Cleveland Browns: 10 Players to watch at Senior Bowl

The Senior Bowl is always rich with talent and here are 10 players to watch for the Cleveland Browns.

The Reese’s Senior Bowl is always a great opportunity for teams like the Cleveland Browns to identify players they feel can help their team. This year’s field has a ton of players that specifically fit positions the Browns and their front office should be targeting.

Coaching changes may impact how they are going to operate, but certain things don’t change and all of these players have had elite production in their collegiate careers.

The Browns have drafted players that participated in the Senior Bowl, including, but not limited to Baker Mayfield, Joel Bitonio, Austin Corbett, Larry Ogunjobi and Joe Schobert. It’s difficult to imagine they won’t get at least one more this year if not a couple, so there’s plenty to watch this week.

1. Zach Allen, DE Boston College

47 solo tackles (9.7 percent), 15.5 tackles for loss (20.3 percent), 6 sacks (23 percent) in 2017

Allen is a traditional base end in the mold of a player like J.J. Watt or Cameron Jordan. Big, strong against the run who can put pressure on the quarterback. One of the things that will be interesting with Allen is to see where he decides to go in terms of his body. Whether he decides to cut weight in an effort to make himself more athletic for testing or if he goes even bigger or just stays where he is. He offers a ton of positional versatility in that he can play inside or outside and will likely play both for the team that gets him. Allen should show out in Mobile and if he tests well, he should solidify himself as a first round pick and a real possibility at 17th pick.

2. Andy Isabella, WR Massachussetts

102 receptions for 1,698 yards (47.4 percent) and 13 touchdowns in 2018

Two hours west of in Amherst, Isabella has been as dominant as any receiver in college football the past two seasons. Despite having substantial success against Mississippi State and Georgia in his career, the question for him will be about competition and this week offers him a huge opportunity to showcase himself.

While Isabella should have a successful week, the other concern he can eliminate is that he’s only a slot receiver. With his ability to make plays at any level of the field, he looks like a franchise receiver and has a very legitimate shot to be the best prospect at his position in this class.

3. Montez Sweat, EDGE Mississippi State

21 solo tackles (6 percent), 15.5 tackles for loss (18 percent), 10.5 sacks (29.1 percent) in 2017

Sweat had elite production in 2017, but he’s been largely overshadowed. First by his teammate Jeffery Simmons and then by a player like Josh Allen, who might be the best overall player in the draft class playing the same position in the same conference. With Allen and a guy like D’Andre Walker dropping out of the Senior Bowl, Sweat has a chance to remind people how good he is.

This draft class has a ton of undersized pass rushers in it and the Senior Bowl could help Sweat remind people just how good he is. The first step will be at the weigh-in, but he could potentially dominate the pass rushing drills this week and become an attractive possibility for the Browns.

4. Andre Dillard, OT Washington State

There are plenty of questions with the Browns as far as if they’re going to make a big splash along the offensive line or if they’re just going to add depth. If they go big and add another first round pick to the group, some think that Dillard could be the guy and might be the best pure tackle in the class.

And he’s been specifically great as a pass protector, which the Senior Bowl practices would allow him to showcase. He could really help cement his status with a good week here. Additionally, it could allow him to help shed the idea that because he played in Mike Leach’s pass happy system that he can’t be a physical run blocker. In short, if Dillard is a first round prospect, this is an opportunity to prove it.

5. Jaylon Ferguson, DE Louisiana Tech

37 solo tackles (7.5 percent), 26 tackles for loss (25.7 percent), 17.5 sacks (38.8 percent)

Ferguson looks the part and has dominated for the past two seasons. This becomes his opportunity to prove it wasn’t just the competition, that he deserves to be a first round pick. Ferguson flashes power, some speed and quickness and some notable hand usage. At his size, a dominant week could entrench him from getting first round whispers, instead raising the question of just how high he might go.

This is a crowded field of pass rushers, so Ferguson may be fighting to not just have a good week, but to dominate to make sure he doesn’t get buried below some of the players from bigger name conferences. For the Browns, Ferguson represents another really talented option to be a full time base end across from Myles Garrett, potentially moving Emmanuel Ogbah inside on a permanent basis.

LUBBOCK, TX – NOVEMBER 10: Antoine Wesley #4 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders makes the catch against Kris Boyd #2 of the Texas Longhorns during the 2nd half of the game on November 10, 2018 at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. Texas defeated Texas Tech 41-34. (Photo by John Weast/Getty Images) /

6. Kris Boyd, CB Texas

49 solo tackles (8.2 percent, 16 pass deflections (32.6 percent), 1 interception in 2018

Boyd has been one of the most consistent corners when it comes to tackling and making plays on the ball the past few seasons. He is big and an extremely physical, aggressive player when it comes to attacking the run game. With guys like Boyd, the Senior Bowl puts a lot of stress on their hips.

Boyd has to do his best to deal with small, quick receivers in one-on-one’s without being able to press them. He has experience playing off, but has shown some vulnerability when it comes to flipping his hips and getting up to speed. A good week in this area could help him move up in what should be an incredibly talented field in this draft class. The Browns focused on defensive backs that could tackle last year and that’s unlikely to change which puts Boyd squarely in their cross-heirs.

7. Anthony Johnson, WR Buffalo

76 receptions for 1,356 yards (38.8 percent) and 14 touchdowns in 2017

8. Carl Granderson, DE Wyoming

37 solo tackles (6.4 percent), 16 tackles for loss (17.5 percent), 8.5 sacks (25.7 percent)

Granderson looks the part of a franchise defensive end in terms of size and speed. He had elite production as a junior, but he was incredibly raw and it seemed often that he was just a specimen that was bigger, stronger and faster than most of his competition. Little appears to have changed in 2018.

The Senior Bowl allows him to make a statement that he is a more developed player than has been seen to this point. Watching how he takes coaching and hopefully implements to win matchups could be critical. Granderson is someone that could be a gem in the middle of the draft with some similarities to Emmanuel Ogbah.

9. Tommy Sweeney, TE Boston College

36 receptions for 512 yards (23.6 percent) and 4 touchdowns in 2017

Sweeney is a traditional, inline tight end that had elite production in 2017. On tape, he’s never stood out athletically, so how he’s able to separate and create opportunities in the passing game during drills will be important to watch. Testing will be important, but if he can use his body to box out opponents and find ways to make receptions, he could be a nice complementary player not unlike Darren Fells.

Sweeney has a ton of experience as an inline blocker and that aspect of his game could really help him increase his value to NFL teams. A good week blocking down in team drills could help him establish a niche that is increasingly fleeting in the NFL coming out of college.

10. Gardner Minshew II, QB Washington State

70.7 completion percentage, 7.2 yards per attempt, 7.75 adjusted yards per attempt, 38 touchdowns, 9 interceptions (4.22:1), 367.6 yards per game in 2018. 119 yards at 2.05 yards per carry and 4 touchdowns

If John Dorsey is true to his form with the Kansas City Chiefs and his upbringing with the Green Bay Packers, he’s going to be looking for a quarterback to grab late to develop. Minshew had a great season with the Cougars after a few years with East Carolina. It’s really difficult to copy Baker Mayfield, but a lot of who Minshew is and what he does may remind people of Mayfield.

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For starters, the way Minshew carries himself, refuses to take himself seriously and how he’s a great foil for Mike Leach. He also throws the ball all over the field, has some mobility and tends to make good decisions. For a guy that could get drafted late and potentially moved to the practice squad, Minshew has some intriguing tools to like that could play well at the Senior Bowl.

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