DawgTalkers.net Forums The Archives 2021 NFL Season 2021 NFL Draft Browns interviews with prospects

If Paye makes it to 16ish, I'd at least make some calls about what it would take to move up. He's the player I want most in this draft, however unlikely it is.

Kwity Paye is fun to say.

That might not be out of the range, but probably a little high.

If we swapped with someone and gave up our best 3rd rounder we could get up to 21...maybe 20 with a 7th round kick in. Add in one of the 4th rounders, maybe up another 2 slots.

I think 16 is too low. I think he'll go around 10. He's a freak athlete that didn't get the huge numbers because Michigan played a weird defense, and aldo played Paye out of position a lot because their inside DL weren't as good.

My bad. Maybe I wasn't clear. I was talking about how high we might start looking around if we are looking to trade up. That is why I went in to pick values and what we might have to give up to move up to #20.

We might look at using one of the 3rds to move up. Maybe add in a 4th to get a couple of picks higher.

There was once a movie called "Pooty Tang." Kinda has the same rhythm.

It reminded me of Kramer and George doing the "duty-free" chant on Seinfeld ... "I like to stop at the duty free shop.".

What a ta? I'mma sign your pitty on the runny kine!

How about we let him have his Pro Day before label him DOA ?

Tulsa LB Zaven Collins has envisioned rushing with Myles Garrett: ‘Yeah, that quarterback’s probably going to be in trouble’

https://www.cleveland.com/browns/2021/04...in-trouble.html


CLEVELAND, Ohio — Tulsa linebacker Zaven Collins has already envisioned what it would be like exploding off the edge with Myles Garrett.

“Yeah, that quarterback’s probably in trouble,’' Collins said on a Zoom conference Thursday on the eve of his Pro Day.

One of the players the Browns have scouted for their No. 26 overall pick in the draft, Collins sees some similarities between himself and Garrett, who finished sixth in the NFL with 12 sacks.

“Yeah, so he’s a bigger dude too. He’s a little bit bigger than me and he moves well, bends around the corner,’' Collins said. “We’re honestly in two different positions but [he has a] great motor, great knowledge of the game, phenomenal athlete. He’s just got God-given abilities that you can’t argue with God, so that’s what puts him above a lot of people, plus his work ethic.’'

Despite growing up in tiny Hominy, Oklahoma, population 3,565, Collins wasn’t much of a Baker Mayfield fan because they were so close in age. When Collins was starring at quarterback, linebacker and safety in high school — leading his team to a 14-0 record and the Class A state title as a senior — Mayfield was lighting it up for the Sooners.

“Baker was actually just a few years older than me, so I was never really like a fan,’' Collins said. “My redshirt year and his last year, we were in college at the same time, so I never got to be a fan. But I was a fan of people from OU like Adrian Peterson, Sam Bradford, Gerald Mccoy, Sterling Shepard, some other big wideouts and running backs, some people like that.’'

But Collins can become a Mayfield fan in a hurry if the Browns draft him, like some experts predict could happen.

“I’ve been in contact with the Browns a little bit,’' Collins said. “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.

“I like to be around people, enjoy people, make people’s day better and it seems like they have that going in their program already. They’ve completely changed the culture the last couple years, and it seems like a great program.”

If the Browns call his name at No. 26, their first contact will have to be by phone. He’s decided not to attend the draft in Cleveland, April 29-May 1.

“I’m going to do it at home with family, all my friends around me,’' he said. “I’m sure that air will be so thick and then whenever you’re waiting on your name to be called, you’ll be able to cut it with a knife. It’s going to be pretty crazy that day, but it’s something I look forward to.”



A redshirt junior, Collins’ stock skyrocketed in 2020 when he dominated every game he played en route to the Bronko Nagurski Trophy awarded to the nation’s best defender. Despite an abbreviated eight-game season due to COVID-19, he registered 54 tackles, 11 1/2 for a loss, four sacks, four interceptions, two forced fumbles and a recovery.

“We got a chance to play (amid the pandemic) and I went out and just went crazy and my draft stock kind of went up from five or six to three and then it jumped up to one and I was kinda like, ‘oh, man, this got out of hand quick,’’' he said.

By the end of the season, the first round was his goal, and now he’s upped the ante.

“I want to be plus-20 pick, plus-15 pick,’' he said. “I’m sure some people will say I’m crazy, but it’s just something I’ve to set for myself to keep me going, to keep me driven.’'

Collins, who’s projected by some as a 3-4 outside linebacker, believes he excel in any scheme and at multiple positions. Browns defensive coordinator Joe Woods will run plenty of his preferred 4-2-5 alignment this season.

“I [tell teams] any position that allows me to run, move freely, not confine me to really one side, to let me be really involved in the defense is what’s going to best suit me mostly because I just have a knack for the football, I like being around the football, like being able to run,’' he said. “So in some defenses it’s very suitable for me to be in the outside linebacker position and in some defenses it’s not so suitable because you’re strictly basically like a rush end. But it’s something I’m open to.”

Joe Marino, Senior Draft Analyst for The Draft Network, had the utmost praise for Collins.

“Collins offers an exciting blend of size, length, power, football intelligence, and versatility that makes him a dynamic prospect for the NFL,’' he wrote in his draft profile. “Whether it’s defending the run, dropping into coverage, or rushing the passer, Collins has the requisite skill set required to execute and was arguably the most dynamic defensive playmaker in college football for the 2020 season.

“He demonstrated notable growth in 2020, becoming a complete defender and making high-impact, clutch plays seemingly every week. The [Bill] Belichick disciples and teams that deploy that style of defense are likely salivating over Collins’ skill set and he projects as an impact defender in the NFL that can make plays in a variety of ways.’'

Collins noted that he doesn’t really have a comp in the NFL “because most linebackers like me have disappeared. Brian Urlacher is probably my size and some other ones, but as far as true people my size, they’re usually on the edge rushing.

“If you go watch the film, I come off the edge on third down, or I can sink into coverage. I can be in man-coverage on third and long or I can be coming through the middle on a blitz whenever it’s third and short. I do all of those things just because our defense allowed it to happen.’'

NFL Draft Analyst Daniel Jeremiah has Collins ranked as his 24th best player on his board, “so he’s in my top 32 for sure. The only concern is, the instincts are good, not great, not like an elite level we’ve seen with Devin White or Devin Bush, some top linebackers that have come out over the last few years.

“[But] what makes him so unique is this is a 6′4”, 260-pound package that’s doing all this stuff. He’s really good in coverage. Zaven Collins gives you a lot of different options with things you can do with him.’'

Raised by a single mom ‘in the middle of nowhere,’ Collins prides himself on his simple lifestyle.

“My background is basically old school,’' he said. “I’m from a small town, country. I like to enjoy be outside. I like to be outdoors. I like to enjoy family, friends, church on Sundays. That’s basically what I am. I’ve been raised that way for my entire life, and I really don’t plan on changing.’'

His small-town roots, however, cost him a chance at a powerhouse college: he had only two offers coming out, from Tulsa and Central Oklahoma.

“They told me that I had all the tangibles,’' he said. “I was valedictorian, I had a great ACT score, all my grades were right, I had no off-field issues. Everything was perfect, I played well enough, they just said that my school was too small and my level of competition was not high enough to translate over to the D-I level and they didn’t want to take a chance on a guy like me. So, yeah, I kinda told some of those people to p— off.’'

The snubs drove him to become a consensus All-American and winner of the Chuck Bednarik Award for the best defensive player in the country and Lombardi Award for the best college football player at any position. They still drive him today as he heads into his Pro Day and the draft.

“I’ve had a lot of coaches tell me I wasn’t good enough just based my school size,’' he said. “I’m tired of being the little man, so it’s time that we kind of made a statement for Tulsa and put them back on the map because we’re just as good as anyone else out there in between the hashes.’'

And as for Collins, he’s shaping up to be better than most.

What does the tape look like when playing faster players?
That's all that really matters.

If there are big, fast guys that smoke guys regularly, but he hangs with them, that's all that matters. If he was getting toasted at the college level, then he's going to get toasted at the NFL level.

Bone, we all have our opinions and it's great to talk about them on this forum. However, I'm sure our FO and coaching staff knows exactly who they want at #26 and let's face it, they know more than we do. Still, It will be fun to continue these discussions for the next 3-4 weeks.

If you have a Coaching staff that can't figure out how to use Collin's skills ; You got a problem !

Stop sleeping on Kentucky LB Jamin Davis 🔥

4.37 40
42 inch vertical
11'0 broad

The best part is his tape. This guy is a faster version of Darrius Leonard.

Exactly. I also like what I've read about Jamin Davis the LB from Kentucky as well as Pete Werner from Ohio State although he might be a 3rd rounder.

If we do draft him in the 2nd round, we will have to move to the top of the round. We won't get him where we currently reside.

We do have the trade capitol to do just that... if that's the plan

Jamin probably solidified himself in the top 6 off-ball LBer's.

I still only have Parsons and JOK in my top 25 (1st round guys).
Zaven Collins will probably get some attention either late 1st or early 2nd, so that leaves Nick Bolton, Jabril Cox and Jamin Davis as the "2nd tier" guys I'd be OK with in round two (though I'm not too big on Bolton).

There is a bit of a drop after that for 3rd round guys like the OSU boys (IMO).

Sounds fabulous. Think he might be there or do we trade up to be sure. These numbers, to me, might place him among the BPA mix after round one. Will he fall at all?

The Cleveland Browns continue to investigate draft prospects in advance of the 2021 NFL draft, which kicks off in Cleveland in just two weeks. One of the latest names to come out as having met with the Browns is West Virginia defensive tackle Darius Stills.

Justin Melo of The Draft Network confirmed the Browns meeting in a recent interview with Stills.

The 6-0, 285-pound Stills played nose tackle for the Mountaineers in their odd 3-3-5 defensive scheme. He doesn’t have near the size or strength to hold up on the nose in the NFL, but the technique he learned doing it in college makes him an intriguing late-round fit. Stills has very good hands, quick feet and is the kind of guy who plays through every whistle.