Browns sign 11 undrafted rookies

Sashi Brown must have really meant it when he said he is satisfied with the Browns’ receiving corps.

Wow — EVP of Football Operations Sashi Brown must have really meant it when after the draft he said he is satisfied with the Browns’ receiving corps.

The Browns on May 4 announced signing 11 undrafted rookies. Nine play defense. Four are defensive backs, three are linebackers and two play on the defensive line. One is an offensive lineman and one a tight end, but no wide receivers. The Browns made 10 draft choices without selecting a wide receiver.

Wide receiver Mitchell Shegos, from Notre Dame College, will be at the rookie minicamp that begins May 12 in Berea as a rookie invitee. Shegos, 6-foot-2, 200 pounds, caught 258 passes for 3,300 yards and 30 touchdowns over three seasons.

Topping the list of the 11 signed undrafted rookies is cornerback Channing Stribling from Michigan. NFLFDraftScout.com projected him as a fifth-round pick and ranked him 24th in this year’s cornerback class.

Stribling, 6-foot-1, 188 pounds, started 13 games for the Wolverines in 2016. He made 28 tackles, deflected 17 passes and intercepted four. His passes defended and interceptions were team highs.

“He is tall and long with the vertical speed and arm length to take away passing lanes and when he’s locked in, he looks like a future NFL starter,” Dane Brugler of NFLDraftScout.com. “However, Stribling tends to guess a lot and savvy receivers are easily able to create spacing at the top of routes, causing Stribling to grab and attract penalties. With his inexperience, Stribling is still very raw and projects to the NFL as a developmental press-corner who will need a patient coaching staff to stay on the roster.”

Fifty-six defensive backs, a number that includes safeties with cornerbacks, were drafted in 2017.

Here are brief bios on the other undrafted rookies signed:

• Jamal Marcus, defensive lineman, Akron: Marcus, 6-foot-1, 240 pounds, started 14 of 18 career games for the Zips. He made 46 career tackles with 18 tackles for loss and four sacks. He might be a linebacker in the NFL.

• B.J. Bello, linebacker, Illinois State: Bello, 6-foot-2, 229 pounds, started 11 of 12 games. He made 67 sacks, six sacks and two forced fumbles.

• Josh Boutte, offensive lineman, LSU: Boutte, 6-foot-4, 351 pounds, started 12 of 44 games at right guard and blocked for running back Leonard Fournette, the fourth overall pick in 2017.

• Ladell Fleming, linebacker, Northern Illinois: Fleming, 6-foot, 230 pounds, started 13 of 47 games played. He made 104 tackles with seven sacks and two forced fumbles.

• J.D. Harmon, defensive back, Kentucky: Harmon, 6-foot, 196 pounds, made the team as a walkon and ended up starting as a freshman. He made 120 tackles and picked off seven passes.

• Alvin Hill, defensive back, Maryland: Hill, 6-foot, 201 pounds, totaled 106 tackles with 11 pass break-ups and three interceptions while starting 17 of 47 games.

• Taylor McNamara, tight end, USC: McNamara, 6-foot-5, 251 pounds, started 26 of 27 games for the Trojans. He caught 24 passes for 194 yards and five touchdowns. He might be a blocking tight end in the NFL. NFLDraftScout. com ranked him 25th in this year’s tight end class.

• Kai Nacua, defensive back, BYU: Nacua, 6-foot, 205, posted good numbers. He started 26 of 46 games and intercepted 14 passes, returning two for touchdowns. He made 164 tackles and broke up 13 passes.

• Kenneth Olugbode, linebacker, Colorado: Olugbude is light for a linebacker at 6-foot, 222 pounds. Still, he started 36 of 41 games and made 299 tackles with 10 pass break-ups, five fumble recoveries and three interceptions.

• Karter Schult, defensive lineman, Northern Iowa: Schult, 6-foot-3, 258 pounds, played in 51 games. He led the FCS with 17 sacks in in 2016. He had 15 sacks as a junior in 2015. He had 56 tackles for loss in his career. Schult is ranked 48th among edge rushers by NFLDraftScout.com.