How did the Browns draft picks look at rookie minicamp? Hey, Mary Kay! – cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio — In this week’s Hey, Mary Kay! I answer questions about Browns rookie minicamp and more.

Hey, Mary Kay: What were your first impressions of the Browns draft picks and undrafted free agents at rookie minicamp? — Sean N., Chicago, Ill.

Hey, Sean: With only 18 players on hand, the practice we watched on Friday consisted of individual drills and a walk-through, but I was still able to observe some things. No. 26 overall pick Greg Newsome looked smooth and polished going through drills, and picked up the coaching points very quickly. He felt he only did okay, but he didn’t have to be told something twice, and he corrected his mistakes very quickly. Same thing with second-round pick Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah.

He got a lot of one-on-one reps and assimilated the instruction very well. He also caught the ball well in interception drills. Anthony Schwartz looked fast and agile, but dropped a few passes on the first day. I have a feeling he corrected that on Day 2. Defensive tackles Tommy Togiai, Marvin Wilson and Malik McDowell passed the eyeball test and certainly looked like pro linemen. The competition there will be fierce. Fifth-round safety Richard LeCounte worked alongside Owusu-Koramoah for a bit and also displayed good hands in ball skill drills and excellent athleticism. Fifth-round linebacker Tony Fields will be out a few weeks with a foot injury, and Demetric Felton looks like he belongs in a pro camp.

Hey, Mary Kay: I might be silly with saying this, but seems like every offseason Jarvis Landry and Baker Mayfield are always somewhat together either working out or doing something and because of that, we see that instant connection on the field on gameday so effortlessly. However I have yet to see Odell Beckham Jr. and Baker doing that at all. Odell or Baker always seems to want to do their own thing and work independently. Given that he’s a WR1 and should get as much time with Baker as he can, do you think that’s a problem or naw? — Jonathan Torres, Cleveland, Ohio

Hey, Jonathan: I do think Mayfield and Beckham would benefit from some extra time together this offseason. Beckham has been recovering from his torn ACL, so I’m not sure exactly what he’s been cleared for yet, but he looks pretty amazing in workout posts on social media. He didn’t attend the passing camp with Mayfield at House of Athlete in south Florida a couple of weeks ago, but maybe he wasn’t ready for that yet. They’ll probably do another one in July, and maybe he’ll be there for that one. If not, it would help if they could get some time in together somewhere. The Browns might continue to skip voluntary in-person OTAs, but they have a mandatory minicamp on the books June 15-17. Working together during that would help a lot if OBJ is ready.

Hey, Mary Kay: It’s very strange the NFL schedule-makers gave the Browns back-to-back games against the Ravens. Do you think it’s a blessing or a curse? Love your column! #brownsuperbowl — Dan B., Westlake, Ohio

Hey, Dan: Thanks! It is quite an oddity in the schedule, with the Browns playing the same opponent in consecutive weeks for the first time since 1957. And the Ravens, no less! With probably the AFC North on the line so late in the season (Nov. 28 and Dec. 12). Fortunately for the Browns, they have the bye week in the middle of this crabcake sandwich, and will have a chance to heal up. The Ravens, on the other hand, travel to Pittsburgh in between, so they have it a lot tougher. They’ll also be in the midst of four of five games on the road when they face the Browns twice in that stretch, the schedule-makers were not kind to them at all. I think those two games will determine the AFC North crown. But with everyone playing a division foe in the finale, it will be a nailbiter to the finish.

Hey, Mary Kay: Do you think we could see guys like Joel Bitonio or Jarvis Landry take pay cuts similar to what Olivier Vernon did last year to free up some cap space? — Jeffery, Bay Village, Ohio

Hey, Jeffery: I believe the Browns are comfortable with the salaries of Bitonio ($10 million) and Landry ($13.253 million) for 2021 and they currently have no plans to restructure them this offseason. After this season is another story, when Landry will have a $16.55 million cap hit in a year when he’ll be turning 30 and the Browns will be paying double-digit millions to a lot of players. But this offseason, I think they’re prepared to pay the

Hey, Mary Kay: AVP (Alex Van Pelt) called a flawless game. I love Kevin Stefanski but there were some small challenge issues and in-game stuff. What are the chances of giving up play calling to AVP this season? I think he proved very capable. Still colab all together though. Can you ask this at presser? — @nickwest14

Hey, Nick: It’s definitely a question we’ll be asking Stefanski at some point this offseason or preseason. I still have no problem with him calling the plays himself, but if he thinks the team will be better served with AVP handling the chore, he won’t hesitate to hand it over. AVP is definitely more than capable. It’s just a matter of how Stefanski wants to define the roles. There will be collaboration regardless of who calls the plays, and in the case of these two, I don’t think they can go wrong either way.

Hey, Mary Kay: What linebackers will NOT make the roster? Greetings from Barcelona. Spain. — @EspBrowns

Hey, @EspBrowns: I love Barcelona! Can’t wait to get back there some day. Gaudi, La Sagrada Familia, I loved it all. With the addition of second-round pick Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, fifth-round pick Tony Fields and free agent acquisition Anthony Walker, competition at linebacker will be intense during camp. Players such as Mack Wilson will have to step up their game to keep their jobs. Sione Takitaki is excellent against the run, and that will help him. Jacob Phillips had a promising rookie year and will likely play more this year.

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