Ideal team-prospect fits for the 2021 NFL Draft

NFL Team: Cleveland Browns – Zaven Collins, LB, Tulsa

Zaven Collins

The Browns have put together one of the best rosters in the NFL, which is why they just won their first playoff game in the last two and a half decades.

There has been a lot of talk about Odell Beckham Jr. potentially getting traded, but assuming he’s back, as I look through this roster, they should continue investing into the defenses. The only two positions I see where they should upgrade compared to last season are cornerback and linebacker.

Since they just invested a second-round pick in Greedy Williams last year and he is still an up-and-coming player, they need to see how he develops. Moreover, there won’t be one of the top three corners available around the range they pick in most likely (they own the 26th pick right now).

They should address the second level of their defense. Tulsa’s Zaven Collins, for me, will most likely be a top 20 prospect. The way he can fly around and make plays all over the field at 260 pounds is just mind-boggling.

The unanimous Chuck Bednarik selection has a quick trigger against the run, reading his keys, and unlike most college backers today, he can actually de-construct blocks and shoot gaps. With four interceptions last season, he has plenty of production and passes as well.

Collins has really done everything from rushing the passer as the end-man at the line to sinking deep from the middle linebacker spot. All three of Cleveland’s current starters in the base are replaceable, so you could make the rookie fit no matter how you want to pair them up.

But I think putting him right in the heart of that defense at MIKE and letting him roam would make a lot of sense in the physical AFC North. For me, the Browns’ biggest challenger in that division is Baltimore, and Collins is capable of dealing with all the pulling linemen they may send at him and at the same time limit the damage Lamar Jackson can do as a scrambler.