NFL draft: Browns to host late-round CB prospect and have a video meeting with RB

The NFL draft is right around the corner and Browns GM Andrew Berry is busy with visits

The Cleveland Browns are getting ready to take this year’s rookie class into their fold. What is an oddity: none of these new athletes are needed to start right away. When was the last time that happened?

These rookies, along with some from last year, are on the roster for the sole purpose of depth, growth and development. Guys like DT Siaki Ika (9.42% of snaps), C Luke Wypler (4.6%), and DE Isaiah McGuire (8.85%) played sparingly last year but received practice experience.

The Browns still have needs though. No club can have too many talented pass rushers or pass defenders. A backup offensive tackle and a third tight end need some young talent. There is one starting linebacker position currently open. And while the RB, WR, and DT rooms appear to be full, most mock drafts have Cleveland taking players at these positions.

GM Andrew Berry has been very diligent about bringing in prospects for their Top-30 visits. As the April draft approaches on 25-27 in Detroit, the Browns are given 30 visits to use on draft prospects.

Here’s the updated predraft visit list so far:

WR Troy Franklin of Oregon, Tennessee QB Joe Milton, Miami OG Javion Cohen, DT Michael Hall from Ohio State, WR Malachi Corley of Western Michigan, Yale OT Kiran Amegadjie, Texas A&M’s DT McKinnley Jackson, WR/KR Lideatrick “Tulu” Griffin of Mississippi State, QB Michael Pratt of Tulane, Oregon QB Bo Nix, LT Giovanni Manu from the University of British Columbia, Texas TE Ja’Tavion Sanders, DT Jowon Briggs of the University of Cincinnati, RB Trey Benson of Florida State, and BYU OT Kingsley Suamataia.

Now add CB Decamerion Richardson (6’-2”, 188 pounds) from Mississippi State to this list. He has been a very busy man this week as he has taken visits with 10 NFL clubs.

The talented cornerback ran a 4.34 at the Combine. As they say, you can’t coach speed. Richardson was a teammate of Browns’ corner M.J. Emerson in 2021.

Richardson’s draft grade is currently at #166. Cleveland owns the #156 pick in the fifth round.

Last season, Richardson had 79 tackles with one sack, one tackle for loss, seven pass defenses, and started all 12 games.

He grew up in Cullen, Louisiana, and went to Bossier High School where he was a track star and also played on the football team. He had offers from Central Michigan, Mississippi State, Houston, Louisiana, McNeese State, Northwestern State, South Carolina, and Tennessee. He chose Mississippi State and played for four years.

He then entered the transfer portal with a fifth-year pandemic year available and transferred to Ole Miss for one more season. However, before he became an actual student he decided to declare for the 2024 NFL draft.

Photo by Justin Ford/Getty Images

Richardson played quite a bit in his sophomore year and finished his college career with 33 games played, 177 total tackles, two tackles for loss, 10 batted passes, and one sack. What stands out is the fact that he had zero interceptions.

His Combine numbers: 35” vertical jump, 10’8” in the broad jump, hand span of 8 7/8” with an arm length of 32 3/8”.

On the surface, Cleveland probably doesn’t need another cornerback. They have Pro Bowler Denzel Ward, M.J. Emerson, and Greg Newsome as one of the league’s best groups. Last year they drafted Cam Mitchell in the fifth round as the coaching staff is happy with his development. Newsome has been the target of trade rumors, but seems those were just that – rumors.

Several mock drafts do have Cleveland seeking out another young body to compete and hopefully contribute despite being taken so low in the draft. Also on the roster and under contract are Justin Hardee, Tony Brown, Vincent Gray, and Kahlef Hailassie. Brown was signed as a special teams ace.

Scouting report on NFL.com:

Strengths

• Exceptional size and length for the position.
• Makes it tough to create catch space on 50/50 throws.
• Ramps up the recovery burst and closes the distance.
• Works at maintaining contain positioning against run blocks.
• Rarely loses his grip on a tackle once he sinks it in.

Weaknesses

• Too upright in his backpedal and transitions.
• Below-average balance when attempting to shadow receivers.
• Needs better eye balance between quarterback and receiver.
• Long legs limit short-area quickness and burst to close on throws.
• Needs to ramp up aggression attacking blocks in run support.

Recently, the Browns also did a Zoom interview (according to NFL insider Aaron Wilson) with RB Emani Bailey out of TCU.

Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images

Bailey (5’-9”, 207 pounds) has a prospect ranking of #222. Cleveland owns the #227 pick in Round 7.

The running back room with Cleveland is categorically full. Nick Chubb’s status remains unclear, plus there is no telling if he will have his same electric abilities or will become a shadow of his former self. Also on the roster are Jerome Ford, Pierre Strong, Jr., D’Onta Foreman, Nyheim Hines, and John Kelly. Hines was signed primarily as a return man.

Bailey is yet another Texas kid growing up in Denton while attending Billy Ryan High School. He was highly-productive scoring 51 touchdowns and gaining 4,026 yards. He also ran track and competed in the 100 meters (time of 11.36), anchored the 4×100 (42.04), and 4×200 relays (1.28.93), and competed in the long jump. As a junior, he was named the District 4-5A-1 Offensive MVP.

His college offers came from Tulsa, Northwestern, and ultimately chose Louisiana. After two years, he went into the transfer portal and played for TCU. For his college career, he played in 42 games with 2,161 yards on 366 attempts, 18 touchdowns, a 5.9 yards per carry average, plus 47 receptions for 380 yards and one more score.

He was invited to the Senior Bowl. At the Combine, Bailey ran a 4.67 and 4.61 which was tied for the fourth slowest among all running backs. Bailey’s 3.58 RAS score was also very underwhelming as well.

Scouting report on TheDraftNetwork:

Emani Bailey is a ball-carrier with experience behind both zone/gap-heavy schemes. Aligned primarily to the hip of the QB in shotgun, Bailey is quick to work north-south, showcasing the throttle to quickly churn chunk plays.

Photo by Don Juan Moore/Getty Images

He’s not the biggest athlete but constantly falls forward in the pile. In between the tackles, Bailey runs with a low pad level and the vision to not only attack the hole schemed for him but hit backside cut lanes in an instant. He has clean footwork and is an athlete who operates with a low center of gravity that makes him tough to bring down. On outside zone, Bailey is patient to allow blocks to develop, yet will not hesitate to attack vacant alleys. Immediate throttle to fifth gear and will often defeat pursuit angles due to fundamental burst. Top-end speed to run past opposing secondaries and, if caught, the wiggle and toughness to fight through tackles (Colorado). Aggressiveness to pierce through the hole consistently allows him to churn yards, but increased patience to allow blocks to engage will serve him well at the next level.