Cleveland Browns: Need linebackers, MAC has plenty

As the Cleveland Browns look for linebacker help, the Mid-American Conference offers a number of largely unheralded, but extremely productive options.

The Cleveland Browns have a great middle linebacker in Joe Schobert, but almost every other spot in the position group is a question mark for this season, other than Christian Kirksey, who might be gone after the 2019 season. Yes, Genard Avery is labeled a linebacker, but the overwhelming majority of his usage has been as an edge rusher, so it’s unclear if he’ll ever be featured as a true linebacker.

The MAC is having a great year in terms of producing prospects for the NFL, but very little attention is being paid to what could be a good group of linebackers.

Buffalo’s Khalil Hodge and Akron’s Ulysees Gilbert III both participated in the East-West Shrine Game. Hodge is the most well known of the MAC linebacker and could find himself the highest drafted of this group as a potential day three pick. If he tests well athletically, he could be a terrific value with the potential to be a starter.

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In terms of his production, his best season was 2017. Beyond his 66 solo tackles, which was a 13.1 percent market share, Hodge had 6.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, two forced fumbles, two pass deflection and two interceptions. He’s been a featured part of the defense, playing both inside and out in space and was a major reason they’ve enjoyed so much success the past two seasons.

Gilbert is undersized, but increasingly NFL teams keep finding uses for players like that. Certainly, Gilbert will be a player that will be expected to contribute heavily on special teams as he seek to find a role likely in nickel and dime situations.

Like Hodge, Gilbert’s best year was as a junior where he was able to record 65 solo tackles, 11.2 percent of the team’s market share. He also had 9.5 tackles for loss, five sacks, four pass deflections and three interceptions. He also scored a pair of touchdowns for the Zips. The defense was creative with how they used him and he thrived in his ability to fly around the field and disrupt plays, capitalizing on opportunities that were there.

After Hodge and Gilbert, it’s on to players like Miami’s Brad Koenig, Central Michigan’s Malik Fountain, Brandon Harris of Bowling Green and Evan Croutch of the Ohio Bobcats, which is a program with a nice track record of linebackers in recent years.

Koenig stands out from the other two simply because he has two seasons of excellent production where as the other two both had great senior years, but didn’t do much before it. Koenig is a former walk-on from Ann Arbor that the Michigan Wolverines might wish they had recruited if they were given a mulligan.

As a junior, Koenig recorded 65 solo tackles, which is 15.1 percent of the team total and is an elite mark. In his senior year, he still accounted for 13.1 percent of solo tackles. Koenig also led the team in  tackles for loss with 12, was second in sacks with five, had four forced fumbles, two pass deflections and a team leading three interceptions. He looks like a good athlete that can do a little bit of everything, so if he’s not invited to the scouting combine, he might have potential as a late round or undrafted steal.

After a pair of solid seasons for the Chippewas, Malik Fountain broke out in a big way as a senior. He recorded 88 solo tackles, which was good enough for an elite 16.2 percent market share. His eight tackles for loss was second on the team, he tied for the team lead with two interceptions, added 2.5 sacks, two pass deflections and a forced fumble.

Bowling Green’s Brandon Harris initially went to the school as a defensive back before growing into a linebacker. His overall stat line won’t stand out like the rest of the group mentioned here, but the one thing he does is get to the ball. He recorded 76 solo tackles for the Falcons, which was good enough for 15.3 percent of the team total. Harris also recorded 3.5 tackles for loss, one sack, a forced fumble and a pair of pass deflections.

Evan Croutch finished his career with 14 of the team’s 75 tackles for loss and a team leading 5.5 sacks., His 59 solo tackles and 12.5 percent market share is very good even if it’s not as impressive as the other players mentioned. Croutch contributed six pass deflections and was one of five Bobcats with a pair of interceptions.

Like with Gilbert, Croutch is on the smaller side, but his production profile makes his athletic testing worth watching. If he does well there, he could find his way onto an NFL roster and find ways to contribute.

It’s worth noting that while this is an excellent year for MAC linebackers, next year might have a few nice players as well. Akron’s John Lako had 13.3 percent solo tackle market share this past season and Antonio Jones-Davis of Northern Illinois recorded 12.1 percent for the Huskies. Western Michigan has a pair of linebackers in Drake Spears and Alex Grace that could find themselves in that range next season.

The Cleveland Browns need to largely overhaul their linebackers in the next year or two not named Joe Schobert and it stands to reason they’ll be looking for a few guys. The Mid-American Conference may not have the press clippings that others do, but it’s got a few players that could be contributors on NFL rosters and if they can test well enough, might have some star potential down the road.