Newsletter: Area of Development for Each Browns Rookie in 2025
Now that we know the strength, let's discuss where improvements need to happen.
Welcome back from the weekend. I hope it treated you well with plenty of good food and relaxation. Mine was filled with yard work and traveling, so I am sure yours was better. I promised delivery of this article over said weekend but the family craziness got in the way. But nothing can stop us on a Monday from some fresh content.
If you missed it, last week we covered the key strength for each of the Browns’ rookies in order to pin down how they can help in 2025 and then thrive in their career. Plenty of positives to be found, but the goal was to find the one they will lean into most often for success. On the inverse, now we try to pin down where the film shows us the biggest concern area, and we know the NFL will pin down your weakness and attack in nonstop. Finding the weak link of an offense or defense is how coaching staffs last longer in this league.
While it is tougher to label weaknesses in most prospects (college football doesn’t show them too often) these are usually where career longevity is stopped. The young player comes into the NFL and is unable to round out their game into a complete package and it can stop the player from becoming the type of consistent you need for second, and hopefully third, contracts with the organization.
So, in true Monday fashion, we hone in on the negative. Come along, everyone.
Mason Graham: Contact Balance
This is a very strange thing to read for a defensive tackle, I get it. But so much of Graham’s game is refined and explosive but the one place I notice that he has to improve upon is his ability to get upfield while facing contact while maintaining balance to finish the play.
He needs to add a more destructive pass rush move outside of the club/swim, but this noticeable issue of making a move or fighting a gap and then ending up in the ground is noticeable. Whether tripping on surrounding feet or losing balance he has to iron out this issue to reach that elite tier. As we have noted the run defense is going to be impactful right away but the consistency when getting after the passer has to develop. This issue has to be ironed out.
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