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NFL draft: Browns meet with diminutive quick, fast receiver

Nathaniel Tank Dell is an interesting NFL draft prospect

NCAA Football: Houston at East Carolina James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports

The Cleveland Cavaliers long ago moved on from Daniel “Booby” Gibson and the Cleveland Browns allowed Andraez “Greedy” Williams to walk in free agency this offseason. Booby and Greedy are two of the few professional players that were known by their nicknames and not their real names.

When Jim Brown announced Cleveland’s selection of Williams the card he read simply said “Greedy Williams.” Few know either Gibson or Williams’ actual first name.

If the Browns interest in Nathaniel “Tank” Dell leads to him being drafted, it is possible that he will only be known as “Tank Dell” throughout his tenure in the NFL.

According to a report, Dell has already met with Cleveland’s staff:

Standing at just 5’8”, Dell creates separation all over the field with his top-end speed and short-area quickness. In a lot of ways, he wins in ways that Elijah Moore does. Moore is just an inch taller than Dell.

Unlikely Moore, Dell didn’t test well at the NFL combine which lowers his measured Relative Athletic Score:

On tape, Dell rarely looks like a 4.5 guy and, like Moore, his best attributes, agility, didn’t get measured at the combine.

When we turn on the film of Dell versus Cincinnati when Sauce Gardner (another player known by his nickname) was still with the Bearcats, you see a player who can create a lot of separation:

Given his size limitations and poorly tested speed (even if NFL teams know he runs faster), Dell is expected to be drafted in the third or fourth round. For the Browns, drafting Dell would continue to add speed to the roster and allow Moore to play outside, where his straight-line speed can win regularly, and give the offense more explosiveness.

With two third and two fourth-round picks, Cleveland is positioned to draft the best players they can to make the roster as powerful as possible. While a slot receiver may not be on the radar as a prime target, given the presence of Moore and David Bell, Dell’s speed and quickness could make him a steal with one of those four selections.