happiest man in the building when the Browns selected Schobert was Special Teams Coach, Chris Tabor. And given what Schobert has done in his career on special teams combined with his athleticism, it’s not difficult to see why.
Even at the Senior Bowl, Schobert was able to pick up a blocked kick and take it all the way for a touchdown. Schobert’s size and athleticism are exactly what special teams coaches love to have for their coverage units. Fast enough to cover ground and tough enough to fight through a block and make a tackle. Schobert is likely to be featured on every special teams unit except field goal and could be a player that fans come to know through his play there.
It’s far less clear how much Schobert will see the field on defense early, but it would not be a surprise for him to start finding ways to earn playing time and make an impact. He’s always been a player that has a knack for making plays.
Assuming he’s healthy in the preseason, Schobert stands to receive a ton of reps and could give a preview of what he will be able to bring in the near future. Along with fellow rookies Dominique Alexander and Scooby Wright, all competing for roster spots, they will have a chance to show how healthy the Browns are in terms of linebacker depth.
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Schobert is going to be integral to the special teams units this year, picking up the slack left by the departed Craig Robertson. If Schobert is utilized as an inside linebacker, he could have a chance to earn playing time as the season rolls along. If he stays outside, Schobert could have a specialized role where he excels but might have trouble finding a lot of opportunities to play. Of the picks made on the third day of the draft, their first has a good chance of being their best.