Okay looking at this roster guys I am not familiar with are:
DB: Jeremiah McKinnon, Denzel Rice
DL: Devaroe Lawrence
LB:
Jermaine Grace
TE: Orson Charles
WR: Derrick Willies
Derrick Willies
6’4” 207 lbs. 23 years old. A 3 star recruit who originally committed to Iowa out of HS. Redshirted his first year and then left the program during his RS freshman possibly due to a lack of playing time. Enrolled in a JUCO in Texas and dominated, earning All-American first team as a sophomore.
Then transferred from the JUCO to Texas Tech. Played 8 of 12 games as a junior with current Chiefs starter Patrick Mahomes where he was Tech’s 7th leading WR with 18 catches for 288 yards and 2 touchdowns. His final season at Texas Tech (without Mahomes) he only played in 6 of 13 games and put up another 18 catches for 304 yards and 3 touchdowns.
Kid had a myriad of injuries throughout his college career. Broken hands, torn ankle ligaments, and a sprained MCL.
4.55 40, 41” vertical, SPARQ ranked him as the 7th best WR athlete in the 2018 class at a 92nd percentile, but some scouting reports say he doesn’t play as fast as his times and that he has iffy hands.
Orsen Charles
NFL journeyman. 27 years old. Browns are his 5th NFL team. Originally a 4th round pick in 2012 of the Bengals out of Georgia. Has played TE, H-Back and straight up FB in the NFL so there’s a level of versatility there, but generally speaking he hasn’t played any of them at a particularly high level.
Not an NFL caliber player in my opinion.
Jermaine Grace
2nd year player. 6’0” 223 lbs. 24 years old. Four star prospect that committed to Miami out of high school. Played mostly special teams as a true freshman. Moved into the starting lineup and was a top tackler for the Hurricanes as a sophomore and junior before being kicked off the team before his senior season in a free rental car scandal.
Signed by Atlanta after going undrafted in 2017. Made their team and was on the roster until week 10, playing 78 special teams snaps. Colts claimed him and he spent the rest of the regular season on their roster, playing 69 special teams snaps. Indy waived him in May of 2018 and the Browns claimed him.
Showed good speed at his pro day, clocking a 4.57 40, but scouting reports say he isn’t overly agile or great in coverage. Grace hasn’t gotten an opportunity to play anything but special teams to date in the NFL.
Devaroe Lawrence
25 years old. 6’2” 294 lbs. Really incredible story on this kid. Grew up in a terrible family environment. Was selling drugs as early as age 12. Lived on the streets. Ended up doing THREE stints in jail during his teenage years.
Eventually turned his life around, got some structure and enrolled in Georgia Military College. Was impressive enough on their football team to earn a scholarship from Auburn. Showed some flashes of dominance (and maddening inconsistency) over 3 seasons with the Tigers before tearing his ACL late in his senior year. That killed his draft stock. He went undrafted, signed with the Saints, but eventually sat out his entire rookie season after having a second surgery on his knee.
Finally healthy now, Lawrence had a MONSTER preseason for the Saints this year, posting 10 tackles, three for loss, 2.5 sacks and a pass defensed.
The New Orleans Times Picayune says Lawrence fell victim to the numbers game in New Orleans as they happen to be quite deep on the DL. Of all the guys the Browns will pick up right before the season, he's probably the one I'm keeping an eye on the most.
Jeremiah McKinnon
25 years old. 5'10", 197 lbs. A classic fringe player to date. Went undrafted in 2016 out of FIU. Signed with the Cowboys as an UDFA, but was released in final cuts. Titans signed him to their practice squad in November of 2016. Cowboys brought him back in January of 2017, but released him at the start of training camp in 2017. Redskins brought him into camp and released him in final cuts before the 2017 season. Giants signed him to their practice squad in November of 2017. They then waived him before camp in 2018 and the Browns picked him up.
One of those guys who is clearly good enough to get looks, but hasn't shown enough to actually stick on the roster yet. Had an excellent preseason for the Browns, mostly working with the 3s, but some with the 2s.
Denzel Rice
25 years old. 6'0" 196 lbs. Another fringe guy like McKinnon, but does have NFL experience. Undrafted out of Coastal Carolina in 2015. Signed by the Eagles as an UDFA, spent the 2015 season on their roster, playing 20 snaps on defense and 23 on special teams. Was waived in finals cuts before 2016. Texans signed him to their practice squad and eventually promoted him to their active roster where he got 31 snaps on defense and 36 snaps on special teams. Injured his ankle and was place on injured reserve right before the season in 2017 by Houston. They eventually released him off the IR and the Colts snapped him up to their practice squad.
Browns eventually signed him in January of 2018 and he's worked a lot with the 2s and 3s this preseason.
