A NFL mock draft from Sam Monson of Pro Football Focus has the Cleveland Browns selecting the Notre Dame linebacker.
Considering the source of this mock draft and the pick for the Cleveland Browns this is a bit surprising. Sam Monson of Pro Football Focus released a mock draft Monday which had the Browns taking a position that many do not expect, linebacker. Cleveland selects Notre Dame linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah 26th overall. (This is a mock that is done with what Monson would do if he was the GM and not what he predicts will happen according to an editor’s note.) Monson explained his selection for the Browns.
Cleveland has done an impressive job of overhauling its roster, and the team heads into the draft without many holes in need of immediate attention. Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah has elite quickness and speed for a linebacker, and he also earned one of the best PFF coverage grades in the nation in the slot, regardless of position. JOK could bring some elite versatility to the Browns’ coverage unit.
PFF’s Sam Monson on his mock selection of Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah to the Browns at 26
The surprise honestly is that a linebacker was mocked to Cleveland. There are many people that have been pounding the table for the Browns not valuing linebacker. A lot of those people also happen to reside in or are adjacent to the analytics community. So the fact that PFF has a mock that features the Browns taking Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah is a bit of a shocker.
All of that being said, Monson is right. Linebacker is a need for the Browns and drafting one would be an excellent decision after their moves in free agency. There are some linebackers on the roster who should not be playing much. Drafting Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah in addition to their signing of Anthony Walker this offseason would be a home run for this unit.
