Cleveland Browns 2018 NFL Draft Targets: Mike Gesicki

The Cleveland Browns need additional receiving threats and one of the best in the 2018 NFL Draft class is Mike Gesicki, but he shouldn’t play tight end.

Mike Gesicki arrived at Penn State as a wide receiver and ultimately grew into a tight end, but for what he does, his best fit appears to be as a wide receiver. This is certainly more palatable to the average onlooker noticing the Cleveland Browns just took David Njoku as a tight end last year in the first round and have a player like Seth DeValve, who had a pretty productive season in his own right.

Here’s how the 2018 NFL Draft prospect measures out.

Age, Measurables

Age: 22 years old (Born Oct. 3, 1995)

Height: 6-5.5
Weight: 254 lbs
40 Yard Dash: 4.54s
Broad Jump: 10’9″
Vertical: 41.5″
3-Cone: 6.76s
Shuttle: 4.1s
Bench: 22 reps

Gesicki is a genuine athletic phenom. Although older than Njoku by over a year, his testing results are decidedly better. That’s not to take anything away from Njoku, but serves to underline just how special Gesicki is athletically. Gesicki legitimately tests like a wide receiver, but is doing it at over 6-5 and over 250 pounds.

Production

109 receptions for 1,481 receiving yards (11.1 percent) and 16 touchdowns (14.8 percent) over four seasons.

Gesicki’s production is solid. Historically, because of the evolution of the position and careers of guys like Jimmy Graham or some of these other basketball to NFL career transfers, thresholds are harder to judge at this position. Gesicki probably wasn’t used enough in college, but he also became their main threat in the red zone.

Blocking

Gesicki doesn’t block well and really isn’t afraid to admit it, so it’s not worth asking him to block, at least in the role being an H-back or inline tight end. He’s not going to drive block defensive ends in this lifetime and even on his college tape, he basically just gets in the way of the opponent. So, let’s not pretend and put him in the slot or on the perimeter. If he has to block from there, it’s against a corner or linebacker and he can get in the way and at least seal them off without issue.

Receiving Ability

Gesicki is incredibly explosive off the line of scrimmage. When he gets a free release, he is almost at the second level of the defense almost immediately. This predominately happened when he was working in the slot or as a wing (H-Back outside the tackle). No one could realistically matchup with Gesicki one on one. He’s too big and too fast for linebackers and safeties. Gesicki’s speed is on par with a lot of corners.

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Gesicki runs routes like a receiver for the most part. He’s precise, able to make quick, clean cuts to create separation and was pretty unguardable when it comes to running out routes. His ability to transfer his weight and change directions is truly unique and special. The biggest issue with Gesicki is that he didn’t always use his body to get open and needs to do a better job fighting through trash. He’d rather run around guys than fight through them, which isn’t always a good option.

Some of this is probably due to the fact that Gesicki has great balance, so he can take on contact and recover quickly, able to maintain his path and keep the play alive. And because of his speed and athleticism, he can make opponents nervous. In the NFL, however, if he doesn’t do more to fight back, he may get viewed as a target, taking everyone’s best shots in an attempt to jam him at the line.

Gesicki’s ability to high point the ball is outstanding. He’s got incredible leaping ability, but he tracks the ball well and has a wide catching radius. The combination is a big body that is able to jump higher than anyone else and time it correctly to maximize his effectiveness in the air. He’s also able to catch passes in traffic and through contact.

Gesicki is also smooth in making the transition from pass catcher to run after the catch. For Penn State, this often came in the form of flat routes from the backfield. He also ran seams up the middle of the field and then would be used in make plays across the middle and then some out routes, hitches to try to move the chains.

Usage for the Browns

The Browns got their inline tight end to be in Njoku, who improved as a blocker over the course of the season. Gesicki can be utilized as an H-back, but realistically he should be a receiver. His game is similar to that of a Jimmy Graham. Put him in the slot or on the perimeter and he’s a problem and could look somewhat similar to Mike Evans. He should overpower smaller defenders and outrun bigger ones.

Be it on the perimeter or next to him, the combination of Gesicki and Josh Gordon on a side of the field is a problem. Add in Njoku, who is able to play inline or in the slot himself, the Browns have mismatches galore. With Duke Johnson, Jarvis Landry and Corey Coleman, the combinations are pretty much endless, but the end result is the same; the Browns have an incredibly difficult offense to match up against.

Gesicki is a former receiver who still shows the ability to stick his foot in the ground and make cuts like one. Better than a lot of big receivers in fact, which makes him an almost impossible player to single cover. He’s a terrible blocker for a tight end and that’s not what the Browns need anyway. What they need is a receiving playmaker and Gesicki absolutely fits the bill.

A move to a truer receiver should also help mitigate his issues with getting pushed around. He has no business being jammed by someone who weighs upwards of 40 fewer pounds than he does. It just enables Gesicki to do more of the things that make him stand out as being a special player.

Next: NFL Draft: Ideal fits for top 30 prospects

Draft projection as it relates to the Browns

Gesicki has the talent to go in the top 10 to 15 picks. He’s shown immense ability, has been productive in his college career and his athleticism is off the charts. Gesicki has a real chance to be the type of player that keeps defensive coordinators up at night. If for some reason NFL teams let Gesicki get to the second round, the Browns should be ready to pounce on him and might be inclined to move up for him. Realistically, he’s the best prospect coming out of Penn State this year because of how he projects going forward.