Pro Days will take on an extra level of importance in 2021 because of the lack of a traditional NFL Combine.
The showcases, held on campuses all across the country, will provide teams with their only opportunity to see prospects go through the kinds of workouts you'd typically see at the Combine. These happen every year, of course, but there likely will be an uptick in player participation. Often, top prospects will stand on the times and measurements they posted at the Combine rather than go through the same exercises a second time and risk performing at a lower level or suffering an injury.
Teams are limited to three representatives at each of the Pro Days, but video of the events will be readily available even if the team doesn't send any representatives to a specific school's showcase.
Browns EVP of Football Operations and GM Andrew Berry has maintained from the very beginning the Browns won't make any excuses when it comes to all of the adjustments to the NFL's offseason calendar. The rules are the same for everyone, and the Browns have gone through this once before.
"We went through a whole spring where it was virtual really on the fly mid-process. Now at this point, all of us know how to use Zoom. All of us know how to use Zoom and FaceTime," Berry said. "The reality of the combine is you are still going to get the medical information. The league has done a nice job in really organizing that. We did a ton of player virtual interviews last spring. It seems like that will continue into this year. We will be able to ascertain the physical measurable data that we need.
"I do not see any reason that we can't work through the spring, again have a nice process in place and have a high-quality draft."
Pro Days were largely a casualty of the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Most teams pulled their player personnel staff from the road by the midpoint of March and Pro Days scheduled for the second half of the month were canceled.
Now, with a modified Senior Bowl and no NFL Combine, they take center stage.
The schedule really gets going Tuesday and features a handful of major schools lined up for the remaining weekdays in March. We've highlighted some of the ones Browns fans may want to monitor a little more closely than the others.
March 9
- Kansas State
- Northwestern - CB Greg Newsome II has been projected as a possible pick for the Browns at No. 26. He was among two defensive backs Mel Kiper Jr. singled out as an option for Cleveland in a recent conference call.
- Wisconsin-Whitewater
March 10
- Arkansas
- Marshall
- Maryland
- Northern Illinois
- Wisconsin
March 11
- Clemson
- Nevada
- New Mexico
- Texas
March 12
- Arkansas State
- North Dakota State
- Oklahoma
March 15
- Army
- Kent State
- Middle Tennessee
- Vanderbilt
March 16
- Georgia Tech
- Temple
March 17
- Arizona
- Georgia - Edge rusher Azeez Ojulari recorded 8.5 sacks in 2020 and is pegged by many as a late first-round option for teams looking to beef up their pass rush.
- Illinois
- Pittsburgh
- San Jose State
March 18
- Auburn
- Buffalo
- Central Arkansas
- Louisiana Tech
- Louisiana-Monroe
- Stanford
- Troy
- West Virginia
March 19
- Memphis
- Ohio
- TCU - Trevon Moehrig, considered by many to be the top safety in this year's draft, could be available when the Browns are on the clock with the 26th pick.
March 22
- Air Force
- Bowling Green
- Colorado
- Colorado State
- Florida State
- Iowa
- Missouri
- Toledo
March 23
- Alabama - Third-year DT Christian Barmore has been routinely projected to the Browns at No. 26. He was the Defensive MVP in the national championship.
- Central Michigan
- Iowa State
- Nebraska
- Purdue
March 24
- Michigan State
- Mississippi State
- South Carolina - CB Jaycee Horn, son of former NFL WR Joe Horn, is among the top-ranked defensive backs available in this year's draft.
- USC
- Virginia
March 25
- Georgia Southern
- Liberty
- Massachusetts
- Mississippi
- North Texas
- Penn State - Two Nittany Lions defensive players — Jayson Oweh and Micah Parsons — have been projected to the Browns in recent mock drafts. Parsons was among the first prominent players to opt out for the 2020 season.
- San Diego State
- SMU
- Tennessee
- Western Michigan
March 26
- Boston College
- BYU
- Michigan - DL Kwity Paye has been projected as high as a top-10 pick and as low as No. 26 to the Browns.
- South Dakota State
- Virginia Tech
March 29
- Arizona State
- Duke
- Louisiana-Lafayette
- Miami - The Hurricanes have two pass rushers to watch. Gregory Rousseau opted out for 2020 after posting 15.5 sacks in 2019. Jaelan Phillips, a UCLA transfer, had eight sacks this past season.
- Miami (Ohio)
- North Carolina
- Washington State
March 30
- Alabama
- East Carolina
- Florida Atlantic
- Louisville
- North Carolina State
- Ohio State - It's another loaded class of Buckeyes but only one — QB Justin Fields — is routinely projected as a first-round pick. LB Baron Browning and DB Shaun Wade are among a number of Ohio State players projected as Day 2 players.
- Texas A&M
- Tulane
- Washington
March 31
- Baylor
- Boise State
- Florida
- Kentucky
- LSU - The Browns have drafted three LSU players in the past two seasons. The Tigers' top prospect in this year's draft — WR Ja'Marr Chase — did not play in 2020.
- Notre Dame - LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koromoah is just 215 pounds but is coming off a season in which he won the Butkus Award and is projected as a mid-to-late first-round pick.
- Wake Forest
April 1
- Appalachian State
- Minnesota
- North Carolina-Charlotte
- Oklahoma State
- Oregon State
- South Florida
- UCF
- Western Kentucky
April 2
- Indiana
- Oregon
- Tulsa - LB Zaven Collins has been one of the most popularly projected players to the Browns at No. 26. Collins is set to become just the second player in Tulsa history to be a first-round pick.
April 7
- Texas Tech
April 9
- Ball State
- Houston
- Rice
- UAB
