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AARON JOSEFCZYK/Associated Press

Fourth-round pick (127th overall) from Lindenwood

Pierre Desir's size, speed and general athleticism drew the Browns to this raw talent. The cornerback is a lean 6'1" and ran the 40-yard dash at 4.52 seconds at the NFL combine.

The predraft strengths of Desir have translated to training camp. Rob Rang of CBS Sports commented:

Fluid athlete with light feet, flexibility and balance. Has a low backpedal, controlled transition and is a smooth accelerator with good top-end speed. Trusts his athleticism, showing the patience to allow receivers to get close before opening his hips to turn and run downfield. Aggressively closes on underneath routes. Locates the ball well, showing good hand-eye coordination and body control to adjust to make the tough grab.

The defensive back's perceived weaknesses focus largely around facing small-school competition and technical issues that should be able to be coached up.

ESPN Cleveland's Tony Grossi gave a positive report on Desir's progress this past Monday:

Rookie cornerback Pierre Desir was all over the field on Monday. After getting beat on a Hoyer deep ball to Miles Austin, Desir never quit and poked the ball from the unsuspecting Austin before he reached the end zone; broke up another Hoyer deep ball intended for Jonathan Krause; disrupted a short throw for Anthony Armstrong; and then broke up a Hoyer lob in the end zone for Taylor Gabriel.

Start or Not

The senior out of Lindenwood will likely begin on special teams, because the outside cornerback and safety positions are locked down.

However, Desir's height gives him the flexibility to be plugged into any area of the secondary, and that makes him a valuable commodity to defensive coordinator Jim O'Neil.

It appears that Cleveland is attempting to build its secondary after the Seattle model with large-bodied, fast defenders who have no quit and punish receivers. Desir looks to be a perfect match for that philosophy even if he needs some fine-tuning on the nuances of the game.