BYU linebacker Sione Takitaki, left, pursues Arizona quarterback Khalil Tate during a game last season. Takitaki will try to make an impact in Cleveland after being drafted by the Browns this weekend. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

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The Browns had a clear plan with their assets at the 2019 NFL Draft this past weekend: Improve the talent and depth on defense.

After attacking the cornerback position with Greedy Williams at pick 46, the Browns decided the best course of action was upgrading the linebacker unit. However, the name was not one many Browns fans recognized.

With the 80th pick in the 2019 draft, the Browns went with BYU linebacker Sione Takitaki. Despite the lack of name recognition, Takitaki brings a plethora of skills to the table and is one of the more interesting personal stories of triumph you will hear in the draft.

The young linebacker was suspended four times during his career at BYU, and his future was teetering on the edge more often than not. He was dismissed from the BYU program altogether in 2016 after pleading guilty to misdemeanor theft. Takitaki turned to construction work to make ends meet during that life-altering year, and he took that time away to get his affairs in order and prioritize what meant the most to him.

Browns assistant general manager Eliot Wolf said about Takitaki: "He changed his life around. He is a success story at BYU. They didn’t think he would make it at BYU. He was a team captain. Everyone is looking at him in practice. He’s a culture changer."

That reformed character, mixed with elite athleticism meant he was attracting plenty of attention on draft night.

During his first two years he flashed enough potential that that coaching staff felt he was worth giving one last chance in 2017. It finally clicked.

In 2017, he displayed the talent everyone knew he possessed. As a 4-3 edge, he had 79 tackles, including 12.5 tackles for loss and five sacks. His turnaround meant enough to his teammates and coaches that he was named a team captain in 2018. BYU went back to the 3-4, but he was allowed to flourish where his frame was best fit: linebacker.

He gained valuable experience back in the 3-4 playing the stack linebacker, switching between box and hash coverage, helping his case in 2018 as he finished with 119 tackles, including 10 tackles for loss and four sacks.

Versatility at edge and a true linebacker. Then mix in that burning passion for special teams, something he admits, and Takitaki proved to be a perfect fit for Browns general manager John Dorsey -- the prototype football player he is looking to help solve the linebacker position long-term.

Let's check what he brings to the field in Cleveland this fall.

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WHAT TAKITAKI DOES WELL

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Play off the edge

In 2017, Takitaki played 644 snaps on the edge and only 95 off the ball. In his versatility bag, he has enough strength and bend to set an edge in the run game, and turn the corner in pass-rush situations.

In the NFL, his 6-foot-1, 238-pound frame won't consistently work over the course of three downs on the edge, but as a linebacker playing the SAM role, he could make it work when asked to approach the line of scrimmage. In 2018, he played 110 edge snaps and that talent was still on display.

His tape shows a player with quick twitch who can win in a variety of ways through both speed and power.

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In 2017 against LSU, Takitaki sets the edge with quick twitch here against LSU's Derrius Guice. This is a tough task on the "fly sweep" to get upfield with urgency and make the play on the back running with a head start in motion.

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Again with Takitaki as an edge in 2017 against San Jose State, we get a feel for how quickly he is able to win upfield and then redirect and get downhill to make the play on the back for a tackle for loss.

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More redirection skills on display here. Takitaki feels the quarterback escaping underneath his rush, quickly spins off the drive and makes the play on the quarterback.

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Power here as Takitaki drives the left tackle into the pocket depth, extends and releases for the sack when he feels the quarterback escape.

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Takitaki also has the speed to work well in twist and loop stunts up front. Aligned in a two-point stance, he loops inside on the twist here and closes quickly with easy direction change to get the sack. He goes from point A to point B with relentless effort.

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Point-of-attack speed moves

As an undersized edge, Takitaki typically won with speed and easy situational power in 2017.

In 2018, Takitkai turned to using his quick twitch, agility and occasional power to make his presence felt off the edge or coming up in run support from his linebacker position.

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From his WILL (weak-side) alignment, Takitaki shows the quick ability to get home on the quarterback. He uses a jab/club to make his way past the left tackle easily. If the quarterback had held the ball a split-second longer, it would have been a vicious sack.

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Coming off the edge to the right of your screen, Takitaki jabs and then rips under the tight end. He wins, but is held and draws a holding flag.

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Playing off-ball linebacker here, Takitaki shows the speed move at the second level. The line blocks for inside zone, and he has an untouched center coming for him. Takitaki uses a quick jab step to swim move to come untouched, maintain gap integrity and run down the back for the tackle for loss.

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Point-of-attack power

Just as Takitaki uses speed to win all over the second level, he has also used his long arms to create leverage, displace opposing tight ends and linemen, and come free for plays approaching the line of scrimmage. The ability to win by keeping your chest and upper-body clean is vital for interior linebackers. Takitaki does.

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Watch here as Takitaki displays that full arsenal. He diagnoses, extends those arms to stay clean, sheds the opposing lineman with ease, and finishes with a tackle.

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Takitaki shows the powerful hands at the point of attack to displace the tight end quickly, the closes down the line to make the tackle inside the box despite his outside alignment. Impressive effort here.

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From his WILL linebacker role here, Takitaki sets the edge by putting the tight end on the ground and is there to handle the run if the quarterback had given this ball to the back on the option. Another quality rep for his assignment.

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Play processing and closing speed

Takitaki put together a nice season in 2018 playing off the ball. He had to show scouts he could perform the processing and play-diagnosing tasks, and he did just that. The transition is never easy, but he displayed the comfort, and the athleticism was evident.

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Aligned inside here, watch how quickly Takitaki diagnoses this lead scheme from Wisconsin and destroys it with a perfect angle and impressive explosion from start to finish.

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Again aligned inside, Takitaki is patient in reading this counter scheme. Watch as he doesn't budge on the upfront movement before he feels the pulling lineman, gets to the spot, and brings down the ball-carrier.

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Aligned again at WILL here, Wisconsin again runs the center-lead scheme. Takitaki has to work down the line, absorb the hit from the pulling center and still make the play on the running back with the ideal angle. This is a tough task and he accomplishes it without much stress due to quick processing and closing speed.

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Pass coverage

In this area, he is a work in progress.

He obviously transitioned to full-time off-ball linebacker duties in 2018, and you would expect his pass coverage to be an issue. However, he was fluid in the area, both in zone and man coverage, with great feet, awareness, and easy hip turns. His overall grade in pass coverage according to Pro Football Focus was 75.8 in 2018, and that is a respectable mark for a transitioning player.

Let's see his upside reps in the area.

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Aligned off the edge as the SAM backer here, Takitaki is tasked with playing the underneath third zone in this cover-3 (three deep defensive backs) scheme. Watch how he passes off the fullback's rail route, and then quickly turns the hips and gets his eyes to the running back threatening his zone on the late release off play-action. He quickly processes it, puts his foot in the ground to change direction quickly, and drives on the football for the big hit immediately after the ball is caught.

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Takitaki is tasked with middle third underneath coverage here in the hook zone, and watch him close quickly on the drag route and make the play for a big hit and stop on third down.

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Again in Cover-3, this coverage and recognition was impressive. He gets his hands on the man leaving his zone, feels he will threaten the deep third coverage behind forcing the corner inside, then he runs with the rail route from the wing tight end. The processing to make this play was beyond impressive, then he has the athleticism to run with the tight end up the sideline, find the ball, and rake it out at the catch point.

To keep it simple: That was an NFL rep right there.

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If Takitaki is to play inside linebacker at the NFL level, he will have to get used to playing coverage in space against athletic players, especially running backs. He is tasked with man coverage on the back after he motions wide, and runs with him on the streak route up the sideline. He wasn't in perfect phase, but he was close enough to make the throw and play challenging. This is something he can do in Steve Wilks' defense.

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WHAT TAKITAKI MUST IMPROVE

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Tackling

If there is one major concern with Takitaki, it is missed tackles. According to Pro Football Focus, Takitaki missed a whopping total of 21 tackles in 2018. That was good for fifth-most in the entire country among draft-eligible linebackers. He missed five tackles in coverage, 14 in run defense, and 2 rushing the passer.

Now, not all missed tackles are created equally, and if you do your job maintaining your responsibility, such as a force player turning a run back inside, you can make it work for a defense. However, 21 is just too many missed tackles. He will have to improve in the NFL.

Let's take a look at a few of them and see what went wrong.

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Several of these reps involve Takitaki making tackle attempts on the perimeter and missing them when he dives for a player's legs and feet. It can be fixed if he simply trusts his angle and runs through the hip of the ball-carrier. Otherwise, you will see him break down (setting his feet at shoulder width and getting low) too late upon arriving in position for a tackle, and it causes him to whiff on the first move of a ball-carrier. He will have to get better at his breakdown on approach as the athletes get even more dynamic on Sundays.

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FINAL THOUGHTS

The Browns are getting versatility with Takitaki. That is his best feature. He's a player Steve Wilks can deploy off the edge, or a player they can trust to play off-ball linebacker if he can win that position in camp or a various point during the season.

Working in Takitaki's favor is his burning love for special teams, and you can see an easy path to a role there from day one.

Takitaki's best future is playing WILL at the NFL level and using that athletic ability to impact both phases of the game, and using that elite closing speed to make plays from sideline to sideline. His Pro Football Focus overall grade of 82.6 and 88.5 in the run game tells you he can make the position change carry over to NFL success.

The concern is the tackling. For a Browns defense that led the league in missed tackles in 2018, taking two players with notable tackling issues is a risk. However, taking players in the second and third round with the ability to be there to make the play is a large part of the battle.

What remains encouraging for the Browns is that the tackling issues might have been tied to just a one-year blip as he only missed seven total tackles in 2017: Just one in coverage, one while rushing the passer, and five in run defense.

Takitaki has that rare blend of speed and power, and he is still in the early phases of comfort in the role he settled into as an off-ball linebacker in 2018.

The defense will have a versatile player who can make an early impact, and also has the tools to make a long-term impact at linebacker for years to come.

The Browns are betting on the person Takitaki has become over the years, and the dynamic player he has the ability to become.

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Jake Burns played quarterback at the collegiate level and also has coached at both the high school and college levels. You can read more X&O analysis from Burns at the OBR.