Cleveland Browns using analytics to improve offensive line?

The Cleveland Browns might have acquired the Rosetta Stone for evaluating offensive linemen. The hope is they use it.

The Cleveland Browns have a good offensive line, although it’s entering a period of transition. Joe Thomas is maybe going to play for another year and Shon Coleman is talented, but inconsistent. And while Thomas can walk out of Berea, take the trip down I-77 to Canton, the Browns will have to find his replacement. They may have the formula to figure out how to do it.

As some may remember, I killed the selection of Rod Johnson in the fifth round last year. I still don’t think he can play dead. Spencer Drango was a fifth round pick the previous year I crushed and he played valiantly this past season as a replacement for Thomas and forced me to eat it, giving him his rightful credit, which I’m happy to do.

I wrote up a list of players from last year I thought the Browns would potentially target in the draft. And Johnson was not on that list. Following the draft and after the draft, seeing where various undrafted free agents I liked ended up, I noticed the Green Bay Packers added a couple undrafted free agent offensive linemen: Geoff Gray, the unicycling guard out of Manitoba and Christian Schneider, a tackle out of UC-Davis.

On one hand, it was annoying because it felt like a missed opportunity for the Browns. I also couldn’t help but admire the Packers who have routinely been good at finding talented offensive linemen and without spending premium assets to obtain them.

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David Bakhtiari is an absolute stud and they got him in the fourth round. Corey Linsley was a fifth round pick. The Browns obviously signed J.C. Tretter from the Packers in free agency, who was a fourth round pick. All of these players have fantastic athletic traits for offensive linemen. The only premium pick used on the starting offensive line was Bryan Bulaga, the team’s right tackle.

In addition, the Packers have managed to survive as a team despite suffering a lot of injuries up front on the offensive line. They’ve been put in bad situations with guys they didn’t want on the field at times and gotten through it. That’s certainly a credit to coaching but is further evidence of their ability to properly evaluate the position.

After hiring John Dorsey to be the team’s general manager, Dorsey hired a pair of executives from the Packers. First, Alonzo Highsmith as VP of Football Operations and then Eliot Wolf as Assistant GM. Additionally, the Browns signed the previously mentioned Gray and Schneider; Gray in the middle of December (before the hires Packer hires) and then Schneider at the end of January.

To his credit, Dorsey’s Kansas City Chiefs teams have done pretty well in evaluating offensive linemen in their own right. Dorsey selected Eric Fisher atop a weak draft class in 2013 and signed Mitchell Schwartz from the Browns as a free agent. The rest of their line and their depth is loaded with players that have desirable athletic traits. So in terms of offensive linemen, the Browns have added personnel that have had a lot of success and not felt compelled to spend huge draft assets to get them.

More than a few people tried to kick dirt on analytics in Cleveland when Sashi Brown was fired, but here we are again, using data to help with evaluating prospects, even with old school football guys. So what do the numbers say?

Christian Scheider, tackle

Age: 22 (now)

Height: 6-5.5
Weight: 301 lbs
40 Yard Dash: 5.12s
Broad Jump: 8’6″
Vertical: 26.5″
3-Cone: 7.48s
Shuttle: 4.65s
Bench: 25 reps

Geoff Gray, guard

Age: 23 (now)

Height: 6-5.375
Weight: 319 lbs
40 Yard Dash: 5.28s (Pro Day)
Broad Jump: 9’6″
Vertical: 31″
3-Cone: 7.83s
Shuttle: 4.78s
Bench: 25 reps

Rod Johnson, tackle

Age: 21 (now)

Height: 6-6.625
Weight: 298 lbs
40 Yard Dash: 4.9s
Broad Jump: 8’7″
Vertical: 29.5″
3-Cone: 7.92s
Shuttle: 4.94s
Bench: 21 reps

Zach Banner, tackle

Age: 24 (now)

Height: 6-8.5
Weight: 353 lbs
40 Yard Dash: 5.58s
Broad Jump: 7’8″
Vertical: 23.5″
3-Cone: 8.31s
Shuttle: 5.21s
Bench: 22 reps

Rod Johnson is explosive moving forward as illustrated by his 40-yard dash and jumps. Everything else is troubling. He isn’t flexible and struggles when it comes to short area quickness. His lateral agility is really problematic. The tape confirms what the numbers show.

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Now to compare, Schneider isn’t as explosive as Johnson is, but check out their flexibility and movement skills. The 3-cone isolates hip movements while the shuttle specifically deals with ankle flexibility. Schneider has the movement skills to play out on the edge. And Gray, who is a guard, has better movement skills and is just as explosive than Johnson who can only play tackle. Banner has the movement skills of a beached whale.

None of this guarantees anything when it comes to either Gray or Schneider, but it does suggest that in a game filled with elite athletes, they have a better chance to make it than Johnson and Banner. There’s a fundamental question that has to be asked an offensive tackle when it comes to the NFL — an they block the elite edge rushers in the NFL like Von Miller? Schneider at least has the physical tools to have a shot.

So first, Johnson and Banner should be nervous. Dorsey didn’t pick them, doesn’t owe them anything. They’ve got competition that can beat them out in training camp. Second, the Browns should be in the market for an offensive tackle in the 2018 NFL Draft, but if they continue to believe in their ability to find talent on the offensive line, they may not prioritize it as much as some people think.

It’s not a great offensive tackle class at the top, but there are players that are likely to go in the middle rounds that might have franchise tackle tools like Schneider does. Smaller schools aren’t likely to worry them either. This could point to guys like Brandon Parker out of North Carolina A&T and Alex Cappa out of Humboldt State, assuming they test well.

As for Gray, he’s got his work cut out for him competing for a spot on the roster. Nevertheless, that should mean the end of Marcus Martin, who never did anything in a Browns uniform, was rarely even active. Along with Banner, Martin’s biggest accomplishment was going to USC, which is more than enough to catch Hue Jackson’s eye.

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Much like Sashi Brown’s tenure, it appears Dorsey and his front office are active working the fringes to find opportunities to improve the roster that don’t cost anything but a roster spot. And if they do nothing else but find ways to bring in talented offensive linemen, it’s incredibly valuable. There aren’t enough offensive linemen to go around in the NFL, so being smart and understanding how to evaluate them would give the Browns a huge advantage.

At this point, I’d bet on at least Schneider making the 2018 roster and Gray may as well. Regardless, the upcoming NFL scouting combine and workouts at collegiate pro days matter for the Cleveland Browns. That’s one part of the process. The tape is obviously the other part and the Browns scouting department needs to combine offensive linemen that fulfill both. The Browns have the answers. Hopefully, they are smart enough to realize it, so that the transition from Joe Thomas whenever he decides to retire, will be an effective one.