Notre Dame football: Browns expert feels team will be patient with Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah

The Notre Dame football team lost Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, but the Browns gained a playmaker. We sat down with a Browns expert to discuss JOK’s rookie season.

One of the bigger shocks of the 2021 NFL Draft was the fact that Notre Dame football star Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah was not selected in the first round. Projected to go as high as No. 9 overall in some mock drafts, JOK found himself in a free fall on night one, this after a heart issue was detected, but cleared up.

However, when the second round kicked off, he was still waiting and saw two teammates, Liam Eichenberg and Aaron Banks selected before him. Finally, at pick No. 52, the Cleveland Browns stepped in, selecting him at No. 52 overall, and ending one of the stranger sagas we have seen in a while.

Now, JOK will be expected to come in and help a Browns team with very high expectations in 2021, and we sat down with the talented Randy Gurzi from DawgPoundDaily.com, FanSided’s Cleveland Browns team site to discuss his rookie year expectations. Here is what he had to say about the draft.

"The Cleveland Browns reportedly considered taking Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah at No. 26 but still somehow landed him at No. 52 in the second round. That ended up being quite the steal and it has the fan base fired up for his arrival this season."

Notre Dame football star to find his place at next level

Discussing what will be expected from JOK in his rookie season, Gurzi was not as bullish, but instead, took a calculated approach to what the organization may do with him.

"JOK is a phenomenal athlete and he fits this defensive scheme like a glove, but don’t expect him to be an All-Pro as a rookie. He will likely begin the season rotating in as he finds his perfect role — he was a bit of a rover in college but things need to be more defined in the NFL (see Isaiah Simmons as an example)."

Gurzi then went into what the final product should look like with JOK when he finds his role.

"As a rookie, he will probably get more time on third-downs and obvious passing situations which could help the Browns improve tremendously. As he gets more comfortable, he should see the field more and become one of their top defenders within the next couple of years."

Being patient with a player like Owusu-Koramoah makes a lot of sense, and when all is said and done, he is going to be a guy who dominates at the next level. He put the Notre Dame football team’s defense on his back in 2020, and in a few years, he will be the unquestioned leader of the Cleveland Browns defensive unit as well.

We thank Randy for taking the time to talk with us. You can follow him on Twitter at @rgurzi81, and follow all his work at DawgPoundDaily.com.