Cleveland Browns Comprehensive NFL Draft Review: Jordan Elliott, DT Missouri
After trading down from 74th pick to 88th pick, adding a third round pick from the New Orleans Saints in 2021, the Cleveland Browns selected Jordan Elliott, defensive tackle from Missouri. Elliott started his career at the University of Texas before transferring to Missouri.
The year he spent unable to play due to the transfer, Elliott was named the scout team defensive player of the year and lifter year of the year by the Missouri football program. The following season, he changed his body, dropping 30 pounds, to make himself faster.
Elliott was named a 2019 1st-Team All-American by Pro Football Focus. His 91.4 pass grade from PFF is the highest a defensive tackle has graded since 2017.
Athletic Profile
Age: 22 (Born November 23rd, 1997)
Height: 6'3 7/8"
Weight: 308 lbs
40-yard dash: 5.02s
Broad Jump: DNP
Vertical Jump: 27.5"
3-cone: DNP
Shuttle: 4.73s
Bench: 24 reps
Jim Cobern @Jimetrics
Elliot's speed relative to his weight is good for the position. The issue for him is he's missing a big component in explosion, having not done the broad jump. His flexibility is impacted by not having done the three-cone. His vertical jump is solid. As for his shuttle, he did well, especially in this year's field where so many tested really poorly due to the format. Measuring his ankle flexibility and quickness, this is something that can be seen on tape with Elliott as he's good at staying square and sliding laterally.
Had he done the broad jump and three-cone and had pretty average results, it would be interesting to see how much of a difference that made for his overall profile. It may have simply affirmed the he has the athletic profile to be a starter.
Production
2019
Solo Tackles: 30 (6.7%)
Tackles for Loss: 8.5 (13.7%)
Sacks: 2.5 (13.1%)
From a production standpoint, the low sack number jumps out and while he does generate pressure as a pass rusher, that's an area he can hopefully improve going to the NFL. He defeats blocks and can get after the quarterback and he just needs to finish more of those plays. Missouri as a whole did not generate many sacks as a team, so his market share isn't as low as it might have been. That's the number that holds back his profile overall.
Meanwhile, Elliott's solo tackle market share is outstanding. And on tape, he finds his way to the ball quite a bit as a run defender and is a consistent tackler. His tackle for loss number is also good. If he could have generated more sacks, he might have a Pro Bowl profile, but his profile is that of a long term starter.
Jim Cobern @Jimetrics
Game Tape
Everything with Jordan Elliott starts with his power game. He's got terrific strength for the position and with what can be a great first step, he can generate momentum quickly. His initial punch can jolt opponents and put them at an immediate disadvantage, but he also has good leg drive, able to work opposing linemen into the backfield.
Elliott has a good push pull move to get off blocks, particularly in the running game. And one of the things he does at a really high level is finding the ball by looking through the blocker, so he can plan how he wants to disengage to make a play. It allows him to work toward the ball as well as timing his attempt to disengage from the block to make the play.
Isolated on a single blocker, Elliott can be incredibly difficult to block and that's what he's aiming to do. When he can get into the chest of an offensive lineman, he's in great shape to win the play. Where Elliott runs into issues is dealing with blockers coming from angles, notably down blocks. Whether it's a straight down block scheme or more often a double team with the second player down blocking on him, Elliott can get jolted off balance and driven off the ball. At times, it's bad enough where he will simply get driven into the ground.
For the most part, Elliott plays with good pad level, able to play with good leverage maximizing his power. Occasionally, when it appears he's battling fatigue, he can end up playing taller, which can exacerbate his issue with taking on down blocks.
Although it's more pertinent to his pass rushing, occasionally Elliott will take advantage of opposing linemen overplaying his bull rush to take on his strength and simply use his quickness to slip past them into the backfield.
When it comes to the pass rush, Elliott is looking to use power to set up a second move for the most part. Drive the opponent into the backfield to then work to the quarterback or get the opponent off balance to then finish him with a rip or swim move, to then attack the passer.
That disruptive ability to collapse the pocket should have generated plenty of opportunities for teammates to finish plays, but they just weren't talented enough to take advantage and there were any number of situations where quarterbacks evacuated the pocket to extend the play or simply scrambled forward. And there are times when Elliott demands a double team in pass protection, is still able to generate movement.
On occasion, Elliott will find himself struggling to generate movement and gets frustrated. In those moments, he may utilize a pretty mediocre wide spin move to try to get off the block. The next time it makes a difference may well be the first. His closing speed is largely average, but he makes the most of his opportunities to hit the quarterback.
Fit, Usage and Projection with the Browns
The Browns are going to have Jordan Elliott play the three-tech, creating a Missouri Tiger tandem with Sheldon Richardson. Elliott is there to earn reps and create a spot in a rotation to be able to give Richardson a break and keep the quality of the defensive line at a high level. The challenge for Elliott is simply due to the amount of reps Richardson typically plays, around 70 percent over the course of a season.
Elliott has the ability to bolster the pass rush as well as giving them another player that can contribute against the run. Depending on which one he does better in the NFL early on may impact his role with the team in an effort to maximize Richardson's impact.
Elliott projects to have a top end of being a good long term starter in the NFL. He might end up good enough to flirt with the Pro Bowl, but he's more than capable of being a good NFL player.
The Rest of The Browns 2020 Draft Class:
