Vice President LeBron James steps up his players’ union participation
July 22, 2015CC & Bartolo: Weighing Their Careers
July 22, 2015Think of it like the first day of school—except not really at all, because half of the freshmen are over 300 pounds and there are quizzes about formations instead of fractions. Today, the Cleveland Browns’ 2015 rookie class reports to Berea for its first day of training camp.
The Browns’ 12 overall draft picks were the most in the NFL,1 and with a draft class that big comes big expectations—especially in the mind of head coach Mike Pettine. “You talk about guys that are competitive, guys that are relentless, guys that are tough—that’s why we picked these guys,” he said in May.
“Relentless” and “tough” is exactly what training camp will be like for first-year players like Danny Shelton, Cameron Erving, Nate Orchard, and Duke Johnson, who will have to pass a grueling conditioning test and thorough playbook quiz, as well as go through extensive meetings with assistant coaches. According to the Browns, that’s where the groundwork for the 2015 season, which kicks off September 13 against the New York Jets, begins.
Even though Shelton missed all of OTAs (organized team activities) while he finished his coursework at the University of Washington, the Browns expect the 12th overall pick to make an impact with 339 pounds of playmaking ability and contagious work ethic.
“He has all the talent in the world,” defensive line coach Anthony Weaver said of Shelton. “He is a ball guy. He’s a guy that conscientiously takes the mindset every day of getting on the field and getting better. That’s what you love about him.”
[Related: An NFL scout’s take on the Browns draft]
Erving, on the other hand, was tasked by the Browns to learn all five positions on the offensive line—a challenge that entails intense memorization of the team’s playbook.
“It’s a little more taxing (learning all the positions) but I love it,” Erving said. “I love the process, every moment of it. I don’t really think of it in a negative way, but more of ‘hey, what can I do?’ The more value I have, the more I add to the team.”
And, while the Browns expect Erving to bring depth to the O-line, they expect Orchard may find his fit as a pure pass rusher. “He’s going to be a great fit in the locker room. I watched his press conference. You guys can see the charisma there,” defensive coordinator Jim O’Neil said. “He’s dynamic against the pass. He knows how to get to the quarterback.”
Meanwhile, Johnson, who impressed the coaching staff early on, spent time during OTAs and mini-camp at wide receiver, was used in two-running back shotgun formations and returned kicks. “I think we’ve all seen what he can bring—the explosiveness and how we can turn a handoff or a short pass into a significant gain with a back like that,” Pettine said. (Johnson would surely bump his Madden rating up a few points with those sorts of plays.)
Other rookies arriving today include defensive lineman Xavier Cooper, safety Ibraheim Campbell, wide receiver Vince Mayle, cornerback Charles Gaines, fullback Malcolm Johnson, tight end Randall Telfer, linebacker Hayes Pullard, cornerback Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, tight ends E.J. Bibbs and Kevin Haplea, wide receivers Shane Wynn and Darius Jennings, running back Luke Lundy, offensive lineman Darrian Miller, outside linebacker Mike Reilly, cornerback De’Ante Saunder and defensive linemen Dylan Wynn and Tory Slater.
Browns rookies will go through 14 training camp practices, an Orange and Brown scrimmage at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, two joint practices in Rochester with the Bills, and four preseason games.
“I can’t wait,” Shelton said. “Let’s get the ball rolling.”
(We can’t wait, either, Danny. And I like you already.)
- Only Jacksonville was also in double-digits, with 10 rookies. [↩]
14 Comments
Foooootbaaaallll!!!!
Not sure I like Erving learning all five positions on the OL. Part of Bitonio’s immediate 2014 success was that the coaches put him at LG (between JoeT & Mack) and let him focus.
Then again, if Erving does wind up at center, then knowing all the positions helps make the OL calls. So, slower ramp for larger future gains perhaps.
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My resident ACC football expert says he’ll take Greco’s spot.
I agree with him. Erving should be better than Greco at RG, which is why it concerns me that they are overloading him by learning all the positions.
And, if Bowie is back to form and beats out Schwartz…not only is the OL better, but Greco + Schwartz would be 2 of the best backup OL in the NFL.
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Erving to start at RG is my prediction. Greco goes to bench as backup.
Agreed.
Coming from a Ravens fan, I thought the Browns had an excellent draft. The team is stockpiled. Game is won in the trenches. OL looks superb. Shelton reminds me of Haloti Ngata. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him get DROY. Not to mention the value they got in the later rounds. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Duke Johnson get OROY. They were knocked for not taking a WR earlier but brought in two FA WRs that should be able to carry the load. Browns season rests on how well McCown can play. Pettine is a good coach. I felt like the Browns got value in about every round of the draft. This draft was loaded with talent. Right now, the Browns are keeping up with the rest of the teams in the AFCN. I made a bold prediction that the Browns would sweep the Steelers. Steelers defense is in rebuild. Steelers and Bengals have a tough schedule. Steelers are counting on Big Ben to carry the load. Ravens-Browns games are always a dogfight of late. Twelve draft picks and Farmer didn’t waste many. The only flaw I saw was when the Bills took the TE they wanted. Browns are solid at OL, DL, Secondary, RB, LB. WR isn’t bad but TE depth needs fixed and a franchise QB is a must. Manziel is a bust. McCown isn’t the answer.
Steelers only wish they could draft like Ozzie. Marvin Lewis is good at defensive talent. If Dalton struggles, Bengals could have a new QB with McCarron. I thought he was an excellent value 5th round pick in 2014. Bengals didn’t do much in 2015 draft IMO. They drafted two future OL with their 1st picks. Looking at what the Ravens and Browns and supposedly the Steelers are bringing to the table on defense, whoever is the Bengals QB will need help in the trenches. John Harbaugh has taken over the team post Ray Lewis and Ed Reed and doing an excellent job.
I thought Erving was the most versatile OL in the draft and capable of being a decent starter at any position. And Shelton the 2nd best DL behind Leonard Williams. And Duke Johnson was possibly 1st round talent. Not bad for the 1st three picks. Not bad at all. That doesn’t include the rest of them. That’s a lot of young talent. Browns will put an eyeball on future QB prospects. I guess the Browns stayed away from the supplemental draft.
Forsett will have a breakout year. Not LeVeon Bell. Bernard and Hill will be solid but nothing special. I think Duke Johnson makes a big impact as a rookie. To beat the best you have to be the best. You have to keep up with the teams in your division. Browns are doing just that. A big part of the Ravens season rests on how well their 1st pick Perriman can play. Unless another WR can step up like Aiken or Butler. But Trestman will get production from other positions and players. Ravens offense should be unique this year.
I think the Titans and Mariotta are an up and coming team. Maybe that along with Luck and JJ Watt, the AFCS can earn some respect. Jaguars still suck. AFCE is much improved. Especially defensively. Tammy Brady has to earn it now.