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Which Browns second-year player will make the biggest impact? 21 Browns questions for ’21
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Cleveland Browns hold voluntary OTAs in Berea, June 2, 2021
Grant Delpit (right) should get to finally show us why the Browns valued him so highly in the 2020 draft. John Kuntz, cleveland.com

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By Dan Labbe, cleveland.com
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The rookie class gets all the headlines, but Browns GM Andrew Berry has made it clear he views draft picks as longterm pieces, not necessarily players who have to come in and contribute right away.

“How I view the draft is we really go into the mindset of really trying to maximize the long-term impact on our roster,” Berry said in April during his predraft Zoom call with the media. “It is less about filling a need or some level of instant gratification on the roster and more about a longer-term focus on the team.”


While rookies like Greg Newsome and Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah could contribute heavily this year, there’s opportunity there for 2020 draft picks to step up and get their turn to show they belong on a team with Super Bowl aspirations.

Here is a ranking of which Browns’ second-year players could make the biggest impact in 2021.

1. Grant Delpit



It’s almost impossible to not put Delpit on top of this list, considering he could end up starting at a position the Browns have prioritized since drafting him in 2020.


Defensive coordinator Joe Woods admitted after Delpit got hurt last year the rookie was slated for a hybrid role. Whether his Achilles injury directly led to the acquisition of Ronnie Harrison or simply hastened the urgency, it’s worth noting how much of a priority it became for Berry and Co.

“Grant was ideal in terms of his versatility,” Woods said after Delpit was injured. “He could play strong, free or he could play the dime. That is kind of what I ran when I was in Denver. We were based on a dime.”

All of this is contingent on how quickly Delpit gets back to 100 percent. But it’s not unthinkable that -- by midseason at least -- we’ll start to see exactly what the Browns envisioned of their young safety from LSU.

2. Jedrick Wills Jr.

Cleveland Browns vs. Pittsburgh Steelers, January 10, 2021
Jedrick Wills Jr. should take big steps in his second season.John Kuntz, cleveland.com


A season of stability will help Wills continue his development into what the Browns hope will be their franchise left tackle. Wills was far from perfect in his rookie season, but, more importantly, he was far from a disaster after moving from the right to left side with no in-person offseason, a shortened training camp and no preseason games.

Wills helped stabilize one of the game’s most important positions and more time with Bill Callahan and familiarity with his role and scheme will help him develop.

3. Jacob Phillips

Cleveland Browns vs. Pittsburgh Steelers, January 3, 2021
Jacob Phillips could get his opportunities at linebacker this season. Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com


A third-round pick out of LSU, Phillips had some injury issues in his rookie season and never gained much momentum. He represents the smaller, quicker linebacker the Browns have sought, but is big enough to play in the middle of the defense.

Woods will be able to get creative with his linebackers and it should present an opportunity for Phillips, who generally graded well on Pro Football Focus as a tackler. He needs to be stronger in coverage, but can also offer a linebacker room heavy on coverage guys a thumper who can move and make plays in the run game.

4. Donovan Peoples-Jones

Cleveland Browns vs. Baltimore Ravens, December 14, 2020
Donovan Peoples-Jones had 14 catches in 2020, but you can probably remember a few of them without thinking too hard.Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com

Thrown into the fire last year, Peoples-Jones produced some big moments. His role in 2021 is up in the air with a stacked group at wide receiver, but they don’t have the combination of Peoples-Jones’ size and athletic ability. At 6-foot-2, 212 pounds, he adds a little versatility.


Peoples-Jones’ eventual role as a Brown might not be available this year and the reality is he had 14 catches last season. Could the sixth-round pick end up as a starter on the outside one day? Maybe, but not yet.

5. Harrison Bryant

Cleveland Browns vs. New York Jets, December 27, 2020
Harrison Bryant lost a little momentum in the second half, but had a nice rookie campaign.John Kuntz, cleveland.com


The FAU product had a strong training camp in 2020 and showed flashes of what he could be, especially during the win in Cincinnati when Bryant caught four passes for 56 yards and two touchdowns.

Bryant was on the field for the second-most passing plays of the Browns’ four main tight ends last season, behind only Austin Hooper, according to data from PFF, and had the second most snaps in which he ran a route.

The second half of his season is where we hit pause on the hype. He lost two fumbles in the last nine games, a costly one in a loss to the Raiders and one against the Jaguars that could have been costly. He missed one game due to COVID-19 in the second half, but in three other games in the final eight, he wasn’t targeted. David Njoku closed the gap on Bryant over the season’s final six weeks, with just 13 fewer snaps on passing plays. Njoku played more in the playoffs.

The upside is still there for Bryant, but he’ll battle with Njoku at the start of the season.

6. Jordan Elliott

Browns on stopping Lamar Jackson and the Ravens
Chasing down Lamar Jackson will help Jordan Elliott earn more playing time. David I. Andersen, cleveland.com


It’s hard to get a read on the other third-round pick in 2020, who played 350 snaps his rookie year. He logged 12 tackles and just four pressures. The defensive tackle spot is going to be competitive. The two starters from last year, Sheldon Richardson and Larry Ogunjobi, are gone and Berry added veterans Malik Jackson, Malik McDowell, Sheldon Day and Damion Square along with drafting Tommy Togiai and signing Marvin Wilson as an undrafted free agent. Andrew Billings is also back after opting out last season.

It’s an aggressive approach at the position and it tells you there are no guarantees for anyone, including Elliott. He’ll have to earn his job before he can make an impact.

7. Nick Harris

Cleveland Browns vs. New York Giants, December 20, 2020
We didn't see much of Nick Harris in 2020. John Kuntz, cleveland.com


Harris got an opportunity to play guard late last season, playing well against the Giants coming in mid-game but struggling against the Jets the next week. Harris might be the center of the future, but “future” is the key word.

JC Tretter hasn’t missed a snap since coming to Cleveland and Joel Bitonio hasn’t missed a snap due to injury since missing most of the 2016 season. Wyatt Teller had some injury trouble in 2020, but nothing to be overly concerned about.

Harris will have to wait and stay ready and we’ll all reassess next offseason.

Wild Card: Curtis Weaver

Claimed from Miami last year in training camp, Weaver is interesting based on his production at Boise State. No one has seen him play in the NFL, so it’s hard to place him on this list, given the depth on the defensive line, especially on the edge.

I think Philips will make the biggest impact he is fast and brings the wood.

That's what she said.

Anything positive Jordan Elliott brings to the team??

I don't have anything positive to say about expecations for this guy who does Nothing!

I think the obvious pick is Delphit ... but I am going with Wills. Dude has a chance to become one of the elite LT's in the game. Delphit can start and contribute - Wills might "easily" dominate. Love that pick - and to think of all the back and forth last year over which LT was the one to pick?

Not sure how Delpit is the obvious choice as we haven't even seen him play an NFL down and is coming off an injury. We don't even know if he will start. I'm going with Jedrick Wills. He continues to get better at LT and allows Baker to make big throws. And hopefully the holding penalties go down.

Second choice is Jordan Elliot.

I guess I am taking on trust that he is on schedule to recover and play ... that and after reading the article it was implying the same thing as Delphit being the automatic choice. Poor choice of words on my part.

After so many years of not having a viable LT, how lucky are we to go from Joe Thomas to Jedrick Wills while still building a quality roster everywhere else?

Seriously, I just wish Joe T could step out of retirement and play with this team.

If Grant Delpit is considered 2nd year then Curtis Weaver is.
I could see Curtis Weaver having the biggest impact of the 2nd year players,

And then I could see Malik McDowell having an even greater Impact than Curtis Weaver as a first year player and therefore 2 new pass rushers would have the greatest impact not taking away from the impact Delpit, and Johnson and Phillips in somewhat of a 2nd year.

Is Jacob Phillips the most Forgoten Brown projected to get serious playing time.

I think Weaver has a chance. I don't think we signed a injured player to keep around a year if we didn't think he could not only make the team, but to also make some sort of meaningful impact.

How big a impact? Only time will tell on that. maybe just a decent rotational guy, maybe a Terrell Suggs type player.

The mentioning of Suggs is a bit unfair. How about somewhere in between? The same might be said for Malik. Not everybody is going to become a "star" player. How about a borderline starter who might be able to start for 10 teams in the league?

When you start adding guys like that to end up back-up's on your team, you have it going on.

I’m really really hoping that Delpit can return to form. It’s a tough injury, but he could be a huge upgrade.

I also think Phillips will be a candidate to improve a lot given his athleticism.

Also interested in seeing how DPJ does this season

What a solid draft class. Assuming Delpit comes back to at least average form none really look like washouts at this point. That alone is pretty impressive.

It's early, yet.
Although, probably the biggest factor is that - for once - we don't look to be changing regimes after just one or two seasons, so guys are actually getting a chance to stick around and there aren't competing plans and schemes every other year along the way.

How is the answer anything but Jedrick Will’s?

yeah thats true

Jedrick Will's what?

I understand your point, but he has already made a big impact.

A player who as of yet hasn't could end up having a bigger impact.

In a negative sense, Wills could have the biggest impact, as in who has the biggest sophomore slump?

Is Sione Taki Taki not a 2nd year player.
The thing is, he could have freedom of movement to be used for various rover type situations, and I think he is a willing tackler.

No, This will be Taki Taki's third season

Not to mention he is just a guy
who won't play much.

Nice jinx, sure hope it doesn't happen. My second year player is DPJ- he's had a year to settle in and see how a pro works at his craft. Plus, I think he'll retire after four seasons and work at his real passion, becoming a doctor like his dad....GO Browns!!!

Would not surprise me if either he or Mack get cut or traded.

Jed wasn't the LT I wanted the team to draft. He won me over with his solid rookie campaign. He has room to grow, he had to be thinking a lot while transitioning from a college RT to a pro LT. He performed admirably. In year two with Callahan, Wills won't have to process so much and consciously translate it into physical execution. He should play more instinctually on ingrained experience as an LT.

So definitely, the answer is Wills.

I've already seen click-bait headlines talking about potential trades for Mack in training camp.

Jordan Elliott was not great enough that he playing behind Ogunjobi he couldn't get on the field very much.
Last week I heard his snaps and tackles it wasn't very many so I grabbed a calculator he had a tackle on 4.-% of his snaps.

So he only played sparingly and 95% of the time he didn't have a tackle, and he played behind Ogunjobi but wasn't great enough to get on the field ahead of Ogunjobi very often or almost at all, and then Ogunjobi the team is fine to let him go to a div. rival.

But Jordan Elliott is going to do whatever and I'm supposed to believe he's going to be starting caliber all of a sudden,
which is entirely possible I'm just skeptical.

Taki Taki won't play much but everything matters.
I think he was the player that wrenched Pat- Mahommes neck and knocked him out of the end of the playoff game, giving the Browns almost a chance to get one win from a Super Bowl appearance.

If they could stop a scrambling quarterback on Xdown and 13 to go.

Would not surprise me if either were cut, especially Mack. If we were able to trade one of them ... that would surprise me.

I could see a team giving up a conditional 6th or 7th. He's good enough to get solid playing time on a bad defense.

I don't see Taki or Mack making it through cuts.

They missed to many tackles for my taste and IMO a linebacker has to be a great tackler and neither of them are.

I view this as a sort of defensive improvement gauge if either is still with the team after final cuts we still have issues on defense, IMO.

Doesn't their limited talent level qualify them as less fortunate?

He was an LT lined up on the right side since his QB was lefthanded.

If the Browns can figure out how to get him on the field, I'll throw Curtis Weaver out there.

https://www.maxpreps.com/athlete/jedrick-wills-jr/Xkq-UyQ8EeS00gAmVebEWg/videos.htm

Here is Wills' highlight tape from high school. If you notice, he played RT in high school.

The narrative that he was played at RT in college because Tua was left-handed doesn't account for that fact.

I think it will be Jacob Phillips. IMO, he started to figure it out late last season. His injury held back his progress. I think he is going to be a stud. He and JOK are the future

I couldn't agree more, Phillips moves well and is a good tackler. I think he will easily be the most improved player if he can stay healthy. I really really like this kid.

I see the same things you do which means we are probably both wrong.... hahaha