West Virginia linebacker Tony Fields was described as a close of second-round pick Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah. So two Wu's are better than one. (Cleveland Browns)
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Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland.
Takeaways from Browns’ third day of the draft …
Sandwiched around an offensive tackle and a runner/returner, the Browns continued their defensive tour de force on the final day, selecting a linebacker, defensive tackle and a safety.
The rundown:
* Offensive tackle James Hudson, Cincinnati, No. 110 overall.
A native of Toledo who was recruited to Michigan as a defensive lineman, Hudson (6-4 ¾, 313 pounds) switched to the offensive line after his redshirt season. Then he transferred to Cincinnati midway through 2018 season. He wasn’t eligible until Cincinnati’s bowl game in 2019 and started all 10 games at left tackle in 2020 without yielding a sack.
The Browns took him with the Bengals next up in the draft order. Hudson heard rumors the Bengals would take him. The Browns think he’s a great fit athletically for their wide-zone scheme.
“It warms my heart to know that I am only going to be an hour and a half away from home. My family is going to be able to come see me whenever they want to,” Hudson said.
He said after he made the transition from defensive line, the first thing he did was dial up YouTube and type in “Joe Thomas” to study how the Browns legendary tackle perfected his craft.
“I can’t wait to hear what he has to say and just learn something from the best,” Hudson said. “He is probably one of the best offensive linemen to play the game, so I just can’t wait to learn and soak up some things from him.”
* Defensive tackle Tommy Togiai, Ohio State, No. 132 overall.
This pick pretty much should end speculation of veteran tackle Sheldon Richardson rejoining the Browns. Togiai (6-1 ½, 296) joins a tackle room of Andrew Billings, Jordan Elliott, Malik Jackson and Sheldon Day.
“It was definitely a position that we were interested in going into the draft at certain picks,” said Dan Saganey, director of player personnel.
Much of the ESPN commentary after this pick questioned Togiai’s ability against the run, but Saganey and Togiai disputed it.
“He may be slightly undersized, but I do not know why they would say he is not a good run player,” Saganey said. “We look for penetrating guys up front. We think he can do that, which is disruptive in the run game. It is a trait that we look for.”
Togiai had an epic pro day workout at OSU, at which he repped 40 times in the 225-pound bench press with teammates cheering him on and scouts watching in awe.
“I was there live to see it, and it was impressive to watch,” Saganey said.
“I have done more,” Togiai said of the 40 reps. “I think I kind of maybe rushed it a little bit too much trying to get to what I wanted to get. I am still happy, just to have them there cheering me on like that was crazy to see so it was good.”
Togiai started only his last year at OSU and was ecstatic to be tabbed by the Browns. He was still smiling ear-to-ear on his media Zoom call after Kevin Stefanski broke the news of his selection on a previous Zoom call and told him, “You fit what we do. You fit who we are, man.”
* Linebacker Tony Fields, West Virginia/Arizona, No. 153 overall.
Immediately upon his selection, ESPN’s Todd McShay said, “He’s basically West Virginia’s and Arizona’s version of Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah.”
Which is to say, undersized linebacker with speed and versatility and a tenacious, violent tackler.
I asked national scout Charles Walls about the balance of having too many undersized linebackers and being able to adjust to the few remaining power running games left in the NFL.
“If you watch successful teams, especially when they get into the playoffs, if you look at Tampa last year, they had no lack of speed or lack of range anywhere on defense,” Walls answered. “The more you can add to the group, the better. It can never hurt you having faster, more versatile players who can play football, hunt the ball and make plays. It can’t hurt you."
Fields (6-0, 222) said, “Everybody called me undersized or whatever you want to say about it, but I do not think of myself like that, and I for sure do not play like that. I never will play like I am undersized.”
Fields grew up in the desert of Las Vegas, NV, and started three seasons at Arizona. After earning his degree in literacy, learning and leadership, he entered the NCAA transfer portal and took his skills to Morgantown, W.Va., where he proceeded to pad his reputation as a tackling machine (375 in four years, including 9.5 sacks and 21 total for loss).
Fields said he wanted a “climate change” and a “cultural change” in style of football.
“When I decided to transfer, I took it upon myself to go somewhere [where] it would be a change of environment and a change of everything for me,” he said. “I did not have family out there. I have always been close to home. This was my first time I was actually far, far away. I had to do everything by myself, and it developed me as a person.”
* Safety Richard LeCounte, Georgia, No. 169 overall.
A five-star recruit who chose to stay home at Georgia over Ohio State, LeCounte (5-10 ½, 196) emerged as Georgia’s leading tackler one year and leading interceptor the next. He added three interceptions in six games in 2020 before a serious dirt bike accident ended his college career – but not his professional career.
As he recovered from multiple injuries (concussion, shoulder sprain, bruised ribs, foot fracture), LeCounte never missed getting mental reps while attending every position and special teams meeting. It was a testament to his work ethic and popularity within the team that Georgia allowed him on the field for the final-play victory formation in the Peach Bowl against Cincinnati.
LeCounte amped his recovery to participate in Georgia’s pro day, at which he said he was about 90 percent back. His workout numbers suffered.
“We’re assuming he’s 100 percent ready to go,” said Colton Chapple, Browns area scout. “He’s a guy that plays really well in the post, mostly a free safety type, sees the field really well. I think the best thing he does is play zone coverage v. the pass. He’ll come down in a hurry and support the run, which was surprising not being a bigger guy.”
LeCounte said he never was worried about his falling draft stock during his recovery.
“It was a scary situation, but God had his hands on me the whole time,” he said. “I was able to calm down, get to it. That was the hardest stage of my life mentally, watching my [teammates] go to war without me. I was able to do it with God and my family beside me.”
LeCounte was a teammate two years with Nick Chubb at Georgia.
“That’s my guy, man. Nick’s always been my big brother. I’m pretty sure he’s going to oversee me when I come to Cleveland. I was just a knucklehead coming out of high school when he saw potential in me,” he said.
* Runner/returner Demetric Felton, UCLA, No. 211 overall.
A diminutive (5-8 ¾, 189) all-purpose specialist as a running back in Chip Kelly’s spead offense at UCLA, Felton had four touchdowns of 75-plus yards in 2019.
He impressed NFL scouts and coaches working primarily as a slot receiver at the Senior Bowl. His versatility as an explosive threat with the ball in his hands was appealing to the Browns. Stefanski he should be classified as a running back for now.
Day 1: Cornerback Greg Newsome