As they tour various training camps as part of a preview for all 32 teams, TheMMQB's Matt Verderame stopped by Berea to see the Cleveland Browns and is only the latest person excited about rookie wide receiver Cedric Tillman.
It's only training camp and a few preseason reps, but Tillman has a growing number of fans in media, making the third round pick look like a terrific value for the Browns.
Here is what Verderame had to say about Tillman.
Rookie who impressed: Cedric Tillman, WR.
At 6'3" and 215 pounds, Tillman has the frame to be a problem in a multitude of ways for opposing defenses. The 23-year-rookie from Tennessee showed a few of them in Monday’s practice, doing a nice job of winning on routes at the line before utilizing his size to box out smaller corners while also playing physical through downfield contact.
“He’s young, he’s still learning, but he’s going to be a really good player for us in the future,” Emerson says.
Tillman mostly ran with the reserves in team periods but did see a few snaps in the red zone with the starters. At Tennessee, Tillman was a five-year player who had his best campaign as a redshirt junior, catching 64 passes for 1,081 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Although he’ll have a hard time getting on the field when Amari Cooper, Donovan Peoples-Jones and Moore are all healthy, Tillman is an intriguing fit to watch for a team that’ll throw the ball more than in past years.
The Browns have a large set of receivers already with four likely to make the active roster over 200 pounds, but Tillman is the biggest. Sometimes making the transition to NFL competition can make a player look smaller, but Tillman continued to stand out against the New York Jet in the Hall of Fame Game.
He was able to use that size and strength to slingshot a defender off of him running a curl. That not only left him wide open to make the catch but gave him plenty of space to create yardage after the catch.
Unless the Browns suffer injuries, they don't really need him to be a big contributor, but he could earn his way onto the field. It wouldn't be surprising to see him have a similar year as both Donovan Peoples-Jones and David Bell did in their respective rookie seasons. DPJ had 14 receptions in 12 games as a rookie and Bell caught 24 passes last year.
Long-term, there are plenty who think Tillman's here to take DPJ's job for next season, leaving him to walk in free agency after the season, but Tillman has all the tools to be an X and Cooper is only going to be on the team a maximum of two more seasons. If the Browns believe he has that in him, they may extend DPJ and just let Tillman develop before he takes that role from Cooper.
For now, Tillman has the ability to develop at his own speed and the Browns can react accordingly. At worst, he appears to be quality depth, but if he can hit his ceiling, the Browns found a true X receiver in the third round of the draft after a trade that also netted them Elijah Moore, who many expect to be a breakout star. Good move.
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