One of the final checkpoints of the 2021 NFL Draft calendar has nearly reached completion.
College pro days took center stage this offseason after the NFL moved almost all activities from its scouting combine to virtual settings. As a result, the measurables and pre-draft media interviews most prospects complete were spread out across March and the first days of April.
The Browns, set to make their first selection at pick No. 26, have monitored plenty of prospects. We've kept up with the pro days for players the Browns could potentially write on their first card of the draft, so here's a compilation of notable measurements, quotes and news from their workouts.
DE Azeez Ojulari, Georgia
Height: 6-foot-2
Weight: 249 pounds
40-yard dash: 4.62 seconds
Arm length: 34 inches
Broad jump: 10-7
Overview: Ojulari received positive reviews on his pro day performance and added to his draft stock as a versatile edge rusher. The Browns' front office placed priority on versatile players to add to their defense in free agency, so Ojulari — whom draft analysts believe can carve a lengthy career thanks to his rushing and pass coverage talents — could make some sense for the Browns at No. 26.
Quotable: "I feel like I'm the most bendy and versatile and I got the explosive first step. I can also drop in coverage, too. You're not just getting the pass rush out of me, you're getting all three downs. I can play all three downs." - Ojulari after his pro day
DE Kwity Paye, Michigan
Height: 6-2
Weight: 261 pounds
Wingspan: 78 inches
40-yard dash: 4.52
Vertical jump: 35.5 inches
Broad jump: 9-10
Overview: The current draft projections for Paye, who said in his pro day interview that he models his game after Browns defensive end Myles Garrett, have him falling somewhere in the middle of the first round — well before he could be available for the Browns — to the end of the first round. He's one of the biggest defensive ends with first-round projections.
Quotable: "He's fun to watch. They moved him all over the place on this Michigan defense — he has suddenness and burst off the line of scrimmage, and that was reflected in today's testing. Paye also has strength and power with which he plays. He can win outside with speed, but can also get up and underneath you as a tackle inside. He has the effort, motor and pursuit … and it's phenomenal." - NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah
DE Jayson Oweh, Penn State
Height: 6-5
Weight: 257 pounds
40-yard dash: 4.36 seconds
Vertical jump: 39.5 inches
Broad jump: 11-2
Overview: Oweh has been lauded as one of the "freaks" of the 2021 draft class, and his pro day, held last Thursday, further cemented that status. He generated some of the biggest buzz of any prospect after he recorded a sub-4.40 40-yard dash — an impressive time for any player regardless of position or size — and exemplified how he might hold the best speed-size combo of any player in the draft class. The Browns have previously valued speed as a top trait among players in their front seven, so don't be surprised if Oweh becomes more frequently mocked to the Browns after providing a huge pro-day boost to his stock.
Quotable: "This was Jayson Oweh's day. This was the best thing I heard about Oweh, and I heard it multiple times in essentially the same words: 'There are only a handful of people on the planet who can do what Jayson Oweh did today.' That resonates with the NFL. I promise you that." - NFL Network's Kim Jones, who was on site at Penn State's pro day
CB Greg Newsome II, Northwestern
Height: 6-0
Weight: 190 pounds
40-yard dash: 4.38 seconds
Vertical jump: 40 inches
Broad jump: 10-2
Overview: The Browns bolstered their cornerback room in free agency with the signing of Troy Hill, but drafting a CB in the first round is still a possibility. Newsome, who's been touted as one of the top cornerbacks of the class, could be one of them. His 40-yard time drew the most attention from his pro day and helped ease some of the concerns draft analysts have mentioned about his speed.
Quotable: "Fast corners have all the stuff that he has. You're talking about somebody that potentially could go in the top 15, top 20. I don't envision any chance he gets out of the first round based off what he's run and how he's played. I think that looming question about the speed, he answered that with a punctuation mark today with what he ran." - NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah
DE Jaelan Phillips, Miami
Height: 6-5
Weight: 260 pounds
40-yard dash: 4.56 seconds
Vertical jump: 36 inches
Broad jump: 10-5
Overview: When mock draft seasons began in early February, Phillips, who recorded eight sacks in 10 games for the Hurricanes in 2020, was a player most analysts predicted would be off the board by the Browns' 26th pick. Recently, however, Phillips' stock has appeared to fall, and he's been a slightly more common pick mocked to Cleveland. Now, his pro day could bump his stock back up, as Phillips' 40-yard time and vertical jump drew rave reviews.
Quotable: "Best edge rusher in this draft easily as far as pass rush package. Testing numbers today confirm he is an athletic freak show. Medical/durability is the question." - tweet from former Washington and Philadelphia Eagles executive and current ESPN analyst Louis Riddick
DE Gregory Rousseau, Miami
Height: 6-6
Weight: 266 pounds
40-yard dash: 4.68 seconds
Vertical jump: 30 inches
Broad jump: 9-7
Overview: Rousseau, the other Miami standout at defensive end, opted out of the 2020 season but is still projected as arguably the best edge rusher of the draft class. Similar to Phillips, he has also been widely projected to be off the board by the Browns' first-round pick, but his pro day didn't produce the same gaudy measurements that could significantly boost his stock. Rousseau built a 15-sack season in 2019, though, and still figures to be one of the first three defensive ends selected.
Quotable: "I don't have a lot of film, but I feel I showed a lot in the time that I did play. I also feel that I'm a very versatile athlete and I fit into a lot of schemes." - Rousseau after his pro day
DE Joseph Ossai, Texas
Height: 6-3
Weight: 256 pounds
40-yard dash: 4.63
Vertical jump: 41.5 inches
Broad jump: 10-11
Overview: Ossai has mostly been projected as a late first-rounder to an early Day 2 selection, but he registered a monster pro day that could convince a team to take him with their first pick. The Browns could be one of them. Other top defensive ends might have to fall off the board first for Cleveland to likely give Ossai heavy consideration, but his stock has certainly increased over the last month.
Quotable: "If you're a team that needs edge rush help and you miss out on the top-tier guys like Jaelan Phillips and Kwity Paye and you get into that second tier, the room for growth that Ossai has put on film and has at his disposal, you might really like that." - Mark Schofield from Touchdown Wire
CB Caleb Farley, Virginia Tech
Height: 6-2
Weight: 197 pounds
Overview: Farley, who has been regarded as one of the top cornerbacks of the draft class, did not participate in Virginia Tech's pro day last Friday after he underwent a back procedure earlier last week. Several recent mock drafts have expected his stock to slip as a result, with several analysts now pegging Farley to fall farther into the teens or even past pick No. 20.
It still seems unlikely that Farley, who opted out of the 2020 season but recorded four interceptions and 12 passes defensed for the Hokies in 2019, will be available for the Browns in the first round, but his status certainly will be worth monitoring. Farley fell 12 spots to No. 17 in Daniel Jeremiah's most recent top 50 prospects list and was previously his top-ranked cornerback of the draft class.
Quotable: "I truly tried to find a way where I'm not bitter about the situation or frustrated because as far as now, it's out of my control … If a team wants the best corner in the draft, they'll come find me." - Farley after Virginia Tech's pro day
DT Christian Barmore, Alabama
Height: 6-4
Weight: 310 pounds
40-yard dash: 4.93
Vertical jump: 34.5 inches
Broad jump: 9-10
Overview: Barmore is one of the only defensive tackles with a first-round grade from draft analysts in this year's class. He broke out in 2020 with an eight-sack season and recorded a sack in each of the Crimson Tide's two wins in the College Football Playoffs and is likely to be selected late in the first round or early on Day 2. The Browns don't have as high of a need for defensive tackle after signing Malik Jackson in free agency — they will also return Andrew Billings, who opted out of the 2020 season — but will still likely have some level of interest in the top interior defenders available in the draft class.
Quotable: "Attack-oriented defensive tackle with a big body, violent hands and the talent to work his way around blocks and find the football. Barmore tends to be in the lead and take control of a majority of reps. His hands and feet sing in harmony and allow him to stay active and free from attempts to sustain blocks against him. His hands are heavy and powerful but also sudden and efficient, which creates early win opportunities for him in the run game and as a pass rusher." - NFL.com's Lance Zierlein
DT Levi Onwuzurike, Washington
Height: 6-2
Weight: 290 pounds
40-yard dash: 4.85 seconds
Vertical jump: 30 inches
Broad jump: 9-1
Overview: Onwuzurike and Barmore appear to be the among the top two defensive tackles of the class. He'll could still be on the board for the Browns in the first round should they elect to upgrade the defensive tackle room, but Onwuzurike could also be a name to watch for the Browns on Day 2.
Quotable: "I'm the best D-tackle in the draft. So the best D-tackle in the draft should go in the first round … For me, my get off, my strong hands and my pass rush, those three alone easily separate me from all the others. A lot of those guys can't do what I do and I can do what they do. 100 percent, there's a big gap between us." - Onwuzurike after his pro day
DE Joe Tryon, Washington
Height: 6-5
Weight: 259 pounds
40-yard dash: 4.64 seconds
Vertical jump: 35 inches
Broad jump: 9-8
Overview: Tryon, who opted out of the 2020 season but registered eight sacks and 21 tackles in 2019, has become an increasingly popular prospect mocked to the Browns. He might not be a part of the top tier of defensive ends available in the draft class, but many analysts believe he'll be selected in the first round and could be one of several edge rushers the Browns could choose at pick No. 26.
Quotable: "He's got a huge ceiling, just the length, the size, his twitchiness. The guy can drop in coverage, cover a running back out of the backfield and he can definitely rush the passer. He is not even close to his ceiling. - Washington head coach Jimmy Lake to NFL Network reporter Michael Yam, who was on assignment in Seattle, Washington.
LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Notre Dame
Height: 6-1
Weight: 221 pounds
Broad jump: 10-4
Overview: Owusu-Koramoah has been mocked all over the first round since mock draft season began, but he's been a popular prediction for the Browns, who have placed a clear priority on speed for the linebacker position. Owusu-Koramoah has just that and exemplifies the leaner, faster linebacker body that has quickly gained more value in the NFL, which would make him a terrific fit in Cleveland. He didn't participate in the 40-yard dash due to hamstring tightness, but he's already considered one of the fastest linebackers of the class.
Quotable: "The Browns' culture is three words: tough, smart and accountable. Those are the three words verbatim that their coach recited to me. Those three virtues fit perfectly with who I am. The culture is important to me because I want to be able to move myself and cultivate myself to match what the team is looking for. With anything that is positive, I want to be able to adapt and be relatable to others and give that team what it ultimately needs."
LB Zaven Collins, Tulsa
Height: 6-4
Weight: 259 pounds
40-yard dash: 4.67 seconds
Vertical jump: 35 inches
Broad jump: 10-2
Overview: Collins has been a popular mock selection to the Browns because of his versatility — he built a successful college career as an off-ball linebacker and is also capable of playing as an edge rusher. His pro day could provide a slight bump in his draft stock, which has him projected to fall as a late first-round pick or early Day 2 selection, and he'd be a reasonable pick for the Browns, who coveted versatile players across their defense in free agency.
Quotable: "I've been in contact with the Browns a little bit. I love the organization. I love the program. I love all the coaches there. I think it's just one of those things like I have no choice. Wherever I'm going to go, I'm going to fit in because I know I will. I've done it every time in my life." - Collins on Thursday
