Cleveland Browns: 7-Round 2019 NFL mock draft, Vol. 7
By Peter Smith
Round 2: Juan Thornhill, S, Virginia – 6-0.25, 205 pounds
- 62 solo tackles (14.9 percent), 6 interceptions (35.2 percent) in 2018.
Age: 23 (Oct. 19, 1995)
40-Yard Dash: 4.42s
Broad Jump: 141″
Vertical Jump: 44″
3-cone: 6.86s
Shuttle: 4.2s
Bench: 21 reps
The trade to acquire Eric Murray and the signing of Morgan Burnett have ruled out the possibility of getting a safety early, but they shouldn’t. Murray is more suited to be a slot player and depth at a few positions that excels on special teams. Burnett is a slightly better version of Derrick Kindred.
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The difference is Juan Thornhill excels in coverage. The Browns don’t need him to play every down, but obviously, that’s where they’d like him to end up. They need him to be there to significantly upgrade the pass defense, be it second or third down or to protect a lead or close out a half.
Thornhill is a corner who converted to safety and excelled at both. He can cover receivers, play over the top and cause turnovers. His athleticism is exceptional and as his confidence grows in the NFL, the faster he will play.
Given the offense and it’s likelihood to score points and put the Browns in position to have leads, stopping the pass is at a premium. Last year, the Browns struggled to close out games and would too often hang on as opposed to put games away.
Adding a player like Thornhill can allow the defense to snuff out opponents. They have what should be a dominant pass rush and getting another great player to cover on the back end, so the two should benefit each other.
Long term, Thornhill could be a long term starting safety at either strong or free. It really just depends on where the Browns want to go with the defense. Strong gives him more ability to play man coverage, potentially take away slot receivers and hopefully slow down tight ends. Thornhill might be a terrific role player initially, but longterm could be a player that never comes off the field.