Notre Dame Football: Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah a fit in Cleveland?

The Notre Dame Football team should have at least one first-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, and it will likely be Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah.

The Notre Dame Football team has plenty of draft prospects this season, as they could have as many as ten players selected across the three-day event. One player, Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, is widely regarded as one of the best defensive players in this draft class, and it would be shocking to see him fall outside of the first round.

In a recent 2021 NFL Mock Draft by Pro Football Focus, the outlet did in fact have JOK going in the first round, but later than most, landing with the Cleveland Browns. While dropping a bit in the first round would not be great for JOK’s pockets, it would land him on a team with a pressing need at linebacker, and one who made it to the AFC Divisional Round this past season.

In his mock draft, Andrew Erickson speaks to the fact that the Browns have major issues at linebacker, while also discussing JOK’s versatility.

"JOK’s diverse skill set as a box safety, explosive linebacker and slot defensive back allow him to make plays all over the field."

Cleveland would be a solid spot for Owusu-Koramoah to start his NFL career, as they are a win-now team that could be one of the best in the AFC next season. Imagine adding a player like JOK to a defense that has elite players along the defensive line, and in the secondary, as that could be very scary for the opposition next season.

Notre Dame Football must replace their defensive leader

Based on all of the talent leaving, the Irish are going to have to shuffle up the deck at many position groups, and linebacker is certainly one of them. Not only was JOK one of the best players in the country last season, but he was the leader of this defense, a spot that Kyle Hamilton is now going to have to step up into.

New defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman is special, and it would have been fun to see how he would have deployed Owusu-Koramoah all over the field. The 2021 NFL Draft is less than three weeks away, and as we inch closer, we will start to get a better feel of where No. 6 could land on the next step of his NFL journey.