Sione Takitaki might have been taking a brown when the Browns called him to select him in the NFL Draft. The former BYU linebacker was watching the draft live Friday night when he saw the Rams make their third-round selection. Cleveland was next on the clock and Takitaki didn't think he'd be selected by the Browns because he hadn't talked with the team much leading into the draft. NFL DRAFT: Grades for Day 2 picks and players So, he went to the bathroom. "Once I got the call I was really excited. I was actually going to use the restroom," Takitaki said Friday night. "Funny story, I was watching it on TV and I saw the Rams going and their pick was in, and I saw Cleveland next, and I was like, 'Ah, I never really talked to Cleveland in the past, except at the Combine.' I went to use the restroom and I as I sat on the toilet, I got a call and I jumped right up and didn't have to use the restroom anymore." “It was pretty funny," Takitaki added. "It’s something I’ll always remember." Takitaki has an inspirational story from his time at BYU. He got off to a bad start, serving suspensions, including having to sit out the 2016 season after pleading guilty to misdemeanor theft. He turned his life around off the field by getting married, and becoming a team captain. And on the field, he switched positions from DE to LB and showcased additional talent. “He is a success story at BYU," Browns assistant GM Eliot Wolf said. “You talk to anyone there, they didn't think he was going to make it his first year. He completely turned his life around.” Takitaki joins Greedy Williams as Cleveland's other pick in the 2019 NFL Draft so far.<doc-sep>MADISON, WI - SEPTEMBER 15: Head coach Kalani Sitake of the BYU Cougars celebrates with Sione Takitaki #16 after the game against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium on September 15, 2018 in Madison, Wisconsin. BYU won 24-21. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) After selecting Greedy Williams earlier, the Cleveland Browns stayed on the defensive side of the ball and selected BYU linebacker Sione Takitaki. The Cleveland Browns received plenty of praise from the football community when they selected LSU cornerback Greedy Williams in the second round. But there are more questions about their second selection in the draft instead of praise. With the 80th overall selection, the Cleveland Browns selected BYU linebacker Sione Takitaki. The addition fills a need for the Browns after releasing Jamie Collins earlier in the offseason. Takitaki is a versatile linebacker who will play in more sub-packages instead of being a true, three-down linebacker. Takitaki was moved around the BYU defense, playing on the edge as well as covering the slot. Although it was surprising that the Browns passed on other available linebackers such as Mack Wilson or Blake Cashman, there are some believers in this pick. That includes Cody Williams of NFL Spin Zone, who gave this selection a B with his instant reaction. “There’s no question that the Cleveland Browns need help at linebacker to solidify the position moving forward. Sione Takitaki is a pick that can really help that as he can fly around the field and make plays. He needs to enhance his tackling form and consistency, but he’s a high-upside player that fits well. Grade: B” – Williams, NFL Spin Zone There may have been better options available for the Browns if they wanted to find a player who can play all three downs. However, Takitaki’s experience in coverage fills a massive need for the Browns defense. Last season, the Browns linebackers were picked apart in the middle of the field by tight ends and running backs. If the Browns are confident enough in his ability in coverage, then the selection makes sense. But there is a chance that the Browns see him more of an edge rusher instead of being a versatile player in space. Takitaki also played off the edge and used his crazy good motor to make plays in the backfield. In his final two seasons with BYU, he made 22.5 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks. If the Cleveland Browns can continue to develop his coverage skills and are able to move him all over the defense, it is a home-run pick. But at the moment, he seems like more of a player who will play on the edge in a role similar to Genard Avery. But his motor will translate well into a role on special teams. It is a decent pick, but the value is slightly off. Grade: C+<doc-sep>BEREA, Ohio: Scribbles in my notebook after the Cleveland Browns completed the second and third rounds: 1. I have been pleading with the Browns to draft a linebacker, and they did so in the third round. His name is Sione Takitaki from Brigham Young University. I heard the name and said, “WHO?” It wasn’t easy to find a lot of information about him. Dane Brugler (The Athletic) gave him a sixth-round grade. 2. Takitaki is a favorite of Browns Assistant General Manager Eliot Wolf, who scouted him in person. As fellow Browns assistant GM Alonzo Highsmith said, “(Wolf) is in love with this guy.” ESPN’s Mel Kiper had Takitaki going late in the third round to Baltimore. Other experts had him much lower. 3. The 6-foot-1, 238-pounder had a lot of personal problems early in his career. As Brugler wrote in his draft guide: “Multiple suspensions throughout his first three seasons at BYU, including missing the second half of the 2015 season after he was charged with misdemeanor theft (August, 2015) for stealing BYU athletic equipment while working as a custodian (took a plea deal). He then redshirted in 2016 and spent the year away from football...also missed time due to fighting and missing team events.” 4. Wolf explained how Takitaki “turned his life around...they didn’t think he’d make it at BYU.” Takitaki returned to the team in 2017. By 2018, he was named a team captain. Wolf said the school considers Takitaki “A success story.” 5. In his conference call, Takitaki said he was “kicked out" of school in 2016. He worked construction for an year, then returned and asked the coaches to take him back. He also got married, and said that along with the return to his LDS Morman faith changed him. 6. Why do the Browns want him? “He’s a violent tackler,” said Wolf. “He plays with violence. That was something that separated him from the other linebackers in this class.” 7. Takitaki will be 23 on June 9. He was a defensive end in 2017, weighing 255. He dropped down to 238 in 2018 so he could play linebacker. Wolf gushed about Takitaki “hunting the football...He can run. He can cover. He can blitz.” 8. If another Browns front office had taken Takitaki in the third round, it would easy to second-guess them. But General Manager John Dorsey has a history of good draft decisions dating back to his four years in Kansas City. 9. The most important decision of the draft was selecting LSU cornberback Greedy Williams in the second round. I liked the pick of the first-team All-American. 10. As Coach Freddie Kitchens said: “This is a pass-oriented league. You need to be able to throw the ball and you need to be able to stop people from throwing the ball. Anytime you can cover them, your chances of diminishing their success of throwing the football increases.” 11. That sounds pretty obvious, but you would not know it by the first round. There was only one cornerback selected: DeAndre Baker (Georgia) at No. 30 by the Giants. Two safeties were picked. That was it. 12. It’s still strange that 14-of-32 first round picks were defensive lineman. And then add in six more offensive lineman, making it 20-of-32 picks were linemen. 13. Dorsey on the scouting reports that Williams is a below average tackler: "I have no problem with his tackling. He will get you down. Corners are paid to cover. The tackling aspect, just get the guy down.” 14. Obviously, tackling matters. But defending a receiver is more important. Profootballfocus.com (PFF) rated Williams “a top 10 player on our board.” They considered him the best cover cornerback in the draft, based on their analytics. 15. More Dorsey: “You realistically have to have five corners on your team. This just gives you another extra guy who can cover and play the game of football. You can’t have enough of those guys.” 16. More Kitchens: " If you have five (cornerbacks) that can play...your chances of being successful increases. If you have six that can play, it is even better than that. Now, you can play the pass at an elite level. 17. Right now, the Browns main cornerbacks are Denzel Ward, Terrance Mitchell, TJ Carrie and Williams. You can add a fifth if you count Eric Murray, who is primarily a safety. The Browns also think he can cover slot receivers. 18. In his conference call, Williams was asked what he knew about the Browns. Fans will love this answer: “One thing I know is the Browns are going to the Super Bowl this year.” 19. Benedictine product and Michigan State cornerback Justin Layne was picked in the third round by Pittsburgh. I thought the Browns had interest in him, but they took Takitaki instead. 20. The Browns enter the final day of the draft with a fourth round pick, two in the fifth round along with sixth and seventh round picks. Also, will Duke Johnson be traded?<doc-sep>
BEREA, Ohio -- Sione Takitaki was sitting on the toilet when the Browns called him to let him know he was getting drafted. Seriously. “I was watching it on TV and I saw the Rams going (at No. 79) and their pick was in, and I saw Cleveland was next, I was like, ‘Ah, I never really talked to Cleveland in the past, except at the combine,’" Takitaki said during a conference call with reporters on Friday night. “I went to use the restroom and as I sat on the toilet, I got a call and I jumped right up and didn’t have to use the restroom anymore.” It was quite the turnaround for Takitaki, going from a bathroom break to getting drafted. “I walked away and go shut the door to the restroom, kind of pondering and thinking like, ‘Man, what’s up?’” he said. “Then, I get a call it says Cleveland, Ohio and I’m like, ‘Oh, man.’” It has been quite a turnaround for Takitaki dating back to 2016, in fact, when he was out of school and working construction after suspensions threatened to derail his football career. “I feel like stepping away from that really made me look at a lot of things in life and what I really wanted to do,” he said. “Do I want to play ball or not? I feel like just that time being away, getting a job – I worked construction for that whole two semesters that I was away from the game – it kind of really made me get my things in order.” Assistant GM Eliot Wolf called it exciting that Takitaki has turned his life around. “This is a kid who came in (to BYU) immature,” Wolf said. “He is from California and went to Utah. He probably wasn’t ready to be away from home. The cool thing about this guy is he is a success story at BYU. You talk to anyone there, they kind of didn’t think he was going to make it after his first year. He completely turned his life around.” Takitaki got kicked out after his sophomore season in 2015. He was accused of stealing property from the soccer and track teams while working a night shift at his job as a campus custodian. He eventually pleaded guilty to one count of Class B misdemeanor theft and had another charge dropped. He was suspended the remainder of the season, his fourth suspension. (See details of the other suspension here.) So he spent two semesters in 2016 kicked out of school “doing hard labor actually for money to survive," he said, "to pay rent, to put food on the table. It was hard, but hard times make you who you are.” Takitaki also got married, something he credits with turning his life around. He met Alyssa at a bonfire. He credits his marriage with not only changing his life for the better but also for showing NFL teams he really has changed. “Marriage is hard, so I feel like seeing all of these things with me easily persuaded the team that I kind of moved past all of those knucklehead days," he said. Wolf, too, pointed to her as a reason for Takitaki turning his life around. “I have never met her, but I look forward to meeting her,” Wolf said. “She sounds like she is a real rock in his life and really helped him out maturing.” “She just has everything right. Always pushing me to do better, and I feel like before I was always making decisions on the fly and wasn’t really thinking. With a good girl by my side, she definitely has me thinking about every decision and things like that. I feel like we just fit. She is a great friend for me. She is going to be a great mom. Smart girl, really smart girl. I got really lucky.” Takitaki isn’t far removed from almost losing football. Friday night, his turnaround continued when he reached the top. Get Browns Insider texts in your phone from Mary Kay Cabot: Cut through the clutter of social media and communicate directly with the award-winning Browns reporter, just like you would with your friends. It’s just $3.99 a month, which works out to about 13 cents a day. Learn more and sign up here.