Cleveland Browns: 7-Round 2019 mock draft, Vol. 2
By Peter Smith
Round 3: Lil’Jordan Humphrey, WR, Texas – 6-4, 225lbs (Listed)
- 79 receptions for 1,109 yards (32.2 percent) and 9 touchdowns (32.1 percent) in 2018.
Every year, the assumption is that wide receivers will go higher than they do and the sheer number of them force guys to slip, creating massive opportunities for patient teams. Physically, L.J. Humphrey can sometimes be reminiscent of Julio Jones in terms of his strength and speed, but he’s still raw as a receiver. The Browns have the ability to wait on that growth while still finding ways to allow Humphrey to thrive in the offense.
The Browns need a true X receiver and Humphrey more than fits the bill. It will be interesting to see what Humphrey measures in at because he’s a big receiver but looks like he’s got room to continue filling out his body.
This year has been Humphrey’s breakout season and that’s often come in the form of going up and making big catches or his ability after the catch, where he just overpowers opposing defensive backs with his power. That’s promising in terms of his potential, but it’s not entirely clear how many corners he faced in college that are remotely like those in the NFL.
Nevertheless, his ability to make plays and concentrate on the football in traffic is worthwhile. He needs to learn how to run routes, clean up some drops and just continue growing as a player, so he might be more of a longterm play, but as it happens, the Browns took another player like that in Antonio Callaway, and with hard work and a quarterback like Baker Mayfield, it has accelerated his development. The hope is that can occur with Humphrey.
One of the focuses the Browns should have when it comes to receivers is ability after the catch given Mayfield’s accuracy and timing. Humphrey appears to be a good fit and again, not unlike Callaway, his strength after the catch is attractive.
For a team that doesn’t need to make a huge investment at receiver to get a big impact, a player like Humphrey could represent a great match of investment and potential payoff. It gives them an option at the X and gives Mayfield another weapon to attack opponents and try to create mismatches.