Nate Orchard to Browns: Full Draft-Pick Breakdown

The Cleveland Browns continue to play it safe in the 2015 NFL draft, making the smart, value-based decision rather than swinging for the fences (and whiffing) as they've done so often in the past. 

Nate Orchard primarily played with his hand on the ground at Utah, often lining up in the wide-nine position to give him space and an angle to fly into the backfield and get after the quarterback. In Cleveland, however, he'll line up at linebacker in the Browns' 3-4 scheme and rotate in with Paul Kruger and Barkevious Mingo.

Early in his career, expect Orchard to be used primarily as a situational pass-rusher. He was extremely productive in that role at Utah, and it should be a smooth transition for him to the NFL in that area of his game. 

"

Nate Orchard had 28 combined sacks/hits, most for power 5 draft eligible 4-3 DEs.

— Nathan Jahnke (@PFF_NateJahnke) May 2, 2015"

Against the run, however, Orchard has some learning to do before he's ready to excel as a reliable three-down linebacker. 

Orchard made a number of splash plays against the run. According to Pro Football Focus, he made 22 run stops a season ago against Power Five competition. However, it's worth noting that Orchard's tendency to attack the backfield on every play lent itself to these big plays but also drew him out of position frequently.

When Orchard didn't get into the backfield, he was often a non-factor against the run, taking poor angles to the ball-carrier and showing limited reaction skills. 

Orchard's limited production against the run makes this selection somewhat surprising.

The Browns likely view him as a replacement for Jabaal Sheard, who signed with the Patriots this offseason. Sheard's most meaningful contribution in Cleveland was his ability to step up against the run—an area where Orchard may not offer much help immediately. 

While the fit in terms of skills isn't perfect, it does make sense for the Browns to take a linebacker at this position. 

Aside from Kruger and Mingo, Scott Solomon is the only outside linebacker on the roster who took snaps at the position a season ago, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required)—and he was only on the field for 63 snaps at linebacker.

Once again, the Browns seemed to target a high-character player, further distancing themselves from the risks they took in the past with Josh Gordon and Johnny Manziel. 

Orchard was a team captain and viewed as a mature leader at Utah, and he is married with a young daughter. ESPN Scouts Inc. scouting report (subscription required) on Orchard calls him a "self-starter that loves football and is coachable."

While the Browns could have made a bigger splash with someone like Randy Gregory, GM Ray Farmer is obviously making an effort to steer clear of the guys with off-field question marks and instead target prospects he can trust on and off the field.

Ryan McCrystal is an NFL draft Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report.

Follow @Ryan_McCrystal