2017 NFL Draft: Browns trade up to pick No. 126, select CB Howard Wilson
April 29, 20172017 NFL Draft: Browns select DL Caleb Brantley with pick No. 185
April 29, 2017The Cleveland Browns made their fourth trade of the draft, moving up in the fifth round to select offensive tackle Roderick Johnson of Florida State with pick No. 160. Cleveland traded No. 181 (fifth round) and No. 188 (sixth round) to the New York Jets for this selection and No. 224 (seventh round). The Browns did not have a great need on the offensive line, but the value of Johnson was too hard to pass up. He is my fifth-rated offensive tackle and one with a lot of upside. Here is my breakdown of the newest Brown:
Roderick Johnson has the ideal size that teams would love to have in their left tackle. He stands at 6-foot-7, 298 pounds with incredible 36-inch arms. His length is his greatest asset. When he uses his full arm extension, rushers have an extremely tough time getting away from him. The Florida State lineman can latch onto defenders and can be very hard to get away from, sustaining the block until the play is away from him. His arms unload a lot of power and strength, especially in the run game. He can lay a powerful initial punch that takes the defender back and off his spot. He can drive players off their spot and create holes for the run game. He has solid snap reaction paired with good initial quickness to make the first move against the rusher. At his size, he is a solid athlete with the ability to shuffle his feet back into pass protection. He also can get to the second level to block down field. Overall, his size and length are tough to get around, allowing some wiggle room to recover if initially beaten.
But, Johnson is also a work in process. He is a leaner. He has a tendency to get his upper body ahead of his feet, causing some balance issues. He struggles with balance in pass protection. He can over shuffle to the outside, allowing defenders to beat him inside because of his weight is focused on the outside. Along the same lines, Johnson is a little stiff in the hips. This hurts his ability to change directions and shift to block a player on the other side of his body. His feet are choppy with short shuffles. His short shuffle can cause him to over compensate, leading him to shuffle his feet too quickly to try and stay ahead of the rusher, leaving him susceptible to the inside counter move. I think he also does not have the fluid and quick shuffle to face the top speed rushers on the edge. Lastly, he can improve his arm usage, more consistently keep his arms extending and at the right spot on defenders. Nevertheless, he has the length and strength to be a right tackle in the NFL with some more development.
The Browns are taking Johnson for his high upside. His size, 6-foot-7, 298 pounds, and solid athleticism at that size makes him a possible NFL left tackle. But, he is extremely raw and far from a finished product, but has plenty of veterans he can learn from on the Browns. Johnson will add more depth to the Browns offensive tackle depth chart, which is always a good thing. They continue the trend of picking high upside players, after picking Howard Wilson earlier in the day.
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