While a plethora of trades and draft picks over the last two years have helped infuse the Cleveland Browns’ roster with young talent, they still have a long ways to go to prove they’re past the days of zero and one-win seasons.
With Baker Mayfield hopefully ready to buck the less-than-stellar trend of Cleveland starting quarterbacks, the team could shift its focus to the offensive line if picking early in the 2019 NFL Draft. There could be several offensive tackles in play for Cleveland within the top ten selections, but Ole Miss standout Greg Little is one who GM John Dorsey would be ecstatic about landing.
Like Alabama’s Jonah Williams, Little was a five-star prospect from the 2016 class who ended up picking Ole Miss over the Crimson Tide. Little’s massive frame (6-foot-6, 325 pounds) make him an asset in the run game, using his power and quickness off the snap to move opposing defenders with ease.
Little isn’t the most athletic guy in the world and if enough teams feel he’s better suited moving inside to guard, he more than likely falls out of the top 10. If he is able to display solid athletic testing, however, the Browns could very well pounce on Little and find its long-term replacement for Joe Thomas at left tackle
What a time to be alive if you’re a fan of the Oakland Raiders. Jon Gruden is your head coach for the next millennium, Khalil Mack is no longer on your roster, and your team is two years away from moving to Las Vegas and making “Hiding From Your Gambling Debts Night” a thing.
Either way you slice it, the Raiders could be looking at a high draft pick (or two, with their acquired first-round pick from the Bears for Khalil Mack) and will have a chance at landing one of the class’ top defensive players. With option 1a Nick Bosa off the board, option 1b could be Houston standout Ed Oliver.
Oliver was one of the most sought-after high school prospects in the 2016 class and surprised many by committing to Houston over schools like Texas A&M, Oklahoma and Ole Miss, among others. He has lived up to every bit of his hype for the Cougars since arriving and seems likely to hear his named called very early in the 2019 NFL Draft.
While he might not have ideal height and length for the position, Oliver is a bully inside and plays with a non-stop motor that earns him plenty of praise from scouts. He’s extremely quick off the snap and could post some jaw-dropping agility numbers for his size come February at the NFL Combine.
It’s not a stretch to see why Oliver is earning comps to Rams star Aaron Donald and if he’s available, the Raiders shouldn’t hesitate to pull the trigger on selecting him.