ProCanes Perspective: Sheldrick Redwine

Joining Duke Johnson and Chad Thomas up in Cleveland, Defensiveback Sheldrick Redwine was the first Miami Hurricane to be drafted in 2019. Despite early praise for players like Joe Jackson and Gerald Willis, excitement for this class slowly waned as the draft process dragged on and no Canes were drafted on the first two days of the process. But Redwine joins a team where, as a 4th round pick, he can make a very early impact.

Suddenly, the Cleveland Browns are one of the hottest teams in football. After Baker Mayfield delivered the kind of rookie season from a QB that the Cleveland faithful have been looking for for decades, the ceiling is very high for the Browns. Over the offseason they acquired Odell Beckham Jr. from the Giants and still managed to find playmakers in the draft despite giving up their 1st and 3rd round picks in that trade. Enter Redwine, the team’s 4th round selection and second DB the team selected in the draft. After drafting LSU CB Greedy Williams, Redwine was selected and referred to as a Safety during his selection.

While we know that Redwine can play CB, Cleveland has some solid ones already on the roster and, after adding Williams, likely won’t need Redwine to come down and play across from a receiver. What Cleveland desperately needed after trading Jabrill Peppers to the Giants was depth at the safety position. Another former CB convert, Damarious Randall, might be the only player standing between Redwine and a starting role. Randall hasn’t lived up to his first round draft pick expectations and struggled after being initially drafted by the Green Bay Packers. But last year he was very solid with Cleveland, posting 84 tackles, 4 INTs and 9 pass breakups. Randall will likely hold onto the starting role barring injury or very poor play.

Randall has missed games due to injury in both his professional and college career, meaning Redwine could find himself with a large role sooner rather than later. But even if he doesn’t, the former 3-star should find himself used in a variety of ways. He’ll certainly contribute on special teams, where his elite athleticism and penchant for hard hits should make him an impact player. His versatility on defense could prove useful as a substitute, filling in when a starters at either CB or S need breahters. And with Randall’s contract running out in 2020, a solid rookie year from Redwine could make him Cleveland’s starting free safety in the very near future.