Browns draft: Spread offenses are redefining the linebacker position

Editor’s note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland.

(One in a series on Browns needs and interests in the NFL draft.)

Position: Linebacker

As the evolution of the sport continues to change, no position group on defense is more affected than this one.

The proliferation of spread offenses and rules being constantly tweaked to promote passing has redefined the linebacker position. Big, snarling linebackers stout against the run have given way to lighter, agile, athletic linebackers who can run in pass coverage of backs and tight ends.

There will always be short-yardage and goal-line situations to line up three linebackers to defend the run. But as more offenses line up three and four wide receivers, or split faster tight ends as hybrid receivers, some teams are lining up in nickel (five defensive backs) or dime (six DBs) alignments 60 to 70 percent of the time. Either an extra safety or cornerback replaces a linebacker, or one of each replaces two linebackers.

The Browns intend to utilize a 4-2-5 alignment, primarily using a third safety instead of a third linebacker, to get more speed on the field. As a result, the linebacker position has been devalued in the whole scheme of things. The Browns are one of several teams that believes it can find linebackers with the requisite skill set in middle rounds of the draft.

Projected starters: Sione Takitaki, Anthony Walker, Jacob Phillips.

Also under contract: Mack Wilson, Malcolm Smith, Elijah Lee, George Obinna.

Analysis

Walker, a free agent from the Colts, replaced B.J. Goodson as the experienced leader of this group. He would be the likeliest candidate to be on the field for every down. Takitaki, who was drafted by John Dorsey in 2019, and Phillips, drafted by Andrew Berry in 2020, fit the mold of the fast, athletic linebackers the Browns will always seek. Wilson was a ballhawk as a rookie in 2019, but a knee injury in training camp set him back and he never fully recovered his form. This figures to be a key year for him to regain his stature. Although the top-rated linebackers in this draft easily could fit into the Browns’ defensive system, it’s unlikely they would devote a high pick to the position.

Day 1 candidates

• Micah Parsons, Penn State: His one full season as a full-time starter in 2019 was enough to establish him as a projected three-down linebacker in the NFL and one of the top defensive players of this draft.
• Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Notre Dame: At 220 pounds, he’s considered a hybrid linebacker who can cover slot receivers and fulfill some functions as a big safety. His versatility to be used in various roles is intriguing to coaches.
• Zaven Collins, Tulsa: A big (6-5, 259), old-school linebacker with a large frame who might appeal more to teams that use a 3-4 system.
• Jamin Davis, Kentucky: A long and rangy starter in the middle of a 4-2-5 scheme at Kentucky.

Day 2 candidates

Nick Bolton, Missouri; Jabril Cox, LSU; Baron Browning, Ohio State; Chazz Surratt, North Carolina.

Day 3 candidates

Pete Werner, Ohio State; Derrick Barnes, Purdue; Monty Rice, Georgia; Dylan Moses, Alabama.