5 2023 NFL Draft Prospects I Want for Browns
Every year, people, whether they are part of a team, media or fans finds themselves enamored with a player. The prospect they would pound the table for, so to speak. I am no different and throughout this process there are a handful of players that I want on my team. As I am still several billion dollars short, maybe they can end up on the Cleveland Browns.
Regardless of how anyone consumes the game of football, they develop an idea of how the game should be played. Everyone's idea of what that looks like is going to be different. These five players stand out to me not only because of their talent but because of how they play the game. There's no guarantee they will last until 74th pick, but I'd be thrilled if the Browns took any of the five.
Tank Bigsby, RB Auburn
Bigsby possesses so many ways to defeat opponents, so he can keep opponents off balance and be a problem solver. Whether he just sticks his foot in the ground or jump cuts, even against the highest levels of competition, Bigsby can make opponents miss and crumpling to the ground. He also has the power to run through arm tackles and finish runs with power.
In that sense, Bigsby is reminiscent of Nick Chubb. He's just not as polished and buttoned up in how he runs the way Chubb does nor is Bigsby the same caliber of athlete. Still, part of what makes Chubb so special in addition to his vision and preparation is the fact he can win with speed, agility and power, often some or all of them in the same run. Bigsby has that in his game.
Calling Auburn's offense in 2022 mediocre is being kind. If Bigsby wasn't carrying them, they weren't going anywhere. Opponents knew it, knew that if they could stop Bigsby, they would down down the Tigers. They still struggled.
76 percent of Bigsby's rushing yards were after contact and he became increasingly accustomed to having to defeat defenders in the backfield. Those skills should prove valuable at the next level, preparing him to be a dynamic creator.
Bigsby has experience as a pass catcher and was effective in that capacity. His transition to running after the catch is smooth and he's a huge threat in the open field. At times, he's impatience and tries to force things that aren't there and he has had some fumbles by carrying the ball loose.
Jonathan Mingo, WR Ole Miss
There's so much to love about Mingo. He's big, physical and smart. The Rebels lined him up all over their offensive formations. Operating out of the slot or even as a wing, he blurs the line between a power slot and F. Mingo showed to be a high-effort blocker and wasn't afraid to take on bigger defenders. He strikes me as someone who wants to win and his statistics are a distant second.
Mingo is the latest in the line of offensive weapons that find themselves doing everything in Lane Kiffin's offense. The Browns have two past incarnations including tight end Harrison Bryant and fellow receiver and Rebel Elijah Moore.
Mingo's production isn't great. There's simply no getting around it. It's a hole in his resume. There are certainly areas he can improve in his game in terms of his starts and route running, but at nearly 6'2" 220 pounds, Mingo represents a good possession receiver who will fight for extra yards. Still, he does have the speed to threaten opponents over the top and that could keep opponents honest as well as create space for the entire offense.
I don't think he's the next A.J. Brown, but I don't think he needs to be. That doesn't mean he can't be a good player in the way that Juju Smith-Schuster was for the Kansas City Chiefs this past year; a player who excels in the middle of the field.
Brenton Strange, TE Penn State
Strange is an H-back that always gives a little more. He will lead block, pass protect and then go out and catch passes. Not only has he shown the ability to make contested catches but when he has space, he is able to avoid tackles. Strong enough to run through a tackler and quick enough to make someone miss, Strange also has speed to eat up chunks of yardage in the open field.
The biggest issue for Strange is production. He made the most of the opportunities he had and tied for the team lead in receiving touchdowns (5), but the raw yardage isn't there. Perhaps the Nittany Lions should've gotten Strange the ball more since he had 32 receptions on 38 opportunities with one drop. In his career at Penn State, the quarterback rating when targeting Strange was 129.1.
Strange is the type of player that teams keep finding ways to utilize even if it's not necessarily a featured role. I expect him to be a player who consistently makes contributions that make fans happy to have him on the team. A reception to keep a drive moving, a key block to open up a running lane or a play on special teams.
Tuli Tuipulotu, DL USC
Tuipulotu plays the game with passion and ferocity. USC had one of the worst defenses in the country and outside of safety Calen Bullock, had little in terms of standout talent. Even with the knowledge that they had to find a way to avoid letting Tuipulotu beat them, he wouldn't be denied.
Tuipulotu has a high missed tackle rate, which isn't good, but he was still one of the most productive defensive players in the country. He has heavy hands and was devastating in terms of destroying blocks. Tuipulotu would simply knock opponents arms out of his way or drive the opponent into the quarterback's lap.
He was able to produce from every position on the defensive line this past season and even played 60 snaps of off-ball linebacker for some reason. Tuipulotu will be criticized for stiff hips and there's questions about his speed, which unfortunately were never answered in athletic testing. For all the things he can't do, he consistently outclassed opponents with a combination of power and quickness and he won't celebrate his 21st birthday until September.
Jakorian Bennett, CB Maryland
This corner class is loaded. And in searching for a corner that could be a good fit to play in the slot, one player I came across who I love is Maryland's Jakorian Bennett, the team's other terrific corner. Deonte Banks is projected to go in the first or early second round while opinions on Bennett are all over the place.
Bennett possesses elite athleticism, but he's a corner with a chip on his shoulder. He plays with a physicality that I always appreciate at the position. Corner is a position that needs to be able to cover, but everyone on defense needs to be able to tackle and Bennett is someone who does it with gusto.
Bennett can show some inconsistency. He can be handsy and draw some penalties, but he competes to the bitter end whether on defense or special teams. The hope is he can clean up some of the other elements while maintaining the physicality and competitiveness that makes him such an attractive prospect.
A zero star recruit with poor ACT scores, Bennett had to play JUCO in Kansas before making the move to Maryland. He has not only achieved on the field but earned his degree in family science.
At the Reese's Senior Bowl when his team ran low on free safeties, Bennett jumped in and took reps there. Instead of being worried about how it would look, Bennett saw another chance to compete and show teams who he is as a person. I want as many of those types of players on my football team as I can get.
Bennett to me is a player that has the ability to play outside but could thrive inside playing in the slot. Utilize his aggressiveness to make plays at or behind the line of scrimmage. And let him compete all the way down the field.
