Senior Bowl Players to Watch for the Browns: The South
On Tuesday, I posted an article on the Senior Bowl prospects to watch on the North team HERE
Now, these are 10 more names to watch for the Browns from the South team.
Kyle Dugger S Lenoir-Rhyne
Dugger is one of the more interesting deep sleepers in the draft this season being a safety from Division II Lenoir-Rhyne. He won the DII best defensive player award even though he only played in 7 games. He does come with his fair share of question marks and injury history, but he is a big free safety at 6-1 and 217 pounds with good character and a lot of eye-popping traits as evidenced by his elite punt returning ability. Dugger could be an interesting project in day three for the new coaching staff on a Browns team that is desperate for safety help.
Antoine Brooks Jr S Maryland
The University of Maryland is not exactly known as a powerhouse feeder to the NFL, but they have produced some extremely athletic and talented players over the last few years like Stefon Diggs, DJ Moore, Yannick Ngakoue, and most recently, Darnell Savage Jr. Brooks Jr was Savage Jr.’s counterpart at Maryland who fit perfectly next to the rangy ballhawk as the uber-athletic in-the-box strong safety. He often lined up at linebacker for the team because he was so athletic and a sure tackler. Brooks Jr. has a chance to prove that he can be an excellent box safety even more this week and he could be a great target for the Browns as a day three pickup.
Javon Kinlaw IDL South Carolina
After giving perhaps the most impressive prospect interview, Kinlaw has become even more of a draft favorite overcoming tons of adversity off the field to get to this point. Kinlaw is a huge interior defensive lineman with a ton of upside who was voted as an AP First Team All-American could potentially land somewhere in the first round of the draft. On top of being a potential game wrecker in the middle of the defense, his meteoric rise from homelessness to junior college to All-American to potential first-round pick makes him one of the most captivating prospects this year.
Anfernee Jennings LB Alabama
Jennings is one of the more experienced players at the Senior Bowl being a three-year starter at Alabama as well as getting significant time his freshman season. Jennings can play off the edge and get to the quarterback, but he is also a gifted run defender in that area totaling 83 tackles this season on top of 12.5 tackles for loss and eight sacks. Jennings is a solid player and I imagine he’ll be a good player in the NFL; it’s up to him to prove just how good though.
Akeem Davis-Gaither LB Appalachian State
Davis-Gaither finished the season recognized as an All-American and the Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year finishing his tremendous career 104 tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss, five sacks, and eight pass breakups as well. He’s had two straight 100 plus tackle seasons, but he’ll need to add a lot of bulk to be a successful three-down linebacker in the NFL.
Ben Bartch OG Saint John’s
Ben Bartch is the lone Division III player in Mobile, and he has made a strong impression in his short time there thus far. He was recruited as a tight end, but he apparently created his own mass gaining shake to add a ton of weight to become the player he is today. His story is incredibly interesting, and he could be a nice dark horse OL pick on day 3.
Justin Herbert QB Oregon
Herbert is regarded as one of the top QBs by some, and there seem to be just as many evaluators that aren’t as high on him. He is a large QB with a good arm, and he has the chance to solidify his status as the third quarterback taken after Burrow and Tua. Browns fans should pay close attention because if he performs well enough to be a top 9 pick, that just means another player will be available for Cleveland at pick 10.
Harrison Bryant TE Florida Atlantic
As good as Hopkins from Purdue on the North team has been, Bryant was the unanimous 1st Team All-American at tight end. He won the John Mackey Award for the nation’s best tight end after posting 65 catches for 1004 yards and seven touchdowns. He had a decorated career, and the production at an important position in Stefsnski’s offense should not be ignored, especially if he can prove to be a reliable blocker.
Devin Duvernay WR Texas
The Browns have already met with Duvernay at the Senior Bowl, and he could be a late-round target for the team. With 51 career games and 29 starts, he is very experienced and his production peaked this past season. In 13 starts, Duvernay had a line of 106/1386/9. Catching over 100 balls in a college season is extremely impressive, and if he can prove to consistently create separation, the Browns might be very interested in adding him as depth in the wide receiver room in day 3.
Brandon Aiyuk WR Oklahoma State
Aiyuk is rapidly rising in this deep wide receiver draft class with reports coming out that multiple NFL teams like him better than Patriots 2019 1st round pick WR N’Keal Harry. While he is sitting out with an injury, it will be interesting to monitor his weigh-ins and interviews to see if he rises to potentially push another player into the 2nd round for the Browns. After an outstanding junior college career, Aiyuk successfully transitioned to the PAC-12 and had a great season this year with 65/1192/8 while also being a dynamic kick and punt returner.
