The third day of the NFL draft is all about finding potential. Browns GM Andrew Berry and his scouting staff landed several players with high long-term potential in the final four rounds of this weekend’s 2021 NFL draft.
The Day 3 haul
James Hudson, OT, Cincinnati – 4th round
Tommy Togiai, DT, Ohio State – 4th round
Tony Fields, LB, West Virginia – 5th round
Richard LeCounte, S, Georgia – 5th round
Demetric Felton, WR, UCLA – 7th round
As an entire class, it’s a day focused on players who likely will only play on special teams as rookies. Hudson is a developmental tackle who needs seasoning; he began college as a defensive tackle at Michigan before switching to offense for the Bearcats. Even though he’s the first of the Saturday picks, he’s the least likely to play outside of special teams in 2021.
Togiai fills the need for depth on the interior defensive line, where the depth chart has been rocked with upheaval. He has the upside to play in the rotation and eventually start.
The final three picks are all about special teams. That is not at all meant as disrespect to the trio, because the Browns sorely need help filling several holes left by player departures from the special teams core group. Fields seems a natural fit to take over the Tae Davis role, while LeCounte can plug the hole left behind by Tavierre Thomas. Felton could win the return gig right away.
Overall, it’s a group that might not have a lot of impact outside of special teams in 2021. The Browns didn’t need more than that. Hudson, LeCounte and Togiai could become more important players on the offense and defense in time, too. They could have gone for more immediate impact at wide receiver or cornerback but that wasn’t the focus. A developmental QB might have been nice but certainly wasn’t something the Browns needed, either.
Grade: B
