Cleveland Browns: WR Anthony Schwartz could be X-Factor as a rookie

The Cleveland Browns landed the fastest player in the draft in Auburn wide receiver, Anthony Schwartz. Here’s how he could make a difference right away. 

In 2020, the Cleveland Browns had a terrific offensive line, a remarkable rushing attack, and an efficient young quarterback. However, if there was one thing they were lacking last year, it was the ability to stretch teams deep. Cleveland could methodically keep the chains moving and put themselves in a position to score after long, sustained drives, but they needed another spark.

Despite boasting a 95.9 passer rating last year (which was a huge step up from his 78.8 rating in 2019), Baker Mayfield was still very average in terms of his yards per attempt. In fact, he ranked just 17th in this department with 7.3 yards per pass attempt last year. This put him behind players like Drew Brees, Teddy Bridgewater, and Philip Rivers.

Every elite offense needs a great deep threat who can consistently stretch the field. After landing the fastest player in the 2021 NFL Draft, the Cleveland Browns will look to improve in this department.

Anthony Schwartz could be an X-Factor for the Cleveland Browns

I watched a lot of Anthony Schwartz tape leading up to the NFL Draft, and I’ve got to be honest: I didn’t come away overly impressed. The 6’0”, 186-pound receiver was inconsistent at the catch point and too often non-existent in college. Though he was facing the best level of competition in the SEC and didn’t have great quarterback play,  I would have liked to have seen more.

Still, Schwartz has one trait that simply can not be taught: blazing downfield speed. Though testing numbers weren’t official this year because numbers were recorded at Pro Days instead of the NFL Combine, Schwartz ran a 4.27 40-yard dash, according to Mockdraftable.com. In comparison, former Steelers deep threat, Mike Wallace, ran a 4.28 while Will Fuller – considered to be one of the fastest receivers in the league – ran a 4.32 coming out of college.

Speed isn’t everything in the NFL, but it certainly matters, and Anthony Schwartz may have just landed with the perfect fit. The Cleveland Browns are terrific at running the wide zone and using these runs to set up their play-action passing game.

This is where Schwartz comes in. With a plethora of receiving options to work underneath in players like Jarvis Landry, Odell Beckham, and Austin Hooper, Schwartz can be working deep down the field. This is going to help everyone involved and make it extremely difficult to defend Cleveland’s offense.

If teams play deep Cover ‘2’ or Cover ‘3’ in an attempt not to get beat down the field, running backs Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt are going to eat them alive on the ground. If teams try to shut down the run, the Browns can exploit them down the field with one of the fastest players in the league.

Anthony Schwartz obviously needs to prove himself in the NFL before we give him too much praise. However, I think he landed with a team that is a terrific fit for him, and the 3rd round pick could immediately help the Cleveland Browns when it comes to making big plays in 2021.