Cleveland Browns: 7-Round 2019 mock draft, Vol. 2
By Peter Smith
Round 4: Te’von Coney, LB, Notre Dame – 6-1, 240 lbs. (Listed)
- 115 solo tackles (11 percent), 21.5 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, 4 pass deflections, 1 interception, 1 forced fumble in 2017 and 2018.
Te’von Coney is an incredibly physical linebacker. Lined up inside or outside, he’s going to end up at the football whether he’s tracking it across the field or going through blockers to get there. Coney has been the leading tackler for the Fighting Irish the past couple seasons and is a really impressive run stopper with some versatility.
The big question for Coney will be raw speed and athleticism, but he’s a momentum player that flows hard wreaking havoc along the way. He’s can jolt opponents as he stacks and sheds opposing linemen and offers power as a tackler, rarely giving up ground.
It’s often the same when he’s asked to blitz where he can fill a gap and take on an offensive linemen and gives them a lot of trouble with his power and hand usage. Unlike some linebackers who blitz and just get stood up when they get blocked, Coney can potentially knock them off their spot and help collapse the pocket.
Coney shows good read and react ability, intelligence and takes good angles which helps him play faster than he might time. In pass coverage, he’s good dropping into zone coverage and has a good sense reading where the play is going. His hips will be worth keeping an eye on during the draft process as he can occasionally flip well, but it’s inconsistent. Coney plays his best football when he can pick a direction and run.
Man coverage, Coney has a good sense on how to play it, but he will sometimes look like he’s simply a step slow. Again, when he reads the play well and can simply flow in a direction, he looks pretty good and can make plays on the ball.
Much will depend on how the Browns will play their defensive line, but if they like having them get up field and penetrate, that can allow opposing linemen to get through and block linebackers, opening up runs that can gash them. Coney’s ability to take on and shed blocks, which he does at a remarkably high level would give them more ability to contain the run.
With Joe Schobert at MIKE, Coney could find himself in the mix at SAM and either in the box or up on the line of scrimmage over a tight end. With his punch, he can jolt and reroute a tight end pretty easily as well as set the edge and press the line of scrimmage against the run.
A huge reason Notre Dame’s defense has been so good in recent years, Coney has been nothing short of dominant. He is an imposing player that can take the will of his opponents while firing up his teammates. The Browns add to their linebacker corp while getting another player with leadership qualities at the second level of the defense.