CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Browns have signed their sixth player overall from the 2021 NFL Draft, coming to terms with second-round pick linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, who is expected to be a key piece of the Browns' defense in the not too distant future.
Owusu-Koramoah's four-year deal is worth $6,476,216, including a $2,069,976 signing bonus, $3,024,349 guaranteed and an average annual salary of $1,619,054, according to Spotrac.
To select Owusu-Koramoah, who fell in the draft after Cleveland selected cornerback Greg Newsome II with their first-round pick, the Browns traded up from the No. 59 pick to the No. 52 with the Carolina Panthers. As part of the trade, the Browns sent their 2021 No. 59 pick and No. 89 pick while acquiring the No. 52 pick and round four No. 113 pick.
At Notre Dame, Owusu-Koramoah recorded 142 tackles, 24.5 for a loss, seven sacks, three forced fumbles and an interception.
Owusu-Koramoah is a safety-linebacker hybrid who is expected to excel in coverage and who Browns Chief Strategy Officer Paul DePodesta said "really just fits our scheme to a T."
While Owusu-Koramoah does have incredible versatility, the team plans to play him at linebacker with the benefit of having him expand the team's defensive looks.
"Going into this defense, there's a lot of disguises and a lot of things that coach is doing within the defense that I think just me and my versatility are used perfectly within the defense in terms of its principals and what he is looking for,” Owusu-Koramoah said. "It'll be similar but not too similar to the position I was playing at Notre Dame. It will be a WILL (weakside) linebacker, and that's kind of where I'm working at right now on third down and things like that. That'll add more to it, but for right now, that's what I'm studying.”
After signing Owusu-Koramoah, the Browns have just two more rookies from the 2021 NFL Draft to come to terms with—Newsome and wide receiver Anthony Schwartz.
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