As teams wade into the later rounds during day three of the NFL Draft, their homework that they have done can pay big dividends. This is where the various college scouts and their expertise come in to play. The pace is quicker, as picks come in fast and furious, and if you aren’t at the top of your game, you may miss out on some special talent.


The Cleveland Browns did not only focus on their offense in this year’s NFL Draft, they also added pieces to their defense as well. With the 5th round, 120th overall selection, the Cleveland Browns selected linebacker James-Michael Johnson from Nevada.


Johnson is a “thick” linebacker who thrives on contact. At 6-foot-1, 241 pounds, Johnson can make people pay when entering his zone. He owns the space inside the tackle box and plays well in stopping the run. This of course is an area in which is the Browns defense struggled with last year finishing 30th in the league in stopping the run with an average of 147.4 yards per game.


The one area in which Johnson seems to struggle in is in the passing game. He is effective in the zone but lacks the speed, or footwork which gives him a disadvantage in man coverage.
Johnson made a big impact during his career at Nevada earning 2nd Team All-WAC twice. He recorded 169 solo tackles along with 128 assists. Johnson also totaled three interceptions, and 5 forced fumbles.


The selection of Johnson is a good choice by Heckert and company. In 2011 the Browns were thin at the linebacker position and became thinner after losing veteran Scott Fujita due to a broken hand. The Browns may be without Fujita at the start of the 2012 season depending on the NFL commissioner’s decision in penalizing the current, or former Saints players involved in the “Bounty” system of which Fujita was a part of.


Johnson played both inside, and outside linebacker during his four years in Nevada, and is not afraid to play special teams as well. It is players like this that gives the Browns added depth in various positions.


Adding Johnson to a linebacker corps that features D’Qwell Jackson (was 2nd in tackling in 2011), Scott Fujita, Chris Gocong, and Kaluka Maiava not only gives the Browns depth, at linebacker in case of injury, but it can also give the team a possible rotation at that position in order to keep everyone fresh throughout the game.


Many scouts feel that Johnson will make an instant impact on the Cleveland Browns and has the potential to be a potential starter early in his career.