Cleveland Browns Comprehensive NFL Draft Review: Cedric Tillman, WR Tennessee

The Cleveland Browns selected wide receiver Cedric Tillman with the 74th pick of the 2023 NFL Draft. Using historical data and breaking down his film, projecting Tillman's potential future with the Browns and his career overall.

The Cleveland Browns traded with the New York Jets to move down from 42nd pick in the second round to 74th pick in the third round. They got two wide receivers out of the deal, getting Elijah Moore in the trade, then drafting Cedric Tillman out of Tennessee with the pick.

A second generation NFL wide receiver, Tillman had a stellar 2021 season. A high ankle sprain caused him to miss four games in 2022 and may have been a driving force in why the Browns were able to select him in the third round.

Athletic Profile

Tillman offers excellent size and long arms. He's explosive off the ball with good strength and leaping ability. His speed isn't special but it's more than adequate for his size.

The issue for Tillman is his agility. The 3-cone isn't great and he didn't do the shuttle. And while he's practiced enough that it doesn't hurt him running his routes, Tillman is either going to run by opponents or go through them. He's not someone that is going to juke many opponents. That's just not his game, but he doesn't pretend to be something he's not.

His age is fine. It's old by Browns standards, but nothing about it is problematic. And for those who concern themselves with breakout age, Tillman broke out in 2021 so he's fine there as well.

Jim Cobern @Jimetrics

Production

2021 (Best Season)

Receptions: 64

Receiving Yards: 1,081 (32.3%)

Touchdowns: 12 (36.3%)

2022 (Last Season)

Receptions: 37

Receiving Yards: 417 yards (9.8%)

Touchdowns: 3 (7.8%)

A breakout star in 2021, Tillman only played six games in 2022 due to injury. The lack of games combined with a breakout year from Jalin Hyatt and an overall uptick in passing from the Volunteers dropped his impact considerably. It's worth pointing out that Tillman was still second on the team with yards per game in 2022 with 69.5.

Jim Cobern @Jimetrics

Tillman benefits from playing in the SEC, but their out of conference slate wasn't great. The Volunteers did play Pitt, but the rest were jobber programs that posed no meaningful threat.

Jim Cobern @Jimetrics

Game Tape

Tillman is a power receiver who uses his size and strength to create separation and make plays. His effectiveness is due in no small part to the fact he has answers to what opponents throw at him.

He has significant experience taking on and defeating press. His sheer size helps and there are times when he simply shoves the opponent off the ball to create space, but he effectively hand fights to either parry defensive backs from getting into his body or pinning their elbow, bringing the other arm through and running by them.

He also does a nice job of mixing up his release off the line of scrimmage to get the corner to make a false step and then beat him. Tillman effectively marries his upper and lower body, which keeps press corners off balance.

Tillman is explosive off the line of scrimmage and he's faster than some might think. He was consistently able to beat tight man coverage, turn corners around and gain a leverage advantage. Tillman's route tree is largely vertical and of the route he thrived with the most was a comeback. Opponents knew it was coming and he'd still put enough stress on them causing them to worry he was going to go vertical before dropping his hips and cutting back to the ball.

Against off coverage, Tillman usually attacks, running right at the defender and forcing them to adjust to him or risk getting run over or just beat vertically. And when opponents hesitate or make a false step, Tillman has shown he is someone who can run right by them. 

Additionally, his strength down the field makes it difficult for opponents to run him out of bounds. Tillman does a great job of fighting for real estate and giving his quarterback space to throw him the ball. That is one of the elements that allows Tillman to thrive in traffic.

Another is his strong hands and his reach. Tillman has long arms, but he has the strength to pluck the ball out of the air away from his frame through contact. He is effective tracking the ball and the few drops he has in his career largely come down to misframing the ball. Positioning his hands to go under a ball he should catch over for example.

Tillman was a drive extender for the Volunteers. Third down or a key spot, go to Tillman. Having already mentioned his proficiency running cutbacks, he also thrives on slants, in breaker and curls. Not only is Tillman a good bet to catch the ball, but he gets behind his pads and fights for tough yardage.

With the ball in his hands, Tillman isn't doesn't have much wiggle. He's largely a north-south runner power runner that makes coaches happy because he's not taking risks or giving away first downs seeking out a bigger play.

Tillman may not be a burner per se, but if he's fast enough to take plays all the way, so he basically dares opponents to tackle him, knowing that he will go right through arm tackles. He will get behind his pads and deliver a blow to get yardage, but he also uses his off arm as a weapon. Tillman can certainly stiff arm defenders to keep them out of his body, but he will occasionally use his arm like a lever, moving the opponent out of his way.

Tillman is effective going over the middle, catching passes in traffic, but he has the ability to high-point passes as well. Much of his success is predicated on his ability to body opponents out, often mitigating their ability to go up to contest the pass. He will occasionally climb the ladder to make catches, but he's great at using his body to shield opponents from the ball so he doesn't always need to high point it.

The last aspect of Tillman's game is his blocking. Much of it comes in their quick hitting now passes because that is an extension of their running game, but they do have some runs that go outside. Tillman is an aggressive, physical blocker who often looks to dominate the opponent. He so often has a notable size advantage and he's  simply bullying smaller defensive backs off the field. There are numerous Jalin Hyatt receptions that gain a bunch of yardage that has Tillman leading the way as a blocker.

In fact, Tennessee would have Tillman occasionally line up as a wing or even inline on a tight formation when they need a tough yard just so he can give them a little more size up front. Whether he's blocking or he's using his off arm with the ball in his hands, his long arms and strong hands are a major asset, making it difficult for opponents to get to his body.

© Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports

Fit, Usage and Projection

If everything goes as the Browns hope, Tillman is their eventual X, taking the place of Amari Cooper in two years. Even if that doesn't happen, Tillman is another big bodied receiver that should be a chain mover.

Tillman projects to be an outside receiver, but does have more viability to play inside than his college usage suggests. For Tennessee, he only has a handful of snaps inside or even on the left side of the field, but there's nothing to suggest he can't. And with a shift to formations with more receivers on the field, that will be critical for him to find reps on the field 

It will be interesting to see how his route tree expands with the Browns given some of the concepts they have run. The Browns utilize plenty of crossing routes including posts, post corners, drags and sails. Combined what he already does well, that could help to elevate his game.

Tillman is likely to find himself on kick return at the very least. He's a good blocker and has a decent amount of experience on that particular unit.

So much of what Tillman has done at Tennessee should translate smoothly to the next level. He has run an NFL route tree, faced plenty of press and gone against high level competition and succeeded. The challenge for Tillman will be adjusting to the uptick in competition, going against corners who can match his strength and have more speed.

Based on historical data, production is the biggest indicator of projecting success for wide receivers from college to the NFL and Tillman is relying entirely on his 2021 season. As a result, he follows below the line of being a long term starter and projects as a backup.

That being said, it's reasonable to believe that Tillman would've put up enough production to surpass that line had he not missed time with injuries in his final season. As a result, it's not difficult to believe Tillman can outperform that projection even if he's not likely to be a multiple time Pro Bowler.