Browns DT Marvin Wilson could be the best UDFA signing of 2021

Marvin Wilson could have been a top draft choice prior to his injuries. Here’s why the Browns could be getting the best UDFA in the class. 

As a Steelers fan, it annoys me how often the Cleveland Browns seem to have great talent fall into their lap over the past several years. After some really lackluster drafts that ultimately produced disappointing results, the Browns have really beefed up their roster since 2017 by adding cornerstone football players like Myles Garrett, Baker Mayfield, Denzel Ward, and Jedrick Wills Jr.

Now they are at it again with another impressive 2021 draft class – perhaps my favorite in the league this year. Though they were picking late in each round, Clevland was able to find terrific value in their first two picks with Northwestern cornerback Greg Newsome and Notre Dame linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah.

The Browns then build on an impressive first two picks by adding the fastest player in the draft in Auburn wide receiver Anthony Schwartz. They followed this up by bolstering the trenches with athletic Cincinnati offensive tackle, James Hudson, and relentless Ohio State defensive tackle, Tommy Togiai.

After a remarkable draft, I would have thought that Cleveland would have been finished. But their run-on talent didn’t end there. The Browns – a team that had very few holes prior to the 2021 NFL Draft – grabbed perhaps my favorite undrafted free agent this year in Florida State defensive tackle, Marvin Wilson.

Why Marvin Wilson is a great signing by the Browns

Marvin Wilson never had spectacular production in college, as evidenced by his 15.0 career tackles for a loss and 9.5 sacks over a combined four seasons. However, he was undeniably a different player before injuries got the best of him.

Most of Wilson’s production came during his junior season in 2019 where he earned 8.5 tackles for a loss and 5.0 sacks in just 9 games. Considering he was doing so at nearly 6’4” and 303 pounds, those numbers were quite impressive. Even when Wilson wasn’t coming away with the sack, he would disrupt the play enough to allow one of his teammates to clean up.

Wilson had a remarkable combination of quickness and strength and his bull rush was a lethal as anyone in the nation in 2019. After playing just 6 games in 2020, Wilson missed the rest of the season with a leg injury. This wasn’t the first time something like this had happened. As a senior in high school, Wilson tore his meniscus. Wilson also suffered a hand injury in 2019 that forced him to miss the final few games of the season.

Despite his lengthy injury history, there were still many who believed Wilson could be a day two draft choice in 2021. However, teams were clearly more concerned than we even anticipated, and Wilson ended up falling completely out of the draft entirely.

There aren’t many players with the size, strength, and quickness combination that Marvin Wilson has, and the Browns certainly got a player with loads of upside if he can stay healthy. Right now, as an undrafted free agent, Wilson just needs to focus on making the final roster. If he can return to the player we saw before some of these injuries, Browns fans are in for a treat.