Cleveland Browns: What if they draft Bradley Chubb?

Despite the fact that the Cleveland Browns have a strong duo at defensive end, they could pick N.C. State’s Bradley Chubb in the 2018 NFL Draft.

With the Cleveland Browns having both the first and fourth picks of the 2018 NFL Draft, they can grab the top quarterback in the draft and potentially the top position player in the draft. The two best candidates for the latter this year are Alabama’s Minkah Fitzpatrick and Bradley Chubb, the impact pass rusher from N.C. State. The Browns can’t go wrong with either, but understanding how Chubb would fit in might be a little more difficult.

Chubb, listed 6-4 and 276 pounds, would fit right in with a defensive line that features Myles Garrett and Emmanuel Ogbah, who are both right around the same size. He’s going to have another opportunity to impress at the scouting combine at the end of this month, but his production in college is elite. It basically just comes down to get him comfortable with the speed of the NFL and then fitting him in to what they want to do.

Myles Garrett is a star already. He’s 22 years old and is already the best player on the entire team. He has the potential to be a 20-sack season player in addition to being an impact run defender. His base position is right defensive end, but the Browns often put him on the inside at the 3-tech defensive tackle in pass rushing situations, opening up the opportunity to have someone else come in at the right end spot.

Emmanuel Ogbah is the team’s left end and already a dominant run defender who, on a team that needs talent, is somehow underrated. He dominates the line of scrimmage, takes away half the field in the running game and in addition to a growing threat on his own off the edge as a pass rusher, he creates opportunities for teammates because he always takes away options from the quarterback.

Chubb wouldn’t just be a situational pass rusher that comes when Garrett moves to the interior. No defensive lineman plays the entire game, so they’d be constantly rotating Chubb in on both sides to always have two incredibly dynamic players on the edge on the field. It’s very helpful that Chubb has plenty of experience attacking from both the left and right side to be able to come and do this effectively.

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It’s still easier said than done. The defensive line coach has to be on top of his game and able to get these guys in and out efficiently, are able to get in a flow, get enough reps to be worth it and not be left out there to be gassed, losing effectiveness. He and the defensive coordinator also have to be in constant communication to ensure they are making calls with the right personnel on the field. It’s a truly terrifying situation for the Browns to have a team in third-and-long with Ogbah on the left side and Garrett and Chubb on the right, potentially isolated on the left guard and tackle, but there are a couple stumbling blocks.

First, for whatever reason, last year, the Browns had games where the defensive line had wholesale changes during the game like something out of a hockey game. So whether they were trying to get the penalty kill or power play on the ice, the Browns found themselves in spots with a group of second teamers in there that would then get gouged all the way down the field. This should never happen under any circumstance but adding Chubb to the mix would require even more skill and care.

The other major problem is there is a natural counter to this idea: the no huddle. In an NFL where tempo is taking more of a high school and college feel where teams with fewer huddles, getting to the line of scrimmage faster to call a play based on personnel. The offense can control whether the defense is allowed to sub. So if the Pittsburgh Steelers have a lineup they like, they can simply stop subbing and keep the current defensive line on the field for the length of the drive. There are some slight disadvantages for the offense in this circumstance as well, but it’s a way for them to effectively nullify this massive Browns advantage.

CLEVELAND, OH – OCTOBER 08: Myles Garrett #95 of the Cleveland Browns reacts to a play against the New York Jets in the first quarter at FirstEnergy Stadium on October 8, 2017 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

On some level, the Browns having such a dominant advantage at defensive end that it could force teams to do this is flattering, but nevertheless, it completely nullifies the strategy. And it would be incredibly frustrating to see a player like Chubb or Garrett be stuck on the sidelines watching for entire drives as the offense can move the ball down the field. Meanwhile, Fitzpatrick will never come off the field, which gives him a slight advantage, even if a defensive back isn’t quite as valuable as an edge rusher.

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There’s no question there are some potential pitfalls and difficulties with Chubb, but the payoff could still be enormous. The Browns would have three pass rushers with double digit sack potential. Beyond simply getting sacks, it’s about taking any possibility of comfort from opposing quarterbacks away. Never allowing them to get in a rhythm, constantly getting them off their spot, conscious of where the pass rush might be coming from, increasingly the likelihood of costly mistakes.

From incomplete passes to interceptions and just the physical toll a beating from players that big, strong and fast might be able to lay upon an opposing passer. Defensive line coach Clyde Simmons can relate to this from his time in the NFL as a member of the Philadelphia Eagles. On a defensive front with Reggie White and Jerome Brown that lasted from 1987 to 1991, they didn’t just pressure quarterbacks; they knocked them out of the game (Mike Golic was also there).

In that five-year period, those three combined for a ridiculous 158.5 sacks. It culminated in 1991 when the group totaled 37 sacks with Brown chipping in nine, Simmons getting 13 and White with 15. Unfortunately, Jerome Brown died that offseason in a car wreck that also took the life of his nephew near his home in Brooksville, FL. Reggie White would leave for Green Bay in free agency a season later. It’s a little unfair to compare these groups simply because Brown was a true defensive tackle and this would be a trio of edge rushers being utilized on the defensive front, but it’s not difficult to see the potential impact.

Next: 2018 NFL Mock Draft: Full two-round projection

NFL teams can’t have too many pass rushers, so it would be easy to see how a team like the Cleveland Browns could talk themselves into Bradley Chubb with that fourth pick. Clyde Simmons may be remembering some of his glory days in thinking about the potential of adding Chubb to the mix. It’s a tempting option for the Browns and undoubtedly will be part of the conversation in Berea leading up to the NFL Draft. The Browns need to add their franchise quarterback with the top pick and as long as they do that and then take either Chubb or Fitzpatrick with that fourth pick, the John Dorsey era will be off to a promising start.

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