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Xavier Cooper and Vince Mayle Drafted By The Cleveland Browns

By James Silberman

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The Cleveland Browns must have watched a lot of Washington State football in the last few months. After drafting Tacoma’s own, Xavier Cooper in the third round on Friday, they came back and took Vince Mayle in the fourth round on Saturday.

Both of these guys were players I was hoping the Seahawks might draft. Cooper is as explosive a defensive tackle as I have ever seen. Here is what I wrote on him a few weeks ago.

"Cooper is constantly in the backfield. His burst off the line is unreal. I’ve never seen a player who can speed rush a guard from the DT spot, but he does it frequently. Watch from 3:12-4:05 in the video below. Twice he is in the backfield before Mariota finished his drop."

"He has the ability to make himself small and slip the through a hole, almost like a runningback. He is a really special athlete. Cooper is good with his hands as well. Between that and his quickness, he is the hardest DT for opposing O-linemen to stick to in the draft in my opinion. He obviously can get up the field, and he disengages well to make plays against the run. He played the 1-tech, 3-tech and 5-tech in college, although he’ll be primarily a 3-tech in the NFL."

I think Cooper has Pro Bowl potential. The Browns also took Washington Huskies star Danny Shelton in the first round, which will definitely benefit Cooper. Just ask Hau’oli Kikaha.

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Having a nose tackle as physically dominant as Shelton draws so much attention to the middle of the line and leaves the edges much more vulnerable. The Cleveland Browns added two fantastic players to their defensive front. Don’t expect them to rank 32nd against the run again in 2015.

But they weren’t done in the state of Washington. In the fourth round, they drafted Vince Mayle, the record-breaking WR from Wazzu. I desperately wanted Mayle on the Seahawks. He is a big receiver who is a legitimate jump-ball receiver. I think he’s a lot like Alshon Jeffery, and has that kind of potential.

"To be honest, I’m shocked that he isn’t being rated higher. At 6’2″ and with long arms, Mayle possesses the ideal frame for an NFL WR. While he doesn’t have off-the-charts athleticism, he has quick feet off the line and in congested areas, as well as above average leaping ability.Originally a basketball player, Mayle hasn’t been playing football at a high level for very long, thus he has some route-running and run-blocking technique issues to work on, but he has the physical talent to improve both. He also is a natural hands-catcher, and snatches poorly thrown balls out of the air with ease.He was a decent run-blocker in college without trying very hard or having great technique simply because he is so much bigger and broader than every corner he faces.As a UW fan, it pains me having to complement a Coug like this, but I see Mayle being a #1 receiver, not right away, but in the not too distant future. He would be a solid pick in the third round for the Seahawks."

Thus far, I think the Cleveland Browns have had one of the best drafts of anyone in the league. And I don’t think I’m being biased when I say that. Now they just need to take UW/WSU prospects Connor Halliday, Kasen Williams and/or John Timu in the later rounds.

Next: Seahawks Draft Grades: Frank Clark And Tyler Lockett

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