With the 132nd pick in the 2021 RCF Mock Draft, the CLEVELAND BROWNS select:
Tony Fields II, LB, West Virginia
- Height: 6’0 1/4″
- Weight: 222 pounds
- Wingspan: 76″
- Arm: 30 3/4″
- Hand: 9″
STRENGTHS: Rangy athlete with the speed to make plays at either sideline…quick to process and key versus the run…uses his agility to slither around blocks and find the ball carrier…relies on timing and physicality to strike and shed versus blockers…calms his feet well in space to break down as a tackler…flexible hips and lower body to cleanly change directions…very active in zone coverage, sensing throwing lanes and forcing quarterbacks to go elsewhere…quickly established himself as a team leader and tone-setter once he arrived at West Virginia, according to the coaches…durable and tough, playing through minor injuries and making 45 career starts…highly productive with at least 88 tackles in each of his four collegiate seasons.
WEAKNESSES: Smallish frame and doesn’t have prototypical length or growth potential…struggles to leverage gaps versus blockers and can be eaten up near the line of scrimmage…needs to stay disciplined with his run fits and hold contain…inconsistent finishing strength when his tackling technique isn’t perfect…needs to avoid the mental mistakes (two targeting fouls and a horse collar penalty on three of the 2020 tapes studied)…it is tough for him to work off contact mid-pursuit…will occasionally get too relaxed with his coverage reps, finding himself lost in space.
SUMMARY: A one-year starter at West Virginia, Fields lined up as the middle linebacker in the Mountaineers' 3-3-5 base scheme, previously lining up as a weakside linebacker during his three seasons in Arizona. He was one of the most impactful free-agent signings in college football last offseason, making all the defensive sets and calls for the Mountaineers and averaging 9.8 tackles per game as a senior. With his natural feel for the game, Fields is quick to diagnose and go with the athleticism and toughness to make plays in the backfield or downfield. A better run-around defender than take-on player, it can be tough for him to operate near the line of scrimmage because of his lack of size.
Overall, Fields can be too easily engulfed when he isn’t a step ahead of the play, but he is an instinctive player with above-average play speed to be a rangy run-and-hit weakside linebacker in the NFL.
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The Browns need help at LB, and this is the type of spot where the Browns see value in drafting one. The team has interest in Fields, so I am slotting him here. Although undersized, his speed and instincts should play well in today's NFL. This may have been the Browns' 5th round selection, but they like him, so they take him at the end of the 4th.
The NO Saints and @Stark are on the clock.
