Browns 2023 draft picks - profiles by Dane Brugler
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29. TANNER MCCALISTER | Ohio State 5104 | 191 lbs. | 5SR Rockwall, Texas (Heath) 1/27/2000 (age 23.25)
SUMMARY: Tanner McCalister was born in Dallas and was a four-year letterman at Rockwall-Heath High, rushing for 2,443 yards in prep career. He also logged five forced fumbles and four interceptions at cornerback. A three-star recruit, McCalister committed to Arkansas before flipping to Oklahoma State, where he played corner before moving to safety in 2020. For his final season, he followed defensive coordinator Jim Knowles and transferred to Ohio State as a slot safety (and became an extra coach on the field, helping OSU defenders transition to the new scheme). Hyper-alert in coverage, McCalister moves like a former corner with terrific footwork/fluidity to transition from his pedal and defend multiple routes. He strikes with timing and authority but must fine-tune his tackling angles and techniques. Overall, McCalister doesn’t have elite size/speed and is somewhat of a tweener, but NFL coaches will appreciate his instincts, urgency and nose for the football.
GRADE: Priority Free Agent
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23. LONNIE PHELPS | Kansas 6023 | 244 lbs. | 4SR Cincinnati, Ohio (Mount Healthy) 8/24/2000 (age 22.68) #47
BACKGROUND: Lonnie Phelps Jr. started playing football at the pee-wee level as a defensive end and continued through middle school. He was mentored by his father (Lonnie Sr.), who helped him develop his pass-rush skills. He enrolled at Mount Healthy High School (same alma mater as Detroit Lions’ running back David Montgomery), where he earned a starting role as a freshman. Phelps earned All-District honors as a sophomore with 46 tackles and a conference-best 9.0 sacks. As a junior, he was named the conference Defensive Player of the Year with 76 tackles, 10.0 sacks, four forced fumbles, three blocked kicks and one interception. Phelps CONTENTS [178] earned first team All-State honors as a senior captain and was named the 2018 District Defensive Player of the Year. He finished his final season with 100 tackles, 18.0 tackles for loss, 10.0 sacks and four blocked kicks. Phelps also lettered in basketball at Mount Healthy.
A three-star recruit, Phelps was the No. 87 weakside defensive end in the 2019 recruiting class and the No. 61 recruit in Ohio. He was underrecruited and didn’t receive many serious looks from FBS programs. Phelps verbally committed to Miami (Ohio) as a junior and finished as the third highest-ranked recruit in the RedHawks’ 2019 class. After three years at Miami, he entered the transfer portal and received an offer from Kansas on the same day. Jayhawks head coach Lance Leipold was familiar with Phelps from his time coaching in the MAC (Phelps recorded his first collegiate sack in 2019 against Leipold’s Buffalo). Phelps was also pursued by Virginia Tech and several other programs, but he committed to Kansas and enrolled in January 2022. He accepted his invitation to the 2023 Senior Bowl.
STRENGTHS: Bursts off the ball to race around the arc or fire through the B-gap … attacks the corner with momentum and naturally low pads … cat-like lateral quickness to work inside counters and effectively cross the face of blockers … forces linemen to keep their feet moving, creating opportunities … uses a swift swiperip move to clear the blocker’s outside shoulder … violently chops at the quarterback’s arm once he reaches the pocket (see: strip sack on 2022 Kansas State tape) … blows through arm blocks with his body lean and power … agility helps him secure open-field tackles … high-motor pursuit player and chases runs away from him … plays with enduring toughness … consistent production the last two seasons, at two different programs.
WEAKNESSES: Well-developed muscle tone but undersized with shorter-than-ideal arms … inconsistent versus the run … long-armed blockers will control him once they get into his frame … rush success is more flash than consistency … hands are active but not always purposeful … overeager for contact and would benefit from more finesse in his game … undisciplined tendencies, including seven penalties in 2022 (five offsides, one facemask, one unnecessary roughness) … lack of length puts a dent in his tackling … did more zone dropping after he transferred to Kansas, but it’s still new territory for him … didn’t play on kick or punt teams in 2022.
SUMMARY: A one-year starter at Kansas, Phelps lined up at boundary defensive end in defensive coordinator Brian Borland’s 4-3 base scheme. After three seasons at Miami (Ohio), Phelps looked to challenge himself in a more talented conference and led the Jayhawks in sacks and tackles for loss. Phelps is quick off the ball and rushes with both speed and power, maneuvering his frame to force entry into the backfield from different angles. Though he plays with better physicality than bigger defenders, he needs to adapt more refined hands/timing as both a pass rusher and run defender to stay on the field. Overall, Phelps’ lack of size/length will be a limiting factor for him versus NFL competition, but he is a pesky player to block because of his get-off and menacing energy in pursuit. He projects as a scheme versatile sub-rusher.
GRADE: 4th-5th Round
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24. CHARLIE THOMAS | Georgia Tech 6025 | 216 lbs. | 5SR Thomasville, Ga. (Thomasville) 1/31/2000 (age 23.24) #1
BACKGROUND: Charlie Thomas, who is one of four children, grew up in south Georgia and started playing pee wee football at age 6. He attended Thomasville High School and was a four-year varsity letterman, playing on both sides of the ball. Thomas posted 62 tackles and two interceptions as a junior, earning honorable mention All-State honors. As a senior safety, he led Thomasville to an undefeated regular season and the school’s first regional title in a decade, finishing the 2017 season with a 12-1 record. Thomas posted 78 tackles, 8.0 tackles for loss and one interception, adding 242 rushing yards, 442 receiving yards and five total touchdowns (three rushing, two receiving) while also seeing snaps at quarterback. He again earned All-State honors and was a U.S. Army All-American. Thomas also lettered in basketball and track and set personal bests in the long jump (14 feet 11 inches) and triple jump (33-9.5).
A three-star recruit, Thomas was the No. 48 safety in the 2018 recruiting class and the No. 67 recruit in Georgia. He picked up offers from Troy and Tulane as a sophomore and then Colorado State, South Alabama and Vanderbilt as a junior. Prior to his senior season, Thomas received several SEC offers, including Auburn, Mississippi State, Missouri and Ole Miss. But the 180-pound defensive back was drawn to Georgia Tech, which offered him as both a safety and wide receiver with the chance to play right away. He was the fifth-highest-ranked recruit in the Jackets’ 2018 class. After initially playing as a defensive back, Thomas moved to linebacker in his first season on campus. He took advantage of the extra year of eligibility because of COVID rules and returned to school for a fifth season. Thomas graduated with his degree in business administration (December 2021) and is pursuing his graduate degree in general studies in history, technology and society. He accepted his invitation to the 2023 East-West Shrine Bowl.
STRENGTHS: Unlocks his hips, trusts his eyes and immediately accelerates … above-average play speed to the perimeter, and covers a lot of green … shows secondary quickness after escaping blockers … has the athleticism to play the cutback by the ball carrier … takes fast angles downhill, and stocked his college tape with plenty of plays at or behind the line of scrimmage … range translates to coverage, including his ability to stay stride-for-stride with backs, tight ends and receivers … feels routes coming and hunts crossers … was asked to wear multiple hats based on personnel, playing a variety of nickel and linebacker alignments … had his best statistical season as a senior.
WEAKNESSES: Thin-framed and looks more like a safety than a linebacker … doesn’t have the growth potential to add much more mass … mediocre play strength and struggles to punch himself off blocks … lack of length and force will be highlighted in the tackle box … too easily knocked off schedule by roadblocks … needs to do a better job settling his feet to square up moving targets as a tackler … accelerator can get stuck in overdrive at times, allowing even slow-footed quarterbacks to shake him … had two targeting penalties in 2022 and needs to be more controlled with his strike zone.
SUMMARY: A five-year starter at Georgia Tech, Thomas played the “Money” linebacker position in defensive coordinator Andrew Thacker’s 4-2-5 base scheme. A high school defensive back, he made the transition to linebacker for the Yellow Jackets and was consistently productive, including a career-year in 2022 with 112 tackles. With his versatile athleticism, Thomas lined up everywhere on tape and showed outstanding short-area burst and acceleration in the open field (confirmed by his 1.55 10-yard split and 4.55 40-yard dash at the Combine). He is a magnet to the football when kept clean but can be too easily knocked off his path and needs to be more controlled as a finisher. Overall, Thomas will have a tough time overcoming his lack of strength, but he is fast-flowing in pursuit, and his play range expands his usefulness. He is a potential special-teamer with development potential as a nickel backer.
GRADE: Priority Free Agent
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Phelps has a chance of making the roster for sure!
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Thanks for the posts!
Yes!
According to London....we did pretty well.
but he has an NFL-quality arm with the toughness and ability to create that will appeal to pro teams.
...and our guys were one of those teams. They see him as a fit for us. If he eventually turns out to be the backup to Watson that they've been dreaming of, then the 5th round is a good place to get him.
Yes!
According to London....we did pretty well.
...and our guys were one of those teams. They see him as a fit for us. If he eventually turns out to be the backup to Watson that they've been dreaming of, then the 5th round is a good place to get him.
Yep. Let's face it, even our 1st pick is in a position where things start to get murky, and the odds decrease the guy will become a good player.
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Phelps has a chance of making the roster for sure!
Phelps has a chance of making the roster for sure!
Awesome stuff London! Thanks! Glad to see you back in here!!!
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I remember when Glen Logan had a couple articles on him and how he might be the "sneaky pick" to make the roster as an UDFA.
Despite having the worst IDL in all of football, he barely made it to the pre-season dress rehearsal.
"Chance" is a strong word and needs to be taken with a serious grain of salt. Still, I'm looking forward to watching Phelps' reps with Kansas.
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Jack Duffin@JackDuffin#Browns current cap space $7,100,339
Roster Count 90/90
Predicted 53 - 247sports.com/nfl/cleveland-…
Rookie class will cost $818,681 of cap space when signed
June 2 they gain
JJ3 +$9.75m
Clowney +$1.165m
How Browns continue spending more than everyone else 247sports.com/nfl/cleveland-…
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Buddy of mine is a Ga Tech fan…not many out there…big football guy and he absolutely loved Charlie Thomas believes he makes our roster.
So I watched some clips today. Very undersized S/LB…but pretty good playmaker for an undrafted guy…we will see.
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FWIW: draft value compared to PFN's 'consensus big board.' We didn't win the draft, but came in third, which is more impressive when you consider that we didn't have a first or second rounder.
Apparently the state of Pennsylvania is good at drafting. Either that, or that consensus big board was a big stinking turd.
Jack Lichtenstein@jacklich10The Eagles, Steelers, and Browns knocked the draft out of the park according to the consensus big board!
Patriots and Lions... not so much
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Tillman
Tillman was among the few top prospects with prototypical X measurables. He has good size, he is physical and he attacks the football in the air. With the additions of Tillman and the trade for Elijah Moore, Deshaun Watson will have more options in the passing game entering his second season with the team.
Ika
The Browns have made it a priority to improve the interior of their defensive line this offseason, and they continue that with the addition of Ika here. A mountain of a man at 358 pounds, he isn’t just a run defender, registering a 76.4 PFF pass-rushing grade in 2022.
Jones
There were questions about Jones’ conditioning/commitment that likely contributed to his slide down boards, but there’s a lot of reason to bet on Jones’ talent at this stage of the draft. His size and length afford him room for error, and he has enough movement ability at his size to have success as a starter. Jones earned 80-plus PFF grades as the Buckeyes’ starting right tackle in each of the last two seasons.
McGuire
Cleveland adds a good power rusher to complement Myles Garrett. He has NFL size and power with the potential to be a plus run defender. Despite average burst off the edge, he put up an 84.5 true pass-rush grade in 2022.
DTR
Thompson-Robinson is the definition of a “gamer,” a classic football cliche, with the desire to make something out of nothing on seemingly every snap. This can work against him, of course, with a lot of turnover-worthy plays as a result. However, his 77.4% adjusted completion percentage ranked 15th in college football and he offers great rushing ability.
Mitchell
Cleveland adds another Northwestern cornerback on top of 2021 first-rounder Greg Newsome II. Mitchell did well to match wide receivers stride for stride in trail technique in college, and he’s a willing tackler with a 76.0 run-defense grade.
Wypler
Wypler was the 54th-ranked player on the PFF big board, making this one of the better value selections in the draft in our eyes. He earned 79.0-plus PFF grades in each of his seasons as a starter for the Buckeyes, excelling as a zone run blocker (89th percentile over the last two seasons) specifically. Pair that with plus athleticism, and this looks like a steal for Cleveland. -
Do the selections of the Ohio State OLinemen look like a strange pairing?
One is an enormous road grader, the other an athletic center who excels in a zone blocking scheme.
I know they played on the same OLine in college, but they seem like two completely different scheme guys.
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Good write up by one of my favorite draft analysts Dane Brugler (also a fellow Mount Union Alum).
I was extremely happy when the Browns drafted Wypler….talk about a steal!
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FWIW: draft value compared to PFN's 'consensus big board.' We didn't win the draft, but came in third, which is more impressive when you consider that we didn't have a first or second rounder.
Apparently the state of Pennsylvania is good at drafting. Either that, or that consensus big board was a big stinking turd.
Jack Lichtenstein@jacklich10The Eagles, Steelers, and Browns knocked the draft out of the park according to the consensus big board!
Patriots and Lions... not so muchApparently the state of Pennsylvania is good at drafting.
Yeah, many say the damned Steelers had a good draft.
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Apparently the state of Pennsylvania is good at drafting.
Yeah, many say the damned Steelers had a good draft.
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Its uncanny how everything just falls into their laps to them and the Ravens every draft and all Cleveland can do is this!....
You are wrong!! We are a multi-skilled team in the FO!! ?
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What are we gonna do to help our weak LB corps?
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What are we gonna do to help our weak LB corps?
Find weaker safeties to make them look better in comparison.??
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Find weaker safeties to make them look better in comparison.??
Well played!!!
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