Ifo Ekpre-Olomu Could Be a Steal For Cleveland Browns

The old familiar adage teaches that patience is a virtue. The Cleveland Browns and also fans of the club will be asked to remember that regarding the young man who could prove to be the team’s top asset acquired in the 2015 National Football League Draft.

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Seventh-round NFL Draft picks are not all that different from scratch-off lottery tickets. They bring with them get-struck-by-lightning-in-the-middle-of-an-open-field odds of hitting on a player who one day gets inducted into the Hall of Fame. Teams sometimes get good or even great value for a pick that is, on its own, worth next to nothing in the grand scheme of football operations. Those selections more often than not become forgotten entities no different than a $1 lottery ticket that eventually lands inside of a garbage can.

Ifo Ekpre-Olomu was never supposed to be one of these players. The cornerback out of Oregon entered the 2014 college football regular season as a young man seemingly destined to have a life-changing year, and that is exactly what happened in multiple ways. Along with earning First-Team All-Pac 12 honors for a third straight year, Ekpre-Olomu was a consensus All-American for what his senior year. NFL fame and fortune were awaiting the top-rated cornerback on many overall draft boards during the holiday season.

Disaster then struck Ekpre-Olomu in December. He was preparing to feature for Oregon in the upcoming Rose Bowl when he was felled by a knee injury that was learned to be far more serious than first hoped. Not only had Ekpre-Olomu suffered a torn ACL during that unfortunate twist of fate, he had also dislocated his knee. Multiple operations were required to fix the issues, and Ekpre-Olomu found himself off of team draft boards by the time that the Browns took a flier on the cornerback in the seventh round of the 2015 selection process.

Ekpre-Olomu spoke with reporters, including Tony Grossi of ESPN Cleveland, at a youth clinic in late June. The progress report that the cornerback offered was not all that encouraging.

"“Right now I’m really just taking it day by day, working with the physical trainers and physical therapists,” he said. “(Physical therapist) Anthony (Trem), he’s been doing a great job just getting the strength back, and the mobility, in my leg. The running, they say, will come easily once that’s back so right now I’m really focusing on strengthening the quad and hamstring again. I’m not running full speed at all yet. I’m actually going back to California to meet with my doctor and from there he’ll take me to the next step.“If I can play, I want to play. So that’s going to be up to the head coach and GM. If not, then I’m going to prepare every day like I’m going to play.”"

In short: Oof.

Optimistic Browns fans hoping that Ekpre-Olomu would experience a miraculous recovery were hit with a harsh dose of reality on July 22 when the club, as realistic-minded individuals had expected would be the case, announced that the product of Oregon was placed on the active/non-football injury list. Not all is yet lost as it pertains to Ekpre-Olomu taking the field in 2015, as he could be activated by the Browns if he is able to pass a physical. Do not get your hopes up, though, as it is expected that Ekpre-Olomu will essentially be red-shirted for his debut NFL year.

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Even though he likely will not suit up for the Browns at any point until the spring of 2016, Ekpre-Olomu nevertheless still checks off just about every box on the list of requirements supposedly had for such prospects by Cleveland head coach and lifelong defensive mind Mike Pettine. Ekpre-Olomu is a playmaker who accumulated a total of 18 takeaways during his college career. He is a physical presence who plays beyond his size, traits needed for any AFC North defensive back. The 22-year-old has been praised for his willingness to help out in run support.

None of those attributes make for a knee that was what it was back on Thanksgiving Day 2014, nor do they add any size to a defensive back who would, if completely healthy, struggle to hang with certain wide receivers. Ekpre-Olomu checks in at 5-foot-9 at a time when teams such as the Browns covet cornerbacks 6-foot even or taller to mimic the “Legion of Boom” secondary had by the Seattle Seahawks. Scouting reports leading up to the NFL Draft also docked Ekpre-Olomu for his tendency to over-commit at times, something that gets CBs burned in the pro game.

Nothing good or bad about his play will matter a lick for the Browns if Ekpre-Olomu does not first get physically fit enough to play a down of NFL football, and thus that is the task at hand for player and for club. All indications out of Berea are that Ekpre-Olomu has not just accepted his lot in life for the rest of the year, but that he is fully prepared to take on every roadblock that could prevent him from wearing Cleveland brown and orange during the first preseason game of 2016.

It is also worth noting that Ekpre-Olomu also has plenty of mentors from whom to take advice inside of the Browns locker room. Joe Haden is one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL today. Tramon Williams has been around the block several times. Donte Whitner and Karlos Dansby are vocal leaders who will be tasked with helping along hoped-to-be future defensive stars for the Browns. There are worse situations to be in for a young man who has had his professional life put on hold for reasons that he could not control or avoid.

By grabbing Ekpre-Olomu this past spring, Browns general manager Ray Farmer, Pettine and the rest of the Cleveland brain trust offered a reminder that a NFL Draft class is not just about preparing for the foreseeable future. GMs and coaches have to be able to look two, three and four years down the road. Maybe the Browns will one day strike it rich on the Ekpre-Olomu pick. Maybe he will be viewed as the Tom Brady of defensive backs a decade from today. For now, his career and his stint with the Browns is all about patience.

Stick this lottery ticket back in your wallet until future notice.

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