Canton-native Harold Fannin Jr., the most prolific tight end in college last year, should be a player on interest for the Browns at the Senior Bowl.
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Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland. He has covered the Browns since 1984.
Takeaways from Senior Bowl practices in Mobile, AL …
The Browns depart Senior Bowl activities on Friday with no clearer picture of how they’ll address their desperate quarterback situation in the draft.
The two highest-ranked quarterbacks – Cam Ward of Miami and Shedeur Sanders of Colorado – plus national CFP champion Will Howard of Ohio State, did not participate in the three days of workouts and interviews in Mobile.
The next two highest-ranked quarterbacks on hand – Jalen Milroe of Alabama and Jaxson Dart of Mississippi – were largely unimpressive, erratic with throws and sloppy with fundamentals. It doesn’t mean they are out of the picture, but they’ll have plenty of work to do with their QB coaches to make a better showing at the next draft milepost – the NFL Combine in Indianapolis starting on February 25.
All of which does not mean Senior Bowl week was a wasted opportunity for the Browns.
On the contrary, Browns special teams coordinator Bubby Ventrone, who served as American team head coach, and Browns defensive line coach Jacques Cesaire, defensive coordinator of the National team, had the opportunity to coach, observe off the field and interact with several players at needy positions other than quarterback the Browns should be earnestly evaluating.
GM Andrew Berry and head coach Kevin Stefanski, in his first-ever appearance at the Senior Bowl representing the Browns, also banged out dozens of face-to-face interviews with players on hand. That process will be repeated at the Combine when more than 300 draft prospects will convene for the next step in this pre-draft journey.
Like most of their peers, Berry and Stefanski will skip the actual Senior Bowl game, which is played on Saturday. But, as Jim Nagy, executive director of the Senior Bowl, said in several media interviews, it’s the most-watched game video in the NFL over the next week.
Besides quarterback, the Browns had to have a keen interest in players at defensive tackle, tight end, running back, offensive tackle and linebacker.
The defensive linemen were particularly impressive all week, leading NFL Network anchor Rhett Lewis to exclaim on Thursday, “I tell you what, when Jacques Cesaire returns to Cleveland, he’s gonna have a lot to talk about.”
These are some players to watch in the game on Saturday.
Defensive tackle
Joshua Farmer, Florida State: Interior lineman capable of playing all three downs.
Walter Nolen, Mississippi: A 6-3, 293-pound interior pass rusher.
T.J. Sanders, South Carolina: Long and lean and a quarterback menace.
Tight end
Elijah Arroyo, Miami: Projected beforehand in the second round, he may rise into the first after a real good week.
Mason Taylor, LSU: The son of Hall of Fame pass rusher Jason Taylor provoked a lot of conversation all week. He’s only 20 years old.
Harold Fannin Jr., Bowling Green: After a historic season – 117 receptions, 1,555 yards, 10 TD – he didn’t disappoint against Power 4 competition.
Running back
Trevor Etienne, Georgia: Younger brother of Jacksonville’s Travis Etienne, he’s 5-8, 202 pounds, fast, and a natural receiver.
Marcus Yarns, Delaware: Very light at 189 pounds, but the best receiver out of the backfield.
RJ Harvey, Central Florida: 1,557 rushing yards and 22 touchdowns on an average of 6.8 yards per carry his last season.
Linebacker
Jeffrey Bassa, Oregon: Was a vocal leader at practice.
Shemar James, Florida: Sounds like a Browns favorite – 6-1, 230, fast, and an SEC product.
Offensive tackle
Armand Membou, Missouri: Incredibly mature pass blocker (zero sacks allowed his last season) for a 20-year-old.
Grey Zabel, North Dakota State: He increased value as a “position-flexible” do-it-all at every position on the line.
Aireontae Ersery, Minnesota: A 340-pound road grading right tackle.
Josh Conerly, Oregon: A left tackle with long arms is always in demand.
Anthony Belton, North Carolina State: 6-5, 345 pounds, with nearly 36 in. arms.