With their final pick, a compensatory selection at No. 248, in the 2011 NFL Draft, the Browns selected defensive back Eric Hagg from the University of Nebraska.
It was the second straight year in which the Browns selected a former Cornhuskers defensive back on day three of the Draft. Last year, they picked Larry Asante in the fifth round at No. 160 overall.
“I had no indication,” Hagg said of the call from the Browns. “I had a couple of other teams call me and tell me they were possibly going to pick me up, but to actually get the call, I was like in awe. I was in shock. I didn’t even know if I was to believe it was true, actually.”
Hagg was a second team All-American selection by Rivals.com and a third teamer by the Association Press. He was a unanimous first team All-Big 12 pick in 2010.
He registered 49 tackles, including 39 solo stops and one sack during the 2010 season, but made his biggest impact in pass coverage. After intercepting just one pass in three previous seasons, Hagg collected five takeaways in 2010. His longest return, a 26-yarder in a 45-17 win over Colorado, set up Rex Burkhead’s four-yard touchdown pass to Kyler Reed.
“The position I played at Nebraska was the nickel position,” Hagg said. “Most teams say it was the drop-down safety. I would assume that I would be able to play corner and safety, but it really depends on what the coaches want me to do and I will work at what they want me to do.
“My playing style would be close to the line of scrimmage, getting my hands on the receivers, running with them, being a little bit physical at the line and then, being able to go after the ball when it’s in the air,” he added.
Hagg was not an experienced returner on special teams but set a Nebraska record with his 95-yard punt return touchdown in a 20-13 loss to the University of Texas.
“That strictly depends on what the special teams coach or coaches want,” he said of being a returner in the NFL. “I’ll definitely do anything that they want me to do. I’ll be ready to do anything.”
