Defense adds speed in Day 3 of NFL draft

Day 3 of the NFL draft was about adding depth on both sides of the ball, defense speed, special teams.

Day 3 of the NFL draft was about adding depth on both sides of the ball, adding more speed on defense and bolstering special teams for the Browns.

The Browns used pick 106 overall on May 1 on offensive tackle James Hudson from the University of Cincinnati and then took defensive tackle Tommy Togiai from Ohio State at 132.

Linebacker Tony Fields II from the University of West Virginia after transferring from Arizona was selected with the 153rd pick. He is 6-foot, 222 pounds. Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, taken by the Browns on April 30 with the 52nd pick, is 6-1 1/2, 221 pounds.

Georgia safety Richard LaCounte was taken at 169. The Browns concluded their portion of the draft by taking UCLA running back Demetric Felton with the 211th overall pick.

The Browns are emphasizing speed over size in their linebackers to counter the way offenses are evolving.

“(Fields) is explosive and rangy,” Browns national scout Charles Walls said on a Zoom call. “He gets sideline to sideline in both phases (run and pass). He gives us tremendous flexibility and versatility in our linebacker corps.

“He and Jeremiah both can run. We want guys that can cover the field and take stress off the first level and third level. They both do that.”

Getting faster on defense was a priority this offseason. They signed safety John Johnson III and slot corner Troy Hill in free agency with that goal in mind and took the same approach in the draft. The Browns are unconcerned that neither Owusu-Koramoah nor Fields are prototypical linebackers.

“If you watch successful teams, especially when they get into the playoffs, if you look at Tampa last year, they had no lack of speed or lack of range anywhere on defense,” Walls said. “The more you can add to the group, the better. It can never hurt you having faster, more versatile players who can play football, hunt the ball and make plays.

“The one thing about these guys that we’ve taken and just our (linebacker) room in general, we’re violent. We’re going to be violent and explosive. When you watch these guys, I don’t think anyone would call them finesse players just because they have range. They do take off. They do hit and they seek that contact. So I don’t think (being undersized) is going to be a problem.”

Fields has heard the criticism about his size. In fact, it is the first of seven items listed under “weaknesses” on the Fields scouting report compiled by NFL.com draft analyst Lance Zierlein.

“Everybody called me undersized or whatever you want to say about it, but I don’t think of myself like that, and I for sure don’t play like that,” Fields said. “I never will play like I’m undersized.

“I love the fact that (Browns) coaches are buying in. The whole league is eventually going to have to buy into these passing-coverage linebackers because the league is getting faster and it’s becoming more and more of a passing game.”

Hudson will be behind tackles Jack Conklin and Jedrick Wills. He is happy to learn from them and replace Kendall Lamm (Lamm signed with Tennessee) as the swing tackle.

Togia, 6-foot-1, 296 pounds, is part of a defensive tackle rotation that includes Jordan Elliott, Malik Jackson and Andrew Billings. The Browns have not closed the door on re-signing Sheldon Richardson. Richardson was released last month to create about $11 million in salary cap room.

Togiai fits the quickeris-better-than-bigger type players the defense is being built around.

“I think the thing I do best is being physical at the point of attack, using my hands and being able to lock out O linemen, especially in the run game,” Togiai said on a Zoom call after being picked by the Browns. “The stuff I’ve been working on this offseason in my pass rush is using my hands better, using some more moves and incorporating more moves that I can use.”

Mel Kiper and the other ESPN analysts who dissected every draft pick by every team said Togiai’s run defense is a weakness.

“He may be slightly undersized, but I don’t know why they would say he isn’t a good run player,” Browns Director of Player Personnel Dan Saganey said on Zoom. “We look for penetrating guys up front. We think he can do that, which is disruptive in the run game. He did come into his own this year with showing some power and some quickness coming off the ball.

“When you kind of pair him with the rest of the guys we have in our defensive line group, we’re always looking for quick, twitchy, explosive guys, and we think he fits that bill.”

Felton is 5-foot-9, 189 pounds. He is a hybrid receiver/running back capable of returning kicks. He could be an intriguing weapon used in multiple roles by head coach Kevin Stefanski and offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt.

The Browns made eight picks in the three-day draft, choosing five players on defense and three on offense. The took cornerback Greg Newsome from Northwestern with the 26th pick on April 29. They selected Owusu-Koramoah in the second round April 30 and wide receiver Anthony Schwartz with the 91st pick.