2015 Draft Sleepers Who'd Fit Perfectly with the Cleveland Browns

Though most of the excitement of the NFL draft can be found in its first two rounds, the heavy lifting teams do in the later rounds has significant impact on how their rosters are shaped for years to come. Teams cannot simply sit back and be satisfied with what they accomplish in the draft's first day or two and randomly select players in later rounds and hope for success.

The draft's true gems can be found in Rounds 3 and beyond. Here are five such players the Cleveland Browns could select in 2015.

TE Jeff Heuerman

Jay LaPrete/Associated Press

The Browns are in a much better place at the tight end position now that they have signed free agent Rob Housler. But if they want further insurance at the position, former Ohio State tight end Jeff Heuerman could be a mid-round draft target.

Heuerman's collegiate production does not belie just how talented an athlete he is. In four seasons, he caught 52 passes for 792 yards and seven touchdowns, averaging 15.2 yards per reception. In 2014, he had 17 catches for 207 yards and two scores, mainly thanks to a foot injury and changes at the quarterback position.

NFL.com's Lance Zierlein compares Heuerman favorably to Housler, saying he has "solid straight-line speed after the catch" and "can threaten the seams vertically." Further, Heuerman "has a plus vertical leap and high-point ability as a pass-catcher."

Heuerman has similar limitations to Housler in that he needs to improve both his run-blocking and pass protection. But as a rookie with no NFL experience, he has the higher ceiling. Housler might be the fit for now, but Heuerman can be the Browns' pass-catching tight end for the long term.

RB Jeremy Langford

Brandon Wade/Associated Press

The Browns may or may not have their hearts set on an additional running back this year. They do have, or had, meetings scheduled with the draft's top two backs, Todd Gurley and Melvin Gordon, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler and NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Whether that can be chalked up to due diligence, a hint that the Browns will go best player available in Round 1 or that they simply want a running back is not yet clear.

But if the latter is the case, then this year's draft class is a good one for running back depth. The Browns don't need to take a back like Gordon or Gurley earlier on when Michigan State's Jeremy Langford could be there waiting for them in Rounds 4 or 5.

Langford totaled 577 collegiate carries for 2,967 yards and 40 touchdowns, with 276 carries, 1,522 yards and 22 touchdowns in 2014. He also has 39 catches for 219 yards to his name.

CBS Sports' Dane Brugler says that "Langford is a workhorse type with a hard-nosed, no-nonsense style of running the ball, getting stronger as the game progresses" who "really shines in areas where most young backs struggle like pass protection, reliability in the screen game and also the ability to get stronger and better as the game goes on."

Still, Brugler worries that Langford has too much tread on his tires. That shouldn't matter to the Browns, though, who would not need him to be their lead back, but rather a complementary piece to Isaiah Crowell and Terrance West.

QB Bryce Petty

Forget packaging two Round 1 picks for Marcus Mariota. Forget quarterback in the first two or three rounds entirely. If the Browns want to add to their stable of passers, they would be better off taking a developmental talent like Baylor's Bryce Petty in the middle of the draft rather than loading themselves up with another first-round quarterback who may or may not be well-suited to starting as a rookie.

Petty isn't a sleeper, per se, given that there aren't many promising quarterbacks in this year's draft. The second tier is thus getting more attention than it normally would. But Petty has yet to fully realize his talents and could be a better NFL player in time, which is part of what makes a sleeper a sleeper.

Petty completed 530 of his 845 career passes—or 62.7 percent—for 8,195 yards, 62 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He completed 63.1 percent of his passes in 2014 for 3,855 yards, 29 touchdowns and seven interceptions.

A pocket passer who "possesses NFL size" and "NFL-starter quality" arm strength, according to NFL.com's Lance Zierlein, Petty is "ultra-competitive, tough and smart." He "understands when to throw the fastball and when to use touch" and "rarely underthrows deep passes, preferring to give only his wide receiver a chance to catch the ball."

Still, Petty "must learn to read defenses and get through his progressions when he joins the NFL" because he comes from a one-read system at Baylor. Thus, says Zierlein, "he needs a year or two of practice time and camp work to learn how to get through his progressions, but [he] has the intelligence to do that."

Given that the Browns currently have four quarterbacks on the roster, Petty would clearly push one off. But the glut of quarterbacks also means that Petty can be given the time he needs to fully develop into an NFL quarterback and allows the Browns to be flexible at the position in the future.

WR Ty Montgomery

The Browns are likely to take one of the draft's top wide receivers in an early round. But it's also possible they return to the position in a later round and select Stanford's Ty Montgomery.

Montgomery totaled 172 career receptions for 2,125 yards and 15 touchdowns and also returned 91 kickoffs for 2,493 yards and three scores. In 2014, playing through a shoulder injury, he totaled 61 catches for 604 yards and three touchdowns.

CBS Sports' Rob Rang had this to say about Montgomery:

"

Top athlete when healthy. …  Appears well-suited to making the jump to the NFL. Quickly accelerates to leave defenders in his wake and is very aggressive, bursting upfield and fighting through arm tackles to generate positive yardage rather than dancing to avoid contact. … Comes from a pro-style offense and program with exceptional academic standards, should be able to handle an NFL playbook.

"

Rang is concerned that Montgomery "allows too many passes to get to his pads, resulting in some ugly drops in which the ball simply goes right through his fingers," and he "could be seen as a bit of a one-trick pony whose greatest value in the NFL could be as a fourth receiver and kick returner."

As a later-round pick, however, Montgomery could prove to be a higher-upside replacement for returner-receiver Travis Benjamin in Cleveland.

DT David Parry

Julio Cortez/Associated Press

Late-round versatile defensive linemen should be on the Browns' draft radar this year as their attention shifts to shoring up their front seven and improving their performance against the run. One that would fit well in Cleveland is Stanford's David Parry.

Parry totaled 91 career combined tackles, 17 tackles for a loss and 6.5 sacks for the Cardinal, with 34 combined tackles, 7.5 tackles for a loss and 4.5 sacks in 2014.

An "active pass-rusher from [the] interior," according to NFL.com's Lance Zierlein, Parry "collapses pockets with bull-rush when single blocked and has short-area movement and power to create as a rusher." He "can play in an odd or even front and has strength and functional quickness to be a factor against the run while creating push and pocket disruption against the pass."

Though Parry "needs more pure girth" and has "short, stubby arms and legs" that resulted in him playing "just 49 percent of the snaps" in 2014, per Zierlein, the Browns would not need Parry to be an every-down player. He can be used situationally in ways that accentuate his "explosive power."