9. Adrian Clayborn, Cleveland Browns
Matchup: Week 13 @ HOME
What Nick Shook had to say:
"Clayborn was an effective player for the Falcons’ defense last year by making the most of the pass-rushing snaps he was afforded, recording 35 QB pressures on just 282 pass rushes. Those pressures, plus his 24 hurries, comprise the backbone of his higher disruption rate. Look, do I feel great about Clayborn making this list over guys like Chandler Jones, Joey Bosa or Cameron Heyward (to name a few)? Absolutely not. But his disruption rate wasn’t far off from Myles Garrett’s with a similar number of pass rushes. The numbers tell the story here. I’m just the messenger."
Since I will be talking about Myles Garrett later on this list, let me take this time to talk about the collection of defensive talent that the Browns have that makes them scary.
Clayborn was very effective even though he couldn’t finish in 2019, but he is just one of several players on the Browns roster that should scare the AFC North. The man he will be splitting snaps with is Olivier Vernon who spent the bulk of his career averaging about 8 sacks per season.
Inside, the Browns will have Larry Ogunjobi, Sheldon Richardson and rookie Jordan Elliott who is an interesting prospect.
Maybe most importantly, the collection of talent in the Browns defensive backfield is either going to make them really good, or really disappointing. Just look at these names: Denzel Ward (1st round pick), Greedy Williams (2nd round), Grant Delpit (2nd round), and Karl Joseph (1st round).
So think about Clayborn as the guy on paper who is going to benefit the most from that surrounding talent and who could finish better in 2020 than he did in 2019 which could make him a great asset.