Cleveland Browns: 15 Senior Bowl targets in 2018 NFL Draft

The Reese’s Senior Bowl showcased a number of players that should be of interest to the Cleveland Browns in the 2018 NFL Draft — here are 15 of them.

It’s a shame that Hue Jackson was too busy watching the Reese’s Senior Bowl all week from the stands to coach it this year, because there were a ton of players that he could’ve coached that the Cleveland Browns should take a long look at in the upcoming draft. Despite the significant number of players that ultimately dropped out for various reasons, 30 in all, there wasn’t a shortage of players that could help the Browns both in 2018 and in the future.

The Browns selected three players from last year’s Senior Bowl, including drafting Larry Ogunjobi and Matthew Dayes, then later claiming Zach Banner off of waivers. With new general manager John Dorsey iin attendance all week with man from his scouting staff, it will be interesting to see if they grab anyone from this year’s event.

Here are 15 players that stand out as good players that fit what Browns are looking for with their current roster. There are certainly more than 15 players that could make sense for the Browns, but there had to be a cut off somewhere.

Baker Mayfield, QB, Oklahoma

Height: 6′ 3/8″
Weight: 216 pounds
Arm: 30 1/2″
Wingspan: 73 3/8″
Hand: 9 1/2″

Mayfield came in and did nothing but confirm what he’s been showing on tape for 48 games. When a defense was on the field, he immediately started picking them apart, anticipating openings and putting his receivers in positions to succeed.

He put in a ton of work under center, taking extra time with his centers to try to get comfortable. It improved over the course of the week and doesn’t look it’s anything that will be a problem for him, which is one of the things that teams wanted to see. He showed some small issues rolling to his life in terms of getting his body right, balanced and throwing the ball accurately. Nothing that isn’t fixable but it’s just something that showed up and isn’t something he was asked to do much in Norman.

How Mayfield did as a person seems to depend on who is asked. Some people feel he went above and beyond while others suggested he wasn’t great to everyone. All of this occurred with his mom in the hospital when he could have pulled out of the week and no one would have blinked. Mayfield wanted to go, had specific goals in mind, and wanted to keep his word. It was a successful week for him and he’s done nothing (at least that’s public) to show he shouldn’t be in the conversation for the top overall pick.

Harrison Phillips, DT, Stanford

Height: 6′3 3/8″
Weight: 303 pounds
Arm: 33 3/4″
Wingspan: 73 1/4″
Hand: 10 1/2″

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Phillips was an underrated player going into the Senior Bowl and his performance both in practices and the game did nothing but confirm how good he is. He possesses obvious strength, does a great job of finding the ball and making plays and has tremendous production.

Phillips is also a double major at Stanford and graduated in four years. Being that type of achiever on the field and off of it is impressive. If that sounds familiar, it should. That’s remarkably similar to Larry Ogunjobi at Charlotte,.

The questions teams seemed to have for Phillips was his ability to pass rush, despite his production in that capacity. Granted, the offensive linemen were unfinished products for the most part, so Phillips had a bit of an advantage, but he dominated as he should. He showcased his strength and hand use enabling him to get opponents off balance before finishing them with power or quickness.

Phillips is a traditional even front nose guard, but he can certainly play the 3-tech as well. If the NFL sleeps on him and he falls into the laps of the Browns, they could find themselves with having one of the more formidable interior defensive line pairings between he and Ogunjobi. And in that event, the Browns could move on from Danny Shelton after his rookie deal is up.

Michael Gallup, WR, Colorado State

Height: 6′ 7/8″
Weight: 198 pounds
Arm: 30 7/8″
Wingspan: 74 5/8″
Hand: 9 1/8″

Largely because he played at Colorado State and doesn’t possess any physical traits that pop on tape, it became pretty easy to acknowledge that Michael Gallup was a really talented receiver, but he could still get lost in what is an incredibly dense field. In Mobile, Gallup made sure to show that he’s as good as any receiver in this class.

His speed and explosion jumped out as he dominated throughout the week. At times, he made creating separation look so easy, creating passing lanes for his quarterbacks, becoming a favorite target for North team quarterbacks all week.

His tape shows a player that is effective at making catches in traffic, but the Senior Bowl practices really let him show off his ability making the transition from pass catcher to run after the catch. And in the event the Browns take Mayfield or someone like Josh Rosen, getting those guys who can make a catch in stride and maximize the yards after the catch will be valuable.

Gallup is putting together a resume of perhaps the top senior receiver in the draft and could end up being in the top handful of receivers overall. For the Browns, having three second round picks and that third round pick that almost acts like a fourth, Gallup could be a fantastic pick to add to their receiving corp.

James Washington, WR, Oklahoma State

Height: 5’10 7/8″
Weight: 210 pounds
Arm: 33 7/8″
Wingspan: 77 3/4″
Hand: 9 5/8″

For whatever reason, people were somewhat down on Washington coming into the Senior Bowl. Tabbed as being just a deep threat, built like a running back (as if that was a bad thing), and some wondering if he was even the best receiver from his school, Washington put on a show all week.

It certainly helped that at points, Washington was going against a defensive back that was 34 pounds lighter than he was (Levi Wallace came in at 176), but Washington was physically dominant all week. He was simply too strong for many opponents to cover him and was somewhat of a bully.

The other important aspect for Washington was showing that he’s far more than a deep threat. He made plays at all levels of the field, showed he could operate in traffic and be a threat for yards afrer the catch, which he did routinely for the Cowboys.

Washington is a receiver that can play on the perimeter and test opponents deep, but certainly has the physical skill set that could be useful in the slot and make plays in the middle of the field. His physical strength is a huge asset and could fit in nicely with what the Browns already have with their receivers.

Brian O’Neill, OT, Pittsburgh

Height: 6’6 1/2″
Weight: 298 pounds
Arm: 34 1/8″
Wingspan: 79 1/4″
Hand: 9 3/8″

O’Neill is a former tight end turned tackle. He’s still growing into it and needs to continue adding strength, but he has a real good chance of being the first offensive tackle taken from the Senior Bowl in the 2018 draft.

O’Neill has outstanding feet and speed for the position and there’s no question that he can get out in pass protection. He’s also displayed great flexibility for the position, able to make use of his leg power as a run blocker.

O’Neill had some huge struggles at the Senior Bowl. Some of this may have been due to the fact he played a lot of right tackle despite playing left tackle this season, though he does have experience at right tackle from two seasons ago. Most of his problems in pass protection came when he narrowed his base. Too often, he’d get himself in a position to get beat and not take advantage of what will allow him to be successful; agility and length.

O’Neill needs a year to keep adding strength and just continue to improve his game, but he should test incredibly well and will be an attractive prospect. There’s a lot of work to do but the upside is tremendous.

Armani Watts, S, Texas A&M

Height: 5’10 1/2″
Weight: 191 pounds
Arm: 31 5/8″
Wingspan: 71 7/8″
Hand: 8 7/8″

It was a little bit shocking that Watts came in so light. Maybe he’s one of the players that’s coming off of the flu, but it’s something to keep an eye on when he tests athletically. Certainly, it’s no deal breaker but 200 pounds would be preferable, especially when he was listed at 205. To his credit, he certainly played bigger on tape.

Watts participating in the Senior Bowl is notable simply because he’s started all four years and played 48 games for the Aggies. He wanted to show NFL teams he was more versatile than they might have thought.

Watts has a tremendous production profile, similar to what Xavier Woods did last year, but in the SEC as opposed to Conference USA, each having four strong seasons. Stylistically, he fits what Gregg Williams seems to love in that he can play the deep middle and make plays on the football, but he’s able to come and make plays as a tackler on the other side of the line of scrimmage. And like Myles Garrett, he’s got fantastic character.

Rashaad Penny, RB, San Diego State

Height: 5’11″
Weight: 224 pounds
Arm: 31 1/2″
Wingspan: 75 3/8″
Hand: 9 1/8″

Penny didn’t have a great week at the Senior Bowl. So much of the running back week is just blocking and catching passes. Penny is a good pass catcher, but he has no idea what he’s doing in pass protection at this point. That was clear on tape and the week of practices only further demonstrated this fact.

And his offensive line wasn’t great during the week in terms of run blocking, so he didn’t really get to show off just how talented he is there. Thankfully, they still actually play the game, which allowed Penny to showcase what makes him an attractive prospect. When it was full go in a game situation, Penny dominated, racking up 139 yards on ten touches.

Blocking is the problem with Penny and someone’s gonna have to teach him how to block him to have him be a true full service back. If he does nothing but carry the ball or run routes, he can still have a productive career and be a weapon, but the blocking will be an issue for teams.

Penny will likely find himself picked somewhere on day two of the draft and for people who love Saquon Barkley, Penny does a lot of the same things well, has the same weaknesses. The price conscious shopper that likes what Barkley brings to the table can get Penny a round, maybe even two later and since the Browns have so many picks, this is a far more prudent course of action.

Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, EDGE, Oklahoma

Height: 6’1 3/8″
Weight: 243 pounds
Arm: 34 1/2″
Wingspan: 79 1/4″
Hand: 9 1/4″

This was the perfect event for Okoronkwo. So much of the week is based around pass rushing, which is what he does. The Nigerian pass rusher was extremely impressive at the weigh-in and carried that over all week in the practices. Most of the questions he’s facing weren’t really brought up this week.

Okoronkwo is a fantastic speed rusher and his long arms and short stature help him in getting to the quarterback. He also flashed some power in attacking the quarterback. Okoronkwo doesn’t offer much as a run defender and his pad level can be an issue, which has short circuited him as a pass rusher at times on tape.

It would be nice for the Browns to get a true speed rusher to bring in as a packaged rusher when Myles Garrett kicks inside to the 3-tech, which Okoronkwo can definitely do. The issue for him is that if he’s in on running plays, he has to be a linebacker. Basically, he’s got to be in a role like Von Miller when he entered the league, laying SAM on run downs, then coming up as a declared pass rusher. He’d obviously be a huge changeup from guys like Garrett or Emmanuel Ogbah.

Andrew Brown, DL, Virginia

Height: 6’3 1/2″
Weight: 294 pounds
Arm: 35 1/8″
Wingspan: 82 3/8″
Hand: 9 1/8″

Coming into the week, Brown looked to be a really productive player but maybe a tweener. At the Senior Bowl, Brown made the statement he’s a 3-tech defensive tackle that can do everything. Virginia’s defensive scheme asked him to be a 2-gap player quite a bit as well as playing the 5-tech at times and even playing on his feet.

Especially in pass rush drills, Brown showed what he can do when he’s allowed to go full bore after the quarterback. A tremendous first step, power and quickness. He also continued to demonstrate that he’s a capable run defender.

It’s unclear if the NFL sees it the same way, but in a defensive tackle class with so many players with question marks, Brown really appears to be able to do everything. And for the Browns, who have a talented defensive line, but still be in search for their true 3-tech, could love what this Cavalier has to offer. The unit already sets up a newcomer to have a lot of success and Brown could really blossom there and take over the starting spot sooner than later.

D.J. Chark, WR, LSU

Height: 6’2 5/8″
Weight: 196 pounds
Arm: 33″
Wingspan: 78 7/8″
Hand: 9 1/4″

Chark is just the latest receiver to come out of LSU that had outstanding production, but was somewhat held back by quarterback play and an offense that had an incredible ground game. Nevertheless, Chark has showcased big play ability with how well he tracks the ball and his ability to high point.

In the week at Mobile, Chark basically looked like the star many Bayou Bengal fans believed he could be. He showed how he can go deep and make plays from that perspective, but he also made plays in traffic and showed an ability to weave through defenders with speed, able to go the distance.

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Chark is a pure perimeter receiver and hopefully he can add some more weight as he develops, but he’s what people think of in terms of a receiver. Tall, lean, really athletic and good hands. Because of the sheer number of receivers in this draft, Chark could be a player that might be available in a position to be an absolute steal and give the the Browns a big play threat.

Alex Cappa, OT, Humboldt State

Height: 6’5 5/8″
Weight: 299 pounds
Arm: 33 1/8″
Wingspan: 77 3/4″
Hand: 9 1/8″

Cappa is incredibly raw and that was clear based on his tape. The Senior Bowl allowed him to show he could compete with better competition while getting to see the technique he’s learning at OLine Performance with LeCharles Bentley. That had its own share of adjustments, successes and failures.

While he’s not a finished product, he’s got the movement skills and length to be an offensive tackle in the NFL. On top of that, he is a nasty blocker and finisher. A nice guy to speak with off the field, between the whistles he’s looking to physically dominate opponents, put them on the ground and keep them there.

Marcus Davenport, a likely first round pick, faced off against Cappa in team drills. When Cappa down blocked, Davenport ended the play picking himself up on the ground on the other side of the defensive line. Combined with some other things, that had people talking about Cappa as a guard.

Yes, Cappa could play guard and be successful at it and that adds to his value. However, he has the ability to be a really nice tackle while still possessing that mean streak and power at the offensive tackle position, which is obviously far better.

This could specifically be attractive to the Browns. Shon Coleman is a mean cuss that has that same kind of mentality as a run blocker. If they believe in Cappa and where he’s headed, the Browns could end up with an incredibly physical, run blocking offensive line in 2019.

Brandon Parker, OT, North Carolina A&T

Height: 6’7 1/4″
Weight: 303 pounds
Arm: 35 3/8″
Wingspan: 85 1/4″
Hand: 9 5/8″

Brandon Parker is simply enormous. He is the prototype. From his height to people who subscribe to arm length and wingspan, he’s got it all. Parker looks like a basketball player in terms of his build, but he’s got the strength as well and room to continue adding strength.

Parker appears to have the movement skills necessary to be a good tackle in the NFL. Flexibility is something that is an issue and he needs to continue working to address, particularly with his ankles. And while his tape is good against the competition he faced, he is the first one to acknowledge he’s still got to keep getting better and has more to get out of himself.

Parker, like so many of these talented tackle prospects isn’t a finished product, but has tremendous talent. With further development and once he adjusts to the speed in the NFL, he appears to have the potential to be a franchise left tackle.

Tyquan Lewis, DE, Ohio State

Height: 6’2 3/4″
Weight: 276 pounds
Arm: 33 5/8″
Wingspan: 79 3/4″
Hand: 10 3/8″

Tyquan Lewis has become somewhat of an underrated prospect. Nick Bosa isn’t in the draft, but he captures so much attention because of his dominance. Sam Hubbard is likely to be the first Buckeye edge player off the board and Jalyn Holmes is a bit of unknown and people want to know more about him. Lewis just quietly is a consistent contributor who puts up numbers and doesn’t get much attention.

And Lewis came in heavier than expected, looking fantastic at 276 pounds. He’s quick, has power and those long arms make him a pain for blockers. Lewis came out early in the week and dominated early in pass rush drills.

Lewis has an NFL body, has good production and if teams end up sleeping on Lewis, he could be a tremendous addition to the defensive end rotation the Browns are building, helping to ramp up their pass rush while maintaining the ability to stop the run.

Darius Leonard, LB, South Carolina State

Height: 6’2″
Weight: 229 pounds
Arm: 34 1/8″
Wingspan: 82″
Hand: 10 3/8″

Leonard was looked at by Clemson and South Carolina out of high school but ended up at South Carolina State due his lack of weight. Five years and two league defensive player of the year awards, the HBCU superstar had his opportunity to show Dabo Swinney among others what they could have had.

After a somewhat difficult first practice, Leonard got comfortable and really showed his ability. In coverage, his athleticism was apparent and he really did a great job against running backs in drills. He also showed range and the ability to play the run in team drills. In the game, he led everyone in total tackles with 14 while notching five solo tackles.

Leonard is a terrific athlete with upside as a linebacker at the next level. He’s shown he can play in coverage and for a team like the Browns, he could be invaluable depth behind Chris Kirksey as well as giving them a nice player for their special teams.

Jeremy Reaves, FS, South Alabama

Height: 5’10″
Weight: 204 pounds
Arm: 30 3/8″
Wingspan: 71 1/2″
Hand: 7 3/4″

Reaves got some press for the fact that he had such small hands. While that may be true, Reaves has also been incredibly productive for the Jaguars, both at corner and then this year as a free safety and did nothing to show he can’t hang with the level of competition present at the Senior Bowl.

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As a free safety, Reaves led the defense in solo tackles, tackles for loss, interceptions and forced fumbles. In his two years as a corner, he led his defense in solo tackles and pass deflections. Reaves is a player that just forces turnovers, intercepting eight passes and forcing eight fumbles over the past three seasons.

If the Browns decide they are happy with Jabrill Peppers at free safety for the time being, Reaves would offer depth to compete with Kai Nacua as well as potentially offer some versatility as corner depth.