CLEVELAND, OH – While many in attendance Thursday night were disappointed in not selecting him at No.26 in the first round, the Cleveland Browns grabbing Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah in the second round proved to be well worth the wait.
Owusu-Koramoah, a hard-hitting unanimous All-American 6’1 220-pound hybrid linebacker/safety was projected by many draftniks as a mid to late first round pick. A 2020 Butkus Award winner as the nation’s top linebacker, as well as being named the ACC Defensive Player of the Year and first-team All-ACC, recorded 80 tackles, a team-leading 13.5 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks, four passes broken up, two forced fumbles and two fumbles recovered.
The addition of the man many call “Wu” or “JOK” gives the Browns and second-year defensive coordinator Joe Woods the perfect cover linebacker, who can cover in the passing game, while stopping the run and adding some much needed sideline-sideline speed.
It’s no secret that the Browns were suspect at best at linebacker, and their inability to cover and tackle in open space hurt them in 2020. The addition of Owusu-Koramoah to an aggressively revamped defense that added DB’s Troy Hill and John Johnson III, LB Anthony Walker, former 2014 No.1 pick in DE Jadeveon Clowney and sees the possible return of CB Greedy Williams and S Grant Delpit, and the 2021 Browns defense has the makings of something terrifyingly special.
Special as in wreaking havoc on opposing QB’s as well and stopping the run.
With all due respect and deepest apologies to current starters in Mack Wilson and Simone Takitaki, but with all of the off-season additions made by the front office, they could both be finding themselves fighting for their jobs come training camp.
Personally, I hope that I am wrong, as I like both of them, but the NFL is a business, and it’s all about the better man winning.
Regardless of what happens, steel sharpens steel, and with the Browns having arguably one of the best drafts over the weekend, the addition of Owusu-Koramoah should only raise the level of play this coming season, as Cleveland was the smoothest of criminals in scoring the biggest bounty for their suddenly dangerous defense.