If the Cleveland Browns want to be more effective on offense next season they need more speed and athleticism at wide receiver. They don’t just need a speedster but a playmaker with the ball in his hand and preferably from the slot position. North Carolina’s Josh Downs could truly be the missing piece if he makes it to pick 42 in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Downs worked almost exclusively in the slot in college and has the exact skillset to make this passing offense more prolific in 2023. He likely could go in the first round of the draft but if he falls to the Browns they should run the card to the podium.
Josh Downs by the numbers
Josh Downs checks in at 5-foot-10 and 180 pounds and was a two-year starter for the North Carolina Tarheels. A productive player with back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons in his final tear years with the team. This season in 11 games Downs had 94 catches for 1,029 yards and 11 touchdowns.
It was his sophomore season in 2021 when he had his most productive year with 101 catches for 1,335 yards and eight touchdowns. Downs also has experience in the return game where he returned 26 punts during his time at North Carolina.
Downs is a natural separator and fluid route runner
Though improved from the 2021 season the Browns’ ability to create separation naturally wasn’t something to write home about. Often causing the quarterbacks to make tight-window throws for contested catch opportunities. That changes for Josh Downs who has the speed and technical skills to create separation and make it look easy.
He is a fluid and natural route runner that has some impressive tape creating separation and throwing windows for his quarterbacks. His speed and athleticism are borderline elite and it’s fun to watch him create with his route running. Though the ball isn’t always thrown his way he is almost always open.
Great accelerator and playmaker in the open field
It’s not just that he has great speed but the ability to use it and the threat of it to create open field operations and extra separation. You are forced as a defense to respect him going vertical that in breaking routes and comebackers are often wide open. His body control is some of the best you will see at the position in this draft.
He accelerates so smoothly that if you give him a seam he can turn a short pass into a big play. He is a home run threat and creates some impressive gains after the catch, something the Browns need a lot more of in the 2023 season.
His weakness and cause for concern
His size and short arms may cause some to not be interested in him as he has a smaller catch radius. Though he does well in contested catch opportunities being smaller he can struggle against bigger and more physical corners. His size is also a problem in the running game as he just isn’t a very effective blocker.
The lack of versatility as he was almost exclusively a slot receiver is another reason teams could pass on him. From time to time he can have some drops but overall is a pretty reliable pass catcher.
