Ezra Cleveland OT

[BCJet]

We haven't heard much about Cleveland but he had a good showing yesterday in both the bench and 40.  Hes got the size, athleticism and experience playing LT and seems to be a hard working kid.  Could be a really good value in the second round - as his only issue appears to be general strength, which is something that is fixable at the pro-level given where he is starting at 310 lbs.  The below is from rotoworld - curious what you guys thought about him?

Boise State OL Ezra Clevaland posted 30 bench press reps at the NFL Scouting Combine.

All-MWC first-team selection Cleveland (6'6/311) led all offensive tackles who participated at the combine in bench press reps. The uber-athletic left tackle hails from a wrestling background and rarely gets beat in pass-protection thanks to his quick feet. Though he exhibits excellent weight-room numbers, his play strength is a major concern as he can get pushed into the pocket by power rushers. Noted draft analyst Tony Pauline views Cleveland as a Day 2 prospect as OT is one of the deeper positions in the 2020 draft class.

[Lith]

3 minutes ago, BCJet said:

We haven't heard much about Cleveland but he had a good showing yesterday in both the bench and 40.  Hes got the size, athleticism and experience playing LT and seems to be a hard working kid.  Could be a really good value in the second round - as his only issue appears to be general strength, which is something that is fixable at the pro-level given where he is starting at 310 lbs.  The below is from rotoworld - curious what you guys thought about him?

Boise State OL Ezra Clevaland posted 30 bench press reps at the NFL Scouting Combine.

All-MWC first-team selection Cleveland (6'6/311) led all offensive tackles who participated at the combine in bench press reps. The uber-athletic left tackle hails from a wrestling background and rarely gets beat in pass-protection thanks to his quick feet. Though he exhibits excellent weight-room numbers, his play strength is a major concern as he can get pushed into the pocket by power rushers. Noted draft analyst Tony Pauline views Cleveland as a Day 2 prospect as OT is one of the deeper positions in the 2020 draft class.

Yup.  Just mentioned him in another thread.  Also, saw this yesterday regarding short shuttle.  Cleveland's time was 4.46.  But I doubt he makes it to Round 2 after his day yestereday.  Target if we trade dwon in 1 maybe, but he may not be there at 48.

 

[sec101row23]

The functional play strength thing worries me.  If you can’t at least hold up at the point of attack, the rest is all moot.  Sure, he could get stronger, but I’d hate to have to worry about that with a high pick, maybe a 6th round guy you take that risk with.   If I’m taking an OT in the first 2 rounds he better be able to at least hold his ground on day 1.  

[BCJet]

51 minutes ago, sec101row23 said:

The functional play strength thing worries me.  If you can’t at least hold up at the point of attack, the rest is all moot.  Sure, he could get stronger, but I’d hate to have to worry about that with a high pick, maybe a 6th round guy you take that risk with.   If I’m taking an OT in the first 2 rounds he better be able to at least hold his ground on day 1.  

I agree with this - and which is why there is just no way with this class of OTs that Cleveland is a first rounder (which isnt really a knock given this class).  Jones, Jackson and Cleveland are all guys who would be ideal to take in a trade down scenario if we could pick up another 2nd to take a WR and interior OL if we sign beachem and give these 2nd tier guys a year to get stronger.

[PepPep]

3 hours ago, sec101row23 said:

The functional play strength thing worries me.  If you can’t at least hold up at the point of attack, the rest is all moot.  Sure, he could get stronger, but I’d hate to have to worry about that with a high pick, maybe a 6th round guy you take that risk with.   If I’m taking an OT in the first 2 rounds he better be able to at least hold his ground on day 1.  

 

2 hours ago, BCJet said:

I agree with this - and which is why there is just no way with this class of OTs that Cleveland is a first rounder (which isnt really a knock given this class).  Jones, Jackson and Cleveland are all guys who would be ideal to take in a trade down scenario if we could pick up another 2nd to take a WR and interior OL if we sign beachem and give these 2nd tier guys a year to get stronger.

I'm right there with both of you guys. Remember, Edoga was the athleltic, quick feet OT who's weakness was functional strength and it really showed as he struggled his first year with bull rushers and creating running lanes. If we aren't able to take an OT in the 1st, I'm not taking Cleveland in the 2nd. Niang, Wanogho, Jackson are the guys I would take in Rd. 2. If they are all gone, I take a guy like Cleveland in Rd. 3 and address a different position of need in Rd. 2. This is highly unlikely to happen though. Odds are we take an OT like Becton, Wirfs or Jones in Rd. 1, hopefully A.Thomas somehow falls to us but I doubt the Browns will let that happen.  

[jetsons]

9 hours ago, BCJet said:

We haven't heard much about Cleveland but he had a good showing yesterday in both the bench and 40.  Hes got the size, athleticism and experience playing LT and seems to be a hard working kid.  Could be a really good value in the second round - as his only issue appears to be general strength, which is something that is fixable at the pro-level given where he is starting at 310 lbs.  The below is from rotoworld - curious what you guys thought about him?

Boise State OL Ezra Clevaland posted 30 bench press reps at the NFL Scouting Combine.

All-MWC first-team selection Cleveland (6'6/311) led all offensive tackles who participated at the combine in bench press reps. The uber-athletic left tackle hails from a wrestling background and rarely gets beat in pass-protection thanks to his quick feet. Though he exhibits excellent weight-room numbers, his play strength is a major concern as he can get pushed into the pocket by power rushers. Noted draft analyst Tony Pauline views Cleveland as a Day 2 prospect as OT is one of the deeper positions in the 2020 draft class.

I agree with the above but not in the 2nd rd.

[BCJet]

17 minutes ago, jetsons said:

I agree with the above but not in the 2nd rd.

You think hes gonna be available in the 3rd?  I Think thats a stretch given hes got a little first round buzz.

[jetsons]

11 hours ago, BCJet said:

We haven't heard much about Cleveland but he had a good showing yesterday in both the bench and 40.  Hes got the size, athleticism and experience playing LT and seems to be a hard working kid.  Could be a really good value in the second round - as his only issue appears to be general strength, which is something that is fixable at the pro-level given where he is starting at 310 lbs.  The below is from rotoworld - curious what you guys thought about him?

Boise State OL Ezra Clevaland posted 30 bench press reps at the NFL Scouting Combine.

All-MWC first-team selection Cleveland (6'6/311) led all offensive tackles who participated at the combine in bench press reps. The uber-athletic left tackle hails from a wrestling background and rarely gets beat in pass-protection thanks to his quick feet. Though he exhibits excellent weight-room numbers, his play strength is a major concern as he can get pushed into the pocket by power rushers. Noted draft analyst Tony Pauline views Cleveland as a Day 2 prospect as OT is one of the deeper positions in the 2020 draft class.

 

1 hour ago, BCJet said:

You think hes gonna be available in the 3rd?  I Think thats a stretch given hes got a little first round buzz.

Lacking General Strength at the point of attack Is A Huge Issue for an OL man & will cause him to drop unless some team decides to take a flyer on him in the 2nd... I can see him falling & No Way would I invest a 1st rd pick on him... Not Even A Question.

[PLO]

4:30 PM ET (via Tony Pauline): Who are the Browns eyeing in the NFL Draft?
Tristan Wirfs was the offensive tackle most coveted by the Cleveland Browns but he is assuredly out of their reach in round one now after his sensational workout on Friday night. So where do they look?

It’s still very early but a source today further confirmed what I posted on Friday – the Browns likes Ezra Cleveland so trading down 8-to-10 slots in round one and then selecting the Boise State junior would be a contingency option.

Link

[Greenseed4]

31 minutes ago, PLO said:

4:30 PM ET (via Tony Pauline): Who are the Browns eyeing in the NFL Draft?
Tristan Wirfs was the offensive tackle most coveted by the Cleveland Browns but he is assuredly out of their reach in round one now after his sensational workout on Friday night. So where do they look?

It’s still very early but a source today further confirmed what I posted on Friday – the Browns likes Ezra Cleveland so trading down 8-to-10 slots in round one and then selecting the Boise State junior would be a contingency option.

Link

^Probably something I’d tell Tony Pauline if I wanted someone other than Ezra Cleveland (like Becton or Thomas).

[Jimmy 2 Times]

9 hours ago, Greenseed4 said:

^Probably something I’d tell Tony Pauline if I wanted someone other than Ezra Cleveland (like Becton or Thomas).

Also broadcasting they love Wirfs when they know we love Wirfs.

Some serious 3-D chess happening here. 

[Greenseed4]

36 minutes ago, Jimmy 2 Times said:

Also broadcasting they love Wirfs when they know we love Wirfs.

Some serious 3-D chess happening here. 

After his workout, they can say what they want about Wirfs and it wouldn’t be a smokescreen.  That’s like a team saying they like Chase Young... 
 

Telling Tony Pauline (a guy with his own rumor-mill website) that they would trade back from #10 is something they might say to keep a team from moving up in front of them to get Andrew Thomas. 
 

This is checkers. 

[Jetster]

These guys with wrestling backgrounds make good Olineman. Remember these are BIG KIDS right now that grow into MEN. 

A guy like Cleveland could be a steal in the 2nd round? I'm hoping for Ruiz to fall to our #2! We have 2 threes to go WR & CB, Edge, or RB.

A LT at #11 plus Cesar Ruiz with the #2 would make me very happy! With all of these WRs we could freaking double dip on WRs in the 3rd round. Pittman + Gandy? 

Imagine a free agency of Glasgow + Conklin

Draft of Wills at #11! Wills-Glasgow-Ruiz- (fight it out)-Conklin? That would be game good. 

[nycdan]

On 2/29/2020 at 8:05 AM, Lith said:

Yup.  Just mentioned him in another thread.  Also, saw this yesterday regarding short shuttle.  Cleveland's time was 4.46.  But I doubt he makes it to Round 2 after his day yestereday.  Target if we trade dwon in 1 maybe, but he may not be there at 48.

 

Based on this data, we should take Jedrick Wills or Josh Jones.   

[Joe the Breadman]

I am definitely on board with Andrew Thomas at #11 but unfortunately i do not think he will  be available....

With that said i suspect JWills will be the highest rated Olineman available at the Jets selection ( with both Wirfs and Thomas already gone) along with Mekhi Becton.

I don't think Becton fits what Gase wants in an olineman ( he is more of power run scheme guy) but Cleveland/Jones do.....

A small trade down maybe 4-5 slots to a team that HAS to have one of Jeudy/Lamb would be a godsend to JoeD. Gain an extra selection and still draft an athletic left tackle for the grand offense rebuild.

[nyjbuddy]

Could there be a Joe Douglas trend towards hyper-athletic offensive linemen? 

Fant had a pSPARQ score of 133.3 putting him into the 98.6% of NFL o-linemen. 

Andre Dillard, the Eagles first round pick from 2019, scored a 128.9 pSPARQ (96.9%). 

This coupled with the idea that Gase wants to go to a wide line splits which needs athletic linemen (atleast on the edges).

Perhaps Ezra Cleveland is a trade back target if Tristan Wirfs is off the board.  Both are 1st round talents (Ezra maybe late first/early second), but both had high pSPARQ. Wirfs: 135.6, Cleveland: 122.5

[PLO]

On 3/18/2020 at 7:03 AM, nyjbuddy said:

Could there be a Joe Douglas trend towards hyper-athletic offensive linemen? 

Fant had a pSPARQ score of 133.3 putting him into the 98.6% of NFL o-linemen. 

Andre Dillard, the Eagles first round pick from 2019, scored a 128.9 pSPARQ (96.9%). 

This coupled with the idea that Gase wants to go to a wide line splits which needs athletic linemen (atleast on the edges).

Perhaps Ezra Cleveland is a trade back target if Tristan Wirfs is off the board.  Both are 1st round talents (Ezra maybe late first/early second), but both had high pSPARQ. Wirfs: 135.6, Cleveland: 122.5

This. So much of this. Cleveland would be a reach at 11 but his profile fits seemingly what the Jets are after. In a trade back scenario he's a guy they would conceivably draft.  

[Sam_S]

On 3/1/2020 at 12:53 AM, Greenseed4 said:

^Probably something I’d tell Tony Pauline if I wanted someone other than Ezra Cleveland (like Becton or Thomas).

makes sense considering Pauline was the only guy who said on and on Cleveland would blow up the combine then be talked about as a first round pick.  Never mind he was the only guy that said the Jets were interested in George Fant weeks before FA.  Does it hurt being that stupid?

[Greenseed4]

 Hey there @Sam_S, let's recap the wealth of contributions you've brought to the board in your short time here:

13 minutes ago, Sam_S said:

makes sense considering Pauline was the only guy who said on and on Cleveland would blow up the combine then be talked about as a first round pick.  Never mind he was the only guy that said the Jets were interested in George Fant weeks before FA.  Does it hurt being that stupid?

Quote

You should all kiss Tony Pauline's a$$...

Quote

You should all kiss Tony Pauline's a$$...

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you should all kiss Tony Pauline's a$$...

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you should kiss Pauline's butt if he let's you, **&^% for brains.

Quote

you should kiss Tony Pauline's ass

I gotta say, at least you're consistent... and regular douching is recommended... so welcome to the site!  You'll fit in nicely here. 

[GREENBEAN]

On 2/29/2020 at 8:01 AM, BCJet said:

The uber-athletic left tackle hails from a wrestling background and rarely gets beat in pass-protection

uh oh.  This sounds like just the guy for Adam Gase's super wide spread idears.  Hey, if we get the exact players Gase wants in order to run a ground breaking offense, it's gonna suck when he gets fired week 8 for Gregg Williams to take over. hahaha 

[Sam_S]

12 hours ago, Greenseed4 said:

 Hey there @Sam_S, let's recap the wealth of contributions you've brought to the board in your short time here:

I gotta say, at least you're consistent... and regular douching is recommended... so welcome to the site!  You'll fit in nicely here. 

If pointing out you're stupidity with facts = douching, so be it.  Next time try and offer something of substance rather than the usual stupidity.

[Greenseed4]

2 hours ago, Sam_S said:

If pointing out you're stupidity with facts = douching, so be it.  Next time try and offer something of substance rather than the usual stupidity.

You should kiss Tony Pauline's ass. 

[Philc1]

On 3/2/2020 at 11:55 AM, Joe the Breadman said:

I am definitely on board with Andrew Thomas at #11 but unfortunately i do not think he will  be available....

With that said i suspect JWills will be the highest rated Olineman available at the Jets selection ( with both Wirfs and Thomas already gone) along with Mekhi Becton.

I don't think Becton fits what Gase wants in an olineman ( he is more of power run scheme guy) but Cleveland/Jones do.....

A small trade down maybe 4-5 slots to a team that HAS to have one of Jeudy/Lamb would be a godsend to JoeD. Gain an extra selection and still draft an athletic left tackle for the grand offense rebuild.

Wills is most likely to be there at 11.  If we draft him it’s still a good idea to sign Peters or Beachum because Wills played on the right side in college 

[Philc1]

On 3/20/2020 at 11:35 AM, Greenseed4 said:

You should kiss Tony Pauline's ass. 

No need to.  Just say Kyle Wilson would have been Deion Sanders if it wasn’t for Rex

[Philc1]

On 3/17/2020 at 4:03 PM, nyjbuddy said:

Could there be a Joe Douglas trend towards hyper-athletic offensive linemen? 

Fant had a pSPARQ score of 133.3 putting him into the 98.6% of NFL o-linemen. 

Andre Dillard, the Eagles first round pick from 2019, scored a 128.9 pSPARQ (96.9%). 

This coupled with the idea that Gase wants to go to a wide line splits which needs athletic linemen (atleast on the edges).

Perhaps Ezra Cleveland is a trade back target if Tristan Wirfs is off the board.  Both are 1st round talents (Ezra maybe late first/early second), but both had high pSPARQ. Wirfs: 135.6, Cleveland: 122.5

Why trade back? Cleveland probably falls to 48

[kdels62]

Cleveland is really raw. His tape is just a guy that uses his traits to be really good. He could mirror people just by virtue of god given athleticism but man his sets are brutal sometime. If he’s there for our second round pick take him. If we end up going Wirfs or Thomas round 1 and Cleveland round 2 that’s not the worst thing in the world.

[David Harris]

Many Teams Grade Ezra Cleveland on Day 3

Updated March 17, 2020 
By Charlie Campbell. Follow Charlie on Twitter @draftcampbell.

One of the workout warriors from the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine was Boise State offensive tackle Ezra Cleveland. He had an excellent workout in Indianapolis, putting up a blazing fast 40-yard dash time of 4.93 seconds. That caused many in the media to elevate their projection of where Cleveland will go in the 2020 NFL Draft, and some have had him going in the first round. While Cleveland could go in the early rounds, many teams across the league grade him much later. In surveying six different teams, none of them had Cleveland graded as a first- or second-round pick. The teams were split, with three grading him in the fifth round and three grading him in the fourth round. 

"I think someone in the league will overdraft him in the second or third round because of the speed, but he has no power," said an area scout who covers Boise State. "I wouldn't take him there. He's a fifth-round pick, at best, for me."

Cleveland plays a premium position and having his shocking speed could cause a team to fall in love. All six sources said that while their teams graded Cleveland on Day 3, they thought the team that liked him enough to draft him could do so earlier. 

"Ezra, we have in the fourth round," said one director of college scouting. "But I could see a team taking him late in the third [round] after he ran well at the combine. Even though he's fast, he's not a unique moving athlete."

If Cleveland does slide into the fourth or fifth round, many teams around the league will view that as where he belongs. They will also think that it would be a reach for him to go on Day 2, but that's where they expect another team to pull the trigger and draft Cleveland.