Browns Draft profile: S Michael Taaffe could be Day 3 steal
· Yahoo Sports
The Cleveland Browns may or may not have been in a quagmire regarding the safety position. Starter Grant Delpit is a seasoned veteran and solid. The issue is that his running mate, Ronnie Hickman, is a restricted free agent and may have the opportunity to leave the team.
The Browns placed a right of first refusal tender, reportedly, on Hickman, which just may scare some clubs off that had an interest in signing him. So, time will tell if he will return or play somewhere else.
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In the meantime, the safety room needs another capable body. Donovan McMillon is a guy who can make some noise at some point, but at this juncture, he is a special teams demon who has played some defensive snaps. He is a Hickman clone in that both were undrafted free agents who have come to the Browns and shown promise.
Michael Taaffe is also a highly-regarded safety. He is a smart kid with good awareness on the field, most likely at strong safety. He is a guy who can come in and instantly compete for the open starting job next to Delpit.
Safeties coach Ephraim Banda has consistently valued instinctive, physical defensive backs who can operate in multiple roles. All of this represents Taaffe.
S Michael Taaffe
Draft projection: Round 5Browns pick: #149
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Specifics:Career Tackles for Loss: 9.5
Interceptions: 7
Career Pass Defenses: 14
Accolades: First Team All-American, First Team All-SEC, SecondTeam All-American (2024), Wuerffel Trophy winner
Positives:- Tremendous coverage skills
- Great anticipation rather than being physical
- Natural ball tracking
- Seven career picks, so he knows how to find the ball
- Versatility in that he can play box, free safety, and in the slot
- Genuine coachability
- Superior special teams guy
- Leader
- Shows up in big games
- Athletic limitations
- Bit undersized
- Bigger tight ends an issue
- Not able to take on offensive linemen
- Too many missed tackles
- Will overrun pursuit angles
- Limited recovery speed
Taaffe brings a unique and experienced profile to this draft class, appearing in over 50 career games while developing into a key contributor in Texas’ secondary. A former walk-on who earned his role, Taaffe steadily worked his way into a starting position and became one of the more reliable defensive backs on the roster. Taaffe continued to contribute, making plays across multiple phases of the defense, including interceptions, tackles for loss, and consistent involvement in the run game before dealing with injury late in the season. Across his career, Taaffe has consistently shown the ability to produce in big moments, including interceptions in key games and strong performances against high-level competition.