The Browns need help at safety; here are 3 NFL Draft prospects who could provide it

Cleveland Browns safety Grant Delpit walks off the field after their loss to the Denver Broncos during Monday Night Football in Denver.  John Kuntz, cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio - The safety position in Jim Schwartz’s defensive scheme is very challenging and requires a unique skill set. Though the Browns defensive coordinator loves for his safeties to be versatile and flexible, both safety positions have specific roles and responsibilities.

Let’s start with the Grant Delpit safety type that plays down near the line of scrimmage. He has shown the ability to play deep when needed, but truly shines as a physical, linebacker-type who plays within five yards of the football. Through the course of a football game, Delpit has gap responsibilities in the run game, blitzes in multiple gaps, and coverage responsibilities in the pass game.

The other safety is at the back end of the defense and has a whole different set of rules. This 1-high hat safety plays center field and must play sideline to sideline as the last line of defense. They must keep everything in front in the pass game and also be physical when needed in the run game.

This safety has to prevent explosive plays, help teammates in coverage, and create turnovers. Juan Thornhill was that guy last season, but did not have the impact that many thought he would since his arrival from Kansas City. He was released in March.

With Delpit anchoring one safety spot down in the box, here are three safeties in the draft that could thrive as the 1-high hat guy:

Malaki Starks, Georgia

6-foot-1

197 pounds

Starks is a versatile safety that can play down by the line of scrimmage if needed, but will thrive as the 1-high free safety in the NFL. Starks, who ran a 10.55 100-meter dash in high school, has elite change of direction, outstanding body control, high-level short area burst (1.51 10-yard split), and is physical at the point of attack when tackling.

The Jim Thorpe Award (best college defensive back) finalist finished his Bulldog career with 197 total tackles, six interceptions, 17 defended passes, and six tackles for a loss.

Areas of Concern

Starks is a ball-hawking safety who is ultra-aggressive to get to the football on every play. This aggressiveness can occasionally lead Starks to overrun plays in his eagerness to get to the football. Starks will also need to refine his press man coverage against the bigger NFL tight ends and explosive slot receivers.

Fit for the Browns

Cleveland would most likely have to trade back into the first round to get Starks. His speed, length (77 6/8-inch wingspan), experience (40 college starts) and overall athleticism make him the perfect fit as the deep 1-high hat safety in the Schwartz scheme.

Xavier Watts, Notre Dame

6-foot

204 pounds

Watts finished his five-year college career with 188 total tackles, 13 interceptions, nine tackles for a loss, and 18 passes defended. He is not as fluid in hip mobility compared to Starks, but makes up for that with his ability to recognize offensive schemes.

The former Notre Dame star has the ability to diagnose what the offense is running and then explode to the football. Very few defenders in the draft, regardless of position, trust what they see and then attack quite like Watts.

Areas of Concern

Watts, who runs a sub 4.5 40-yard dash, has very similar issues to that of Starks. Due to his aggression, he will get himself into bad positions when tackling. He will also need to strengthen his man coverage skills against the tight ends, slot receivers, and running backs that he will see in the NFL.

Fit for the Browns

With 13 career interceptions, Watts is the type of ball-hawking safety Schwartz has been looking for in his attacking scheme. Along with his ability to take the football away, Watts is a vocal leader, tackles well, and understands what opposing offenses are trying to attack.

Billy Bowman, Oklahoma

5-foot-10

192 pounds

Bowman is another ball-hawking, speedy safety (4.42 40) with incredible experience, logging 2,499 college snaps. Just like Watts, Bowman has a nose for the football with 11 career interceptions. With those interceptions, the former Sooner had 122 total tackles and 10 tackles for a loss.

He does a great job of reading the eyes of the quarterbacks and anticipating where the football will be thrown. Bowman has really fluid hips that allow him to change direction and cover the field from sideline to sideline.

Areas of Concern

The major issue for Bowman is his lack of length that could be exposed with the long, athletic receivers in the NFL. With just 28 1/2-inch arms and a wingspan of 69 5/8 inches, Bowman does not have much of a catch radius and will struggle with 50/50 balls in the NFL.

Fit for the Browns

Bowman is another safety that believes in what he sees and attacks with reckless abandon. His ability understand route concepts allows him to anticipate and break on the football. As the 1-high hat in Schwartz’s defense, Bowman’s intelligence and instincts would allow him to play fast and maximize his skill set.

What we learned

The Browns are looking to improve on defense by adding a safety who can make an impact from center field and generate turnovers, something they may have been missing despite being an elite unit.

A versatile safety who can be both aggressive and fundamentally sound in coverage fits perfectly with Schwartz’s defensive philosophy, which emphasizes versatility, physicality, and creating takeaways.

Lance Reisland is the former coach at Garfield Heights High School, where he spent 18 seasons as an assistant for his father, Chuck, and four as head coach, from 2014 to 2018. In 2018, his team finished 11-1 and appeared in the OHSAA Division II regional semifinals. That team went 10-0 and made history as the first Garfield Heights team in 41 years to have an undefeated regular season along with beating Warren G. Harding for the first playoff win in school history.