CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Browns did not have a first-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft after acquiring Pro Bowl wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. from the New York Giants, but in the second round, they began reshaping their defense, particularly, the secondary.
The Browns dealt the Nos. 49 and 144 selections to the Indianapolis Colts in order to take former Louisiana State University cornerback Greedy Williams with the No. 46 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, and they were far from done.
On day three of the draft, the Browns selected former University of Miami (Florida) safety Sheldrick Redwine, and then, with their final pick, No. 221 overall, they chose former Tulane University cornerback Donnie Lewis.
“I really like the fact that I think we have drafted football players from the standpoint of guys that love the game,” Browns coach Freddie Kitchens said following the 2019 NFL Draft.
“I like the fact that we have drafted some guys that think they have something to prove because if you ever step on the football field and don’t feel like you have something to prove, you are behind someone else.”
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
Over 24 career games in just two years at LSU, Williams registered 71 total tackles, including 49 solo stops and 22 assists, with 1.5 tackles behind the line of scrimmage, as well as eight interceptions and 19 passes defended.
Williams burst onto the scene as a freshman in 2017 when he collected six interceptions and 10 passes defended along with 26 solo stops, 12 assists and 38 total tackles.
Those six interceptions ranked first in the Southeastern Conference and fourth in the NCAA.
“He is long and he is athletic,” Browns defensive coordinator Steve Wilks said during the offseason program. “This game right now, you talk about the different receivers and the types that we have as far as big bodies.
“I love long corners. He is definitely that, very athletic, can run and he is very physical. That is important in the run game with me, that our corners tackle. We don’t have pads on right now, but you can see that athleticism out there on the field and the way he moves around.”
PLAYER TO WATCH
Safety Jermaine Whitehead
Claimed by the Browns off waivers in the middle of the 2018 season, Whitehead worked his way into the rotation in the secondary and played in seven games after being let go by the Green Bay Packers following a questionable ejection from a game against the New England Patriots.
Whitehead registered four total tackles in those games with the Browns, and over his five-year career, has collected 35 tackles, including 27 solo stops and eight assists, with one sack and three passes defended. Also, Whitehead has proven adept at recovering the ball on onside kick attempts or rushing it for first downs on fake punts throughout his career.
“Jermaine Whitehead is a leader in my opinion, so you don’t have to be ‘that guy’ that everybody looks at,” Wilks said. “I want all those guys to be leaders when they are out there on that field because we need everybody communicating, talking, being on the same page
“Extremely smart. Very intelligent. Takes control when he is out there. Knows how to really communicate and articulate the defense and get everybody on the same page.”
Kitchens added, “He can play. He is a good player. He put his best foot forward. He has continued to get better. He is another one that is better at the end of spring than he was at the beginning.”
