Following up a strong first round where they were able to nab Baylor wideout Corey Coleman with the No. 15 overall pick, the Cleveland Browns decided to build through the trenches on day two of the 2016 NFL Draft.
Opening up the second day of the draft, the Browns selected Oklahoma State defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah with the No. 32 overall pick.
Cleveland again addressed the pass rush with the No. 65 overall pick, selecting Penn State defensive end Carl Nassib, giving the Browns two very productive college pass rushers with their first two picks on day two.
With Ogbah, I’m not a huge fan and really question how he’ll transition to a 3-4 defense. He has motor issues as a pass rusher and takes a lot of plays off. That being said, he has all the intangibles needed for an NFL pass rusher with the long arms and the occasional good burst and dip around the edge, but he’s just not consistent with it.
Sure, the production looks great on paper, but it’s important to realize he did most of his damage against right tackles in college and usually struggled against top tackles in the Big 12.
Nassib is another guy that fits the mold as a good pass rusher with great size and explosiveness of the edge, but much like Ogbah, I question his fit in a 3-4 defense.
Granted, no team is in their base defense 100 percent of the time, but it is interesting that the Browns drafted two 4-3 college defensive ends when running a 3-4 defense under defensive coordinator Ray Horton.
I expect both to move to outside linebacker and rush while standing up for the most part, but they can certainly drop onto the line in sub packages to give the Browns a formidable rush.
Following the selections of Ogbah and Nassib, Cleveland switched to the offensive side of the trenches, selecting Auburn offensive tackle Shon Coleman, who might be one of the best stories in the draft this year.
Coleman went through two years of chemotherapy treatments to beat cancer before then taking over at left tackle at Auburn.
After losing Mitchell Schwartz to the Kansas City Chiefs in free agency, the Browns desperately needed offensive line help and that’s exactly what they get with Coleman at No. 76 overall.
He’s a guy who likely projects as a right tackle to start in the NFL, but he has good feet, a strong base and long arms allowing him to get his hands on pass rushers off the edge. Down the line Coleman could take over for incumbent left tackle Joe Thomas.
Wrapping things up on day two for Cleveland, Hue Jackson and his staff got their QB, selecting USC’s Cody Kessler with the 93rd overall pick.
This pick was a bit surprising, but I like it for Cleveland as he fits what Jackson likes at QB.
Kessler is a smart QB that is a very accurate passer and he rarely makes mistakes. He’s on the smaller side for the position and some question his arm strength, but Jackson and his staff will play to his strengths.
With Coleman at wide receiver and under center waiting in the wings, Cleveland is doing a lot of good things in this draft offensively, at least in my opinion.
