Browns Off-Season: Draft

Time for the next stop in the Browns off-season train ride! This is probably the best part:

Here is the current run-down on picks that the Browns have this year. There are ten:

• 1st round 4th pick
• 1st round (Ind) 26th pick
• 2nd round 3rd pick
• 3rd round 7th pick
• 3rd round (Pit) 19th pick
• 4th round 4th pick
• 4th round (Ind) 26th pick
• 5th round 4th pick
• 6th round 4th pick
• 7th round 4th pick

As we go down, I'll list some options that the Browns will probably have and could take with each pick. Last year was the first draft under the new regime. They took only five players: Mingo (DE), McFadden (CB), Slaughter (S), A. Bryant (DE), and Gilkey (OL). Mingo was a great pick, McFadden is turning out to be okay, and the rest will need a little bit more time. So with twice the number of picks this year, hopefully they make it a good draft. Remember, the biggest needs heading into this off-season are QB, RB, CB, OL, and LB.

1st round 4th pick

Available: Jadeveon Clowney (DE - SC), Sammy Watkins (WR - Clemson), Blake Bortles (WR - UCF), Johnny Manziel (QB - Texas A&M), Teddy Bridgewater (QB - Louisville), Anthony Barr (OLB - UCLA), Greg Robinson (OT - Auburn), Jake Matthews (OT - Texas A&M)

Who They Should Take: There are no clear-cut answers here like there have been in recent years. The top of this draft is wide open, so it's possible all of these players are still here. Most mock drafts have the Browns taking Johnny Manziel which would be a bad idea. You can't bring Manziel into the type of organization the Browns currently are. Clowney, Bridgewater, and Watkins are the other players people have Cleveland taking. I like Bridgewater and Clowney, so I'm okay with them being taken. Blake Bortles isn't the guy for me. Either of the offensive tackles would be a good idea, too. I am split on this decision, so if a trade came up, I'd probably be willing to take it as long as it involved a 1st and mid-round pick. If I have to make a choice here, I take Sammy Watkins or Anythony Barr. Probably Barr. With Watkins you get a big, fast offensive weapon opposite of Josh Gordon with Cameron in the middle makes the Browns a dangerous passing team. Hoyer can handle the offense, even if we don't get a QB here. And what an explosive one it would be with those three targets out there. With Barr, you get the last LB piece to make the Browns defense an ever greater one.

1st round 26th pick (from Indy)

Available: Jason Verrett (CB - TCU), Ryan Shazier (LB - OSU), Bradley Roby (CB - OSU), Carlos Hyde (RB - OSU), A.J McCarron (QB - Bama), C.J Mosley (LB - Bama), Allen Robinson (WR - PSU), Mike Evans (WR - Texas A&M), Kelvin Benjamin (WR - FSU), Marcus Roberson (CB - Florida), Cyrus Kouandjio (OT - Bama), Brandon Cooks (WR - Oregon State)

Who They Should Take: This pick will be dependent upon who they take with their 4th pick. If they take a QB, then they should take a WR or CB here. I have loved Mike Evans and Kelvin Benjamin all year, so either of these would make me ecstatic. I would give Evans a slight edge. A lot of Buckeyes and Crimson Tide players are available here. If Watkins gets taken, I would love to pick up McCarron although he will probably be available in the second and third rounds. Verrett would be a nice pick-up as a compliment to Haden, and Hyde will be available in later rounds, too. Not to mention Tre Mason. Take Evans or Benjamin, unless Watkins was already taken. If that's the case, then take Kouanjjio or Verrett.

2nd round 3rd pick

Available: Most likely the same ones as the 1st round, 26th pick. Tre Mason (RB - Auburn), Zach Mettenberger (QB - LSU), Kyle Van Noy (LB - BYU), Tajh Boyd (QB - Clemson)

Who They Should Take: This is ideally the spot where I'd take our franchise QB. Either McCarron, Mettenberger, or Boyd is who I'd take here. I think McCarron and Mettenberger are just as good as Bortles, Manziel, and Bridgewater and may prove to be better in the NFL. Mettenberger has a big arm and outplayed the guy I used to like here, Aaron Murray. Mason, Hyde, Verrett, and Van Noy would be nice pickups here, too. So hopefully out of the first three picks, the Browns pick up at least a QB and a WR. Still, CB, OL, and RB are also possible.

3rd round 7th pick

Available: Hyde and Mason may still be here. Maybe a couple QB's mentioned. Shayne Skov (LB - Stanford), Loucheiz Purifoy (CB - Florida), De'Anthony Thomas (RB - Oregon), Stanley Jean-Baptiste (CB - Nebraska), Cyril Richardson (OL - Baylor), Joel Bitonio (OL - Nevada)

Who They Should Take: Now it gets harder to make choices because these all depend on who you take before this. If Richardson is still here, take him. I also like Skov at LB. Thomas would be a great addition as RB and Jean-Baptiste would be a nice compliment who I believe could work his way into a starting spot.

3rd round 19th pick (from Pitt)

Available: Billy Turner (OT - NDSU), E.J Gaines (CB - Mizzou), Tyler Larsen (OL - Utah State)

Who They Should Take: Any of these guys would be fine choices. There are a lot more as we get further down the draft board, but I want to wait and see until more information becomes available. This draft is pretty deep with talent, so finding some players in the middle rounds won't be too hard. Any of these guys listed above would be good choices.


Again, as we get more updates on players, I'll fill in the other draft spots. With the NFL draft, I think more important than player is the value of the pick. Tim Tebow wasn't a bad pick - if he went in the 6th round. But he didn't, Josh McDaniels grabbed him in the first. Horrible value, so it was a bad pick. A.J McCarron would be a good pick at the end of the first round, but he'd be a great value in the 3rd round. The Browns have some needs. Since there's no Andrew Luck in this group, taking a QB with the 4th overall pick isn't the greatest value pick. I'd much rather get a WR, OL, or OLB with it and pick up a McCarron, Mettenberger, or Boyd later on.

Hopefully the Browns can trade down with someone like the Vikings, Bengals, Titans, or Bucs to get their 1st-rounder plus an additional pick. Lots of teams looking for a QB, including the Browns. I don't think guys at the top will be that much different from the lower-ranked QB's. So with the first five picks, the Browns should be able to pick up a QB, WR, OL, CB, and LB. While WR isn't a need, if they can grab an Evans, Benjamin, or Watkins they'll have some dangerous weapons on offense. I'm also someone who believes in Brian Hoyer as a possible franchise QB for this team. They'll have at least five more picks to solve their other needs (RB, another LB, another OL, and another Safety). There's also free agency, although with what the organization has done this year, we may not be so lucky to pick up prime talent. As time goes on, I'll update this post.

Browns Off-Season: Needs

Okay fellow Browns fans, since the playoffs are going on without us, let's get an early start on looking at what awaits this team: their needs. In the first part of this series, I'll breakdown the different positions and the players currently in them as well as analyze the areas where the Browns need help. This, of course, starts with a head coach, Mr. Banner. Some of our issues can be solved in free agency, assuming we pick up the right guys.

Here is a breakdown of our current players, going a few deep. Let's start on offense.

QB:  Brian Hoyer, Jason Campbell, and Brandon Weeden

What to do: First of all, these aren't all the QB's the Browns picked up...just the main ones. That's sad. First move that needs to happen is to drop Weeden. Are they any Browns fans out there who still advocate for this guy? We've had two full seasons (kind of) with him at the helm and let's just cut our losses from taking him in the first-round and move on. Campbell should be kept as he has experience and can be plugged in at any time and do a fairly good job. Hoyer is the main guy and should be starting next year. I can't say enough good about him, but suffice it to say he's been trained by Tom Brady, is a Cleveland-area native, and brings a lot of good things to this team. He may not prove to be elite, but I think with the weapons the Browns have, he can be pretty close. Think Joe Flacco without the big arm. And Flacco has a super bowl ring.

RB: Willis McGahee (free agent), Edwin Baker, Fozzy Whittaker, Dion Lewis

What to do: For a team who made the right move in trading their premier and (at the time thought of as) their best offensive weapon, they haven't addressed the hole it left. Well, they've tried I think. Adding McGahee and Lewis were nice pick-ups. McGahee was a great player but may be on his way out of the league. He's a free agent this year. Lewis is a really dynamic back who the Browns thought would really help out. He just may next year when he's not ravaged by injuries. Baker is a nice backup. I don't know what it means that we have a guy on the team named Fozzy. All these guys are replaceable if something in the draft lands in our laps.

WR: Josh Gordon, Davone Bess, Greg Little, Travis Benjamin, Josh Cooper, Brian Tyms

What to do: Aside from QB, this group needs the biggest upgrade. Josh Gordon is a top five receiver as of right now. He'll be top three over the next few years at some point. He is a mirror image of Megatron only a little bit faster. After that, Bess and Little are the next best options. Bess is a veteran guy, great 3rd down slot receiver. Little has always been a number one or two option, which hasn't worked out well. As the number three or four option, I think he'd be great. Bess isn't a great number two, so finding a receiver to be that number two guy would be great for the Browns. Benjamin is nice because hes fast. So to have a speedy receiver when you need one is nice, not to mention special teams.

TE: Jordan Cameron, Gary Barnidge, MarQuies Gray, Keavon Milton, Andre Smith

What to do: Cameron is a pro-bowl TE now, so obviously he'll be the starter going forward. He fits the mold of the new TE in the NFL: big, athletic, able to catch and block. Think of Jimmy Graham, Vernon Davis, and Rob Gronkowski. Barnidge may be a half step ahead of the others, but this position will probably rotate a bunch of different guys in and out. It's important for the Browns to have some depth here since we don't have a true FB.

FB: Chris Ogbonnaya

What to do: Technically listed at FB, Ogbonnaya is a great receiving back. We don't need the traditional pound-it fullback, so having the undersized Ogbonnaya here is fine. He was the second-leading rusher and most productive on his carries at 4.9 ypc. He also added in 343 yards receiving. Plus at this position, we can always throw a TE in if we need a big blocker.

OL: Joe Thomas, Alex Mack (free agent), Mitchell Schwartz, Jason Pinkston, Reid Fragel, Shawn Lauvao (free agent), Oneil Cousins (free agent), Garrett Gilkey, John Greco, Martin Wallace

What to do: Thomas is one of the best, if not the best, tackles in the NFL. He was #1 on a recent list ESPN put out, #10 overall offensive player. Alex Mack is also a pro bowl player and a little younger at center. Schwartz made the all-division team which makes this line pretty solid. The other line spots need to be addressed, but if they are, it's a pretty solid line. Lauvao and Pinkston are solid starters and Fragel will be, too. Greco is okay. Look for the Browns to add at least one player to this group though.

Offense was supposed to be the worse side of the ball for the Browns this year. Instead they sent four players to the pro bowl. With some tweeks on offense, the Browns will be just fine. One of those tweeks is a big one, though.

Okay, now for the defense:


DL: Phil Taylor, Ahytba Rubin, Desmond Bryant, John Hughes, Billy Winn, Ishmaa'ily Kitchen, Armonty Bryant, Brian Sanford

What to do: This is a great group of guys. Taylor is one of the best nose tackles in the league. He can hold down the middle and is a big reason for the Browns run defense being what it is. Rubin is now playing DE and doing a really good job, although he's a good DT, too. D. Bryant was a free agency acquisition who ended up with a season-ending injury, so when he gets back, this group's depth gets even bigger. Hughes, Winn, Kitchen, and A. Bryant are decent rotation guys.

LB: Paul Kruger, D'Qwell Jackson, Barkevious Mingo, Quentin Groves, Jabaal Sheard, Craig Robertson, Tank Cardner, Darius Eubanks, Brandon Magee, Paul Hazel, Eric Martin

What to do: This is also a very solid LB core. Jackson is the leader of the group and leader in total tackles for the team. Kruger is a very good player who didn't get enough credit in Baltimore. Cleveland will be happy to take him from the Ravens. Mingo is an up-and-coming potential star who was second on the team in sacks and didn't even start most of the games. Sheard is the leader in sacks who everyone thought couldn't adjust from the 4-3 scheme to the 3-4. Turns out he can. Groves was well-suited for Horton's defense since he played for him in Arizona, but with the new regime, may not be as great. Once you hit Robertson, things start to slide downhill. Robertson may have the 4th-most tackles on the team, but when offenses run by QB's like Stafford and Brady play the Browns, they pick the side where Robertson is on to attack. He's the weakest link in the group that gets major playing time. And he's better than the rest of the LB squad. While this isn't an issue, adding a premier LB would solidify this group.

DB: Joe Haden, T.J Ward (free agent), Tashaun Gipson, Buster Skrine, Leon McFadden, Jordan Poyer, Julian Posey, Josh Aubrey, Johnson Bademosi

What to do: Going into the season, the Browns were heavily criticized for not grabbing a better CB to go along with Joe Haden. Haden is the lone pro bowl player on the defense, but Ward and Gipson are phenomenal players. Both players finished in the top three in tackles on a great overall defense. Skrine finished 5th and Haden 7th. Skrine has always been looked at as a poor defensive player, which is fairly accurate. Without the good pass rush that the Browns have, Skrine would be picked on constantly as he has been in years past. Chris Owens, a CB they let go mid-season, finished 6th. I thought Owens was doing a fine job complimenting Haden. McFadden was drafted this year but didn't establish himself as a proven starter. He played mostly nickel. McFadden didn't produce a ton but he also didn't play a ton, either. Being able to learn from one a top five CB in Haden will help him become a solid started in the next few years. As for the rest of the players, Chris Ogbonnaya, a RB, has more tackles than most. The safeties are solid and Haden is great, so getting another solid starting CB will do wonders for the secondary. Skrine and McFadden as backups next year will give the Browns a lot better depth.


Defense still needs a bit of help. During the last off-season, some changes were made which went really well for the first half of the season. We still need some depth at the position and to heal up on injuries, but this is a top-5 defense. Most of the help will be at LB and DB. With one pro bowl player at CB in Haden and solid safeties in Gipson and Ward, the Browns aren't that far away from taking a top-5 defense to the best in the league. Get ready for some new shirts: The Brown Curtain!

The biggest needs heading into this off-season are QB, RB, CB, OL, and LB. There are some positions that are good but can be made better which would make Cleveland really stand out like WR and DL. The Browns can solve some of these issues through free agency. The Browns may also add to their issues in free agency if they don't resign T.J Ward and Alex Mack. I'll include a list later on of the free agents who are available and may be willing to join the Browns next season. That being said, let's assume we need to fill all our holes in the draft. We have enough picks to do it. Here are the 10 draft picks the Browns currently have and who they should spend them on:

• 1st round 4th pick
• 1st round (Ind) 26th pick
• 2nd round 3rd pick
• 3rd round 7th pick
• 3rd round (Pit) 19th pick
• 4th round 4th pick
• 4th round (Ind) 26th pick
• 5th round 4th pick
• 6th round 4th pick
• 7th round 4th pick

That Richardson trade is looking pretty good right now. He only ran for 458 yards on 157 attempts, less than three yards an attempt. So with 10 picks overall, half of those in the first three rounds, the Browns can pick up some serious talent. Next time I'll discuss some of the players in the draft the Browns should strongly consider.

First item up for this off-season? Rectify the coaching situation. The longer the Browns go without a coach, the less attractive it is for free agents currently on the Browns as well as those who are contemplating joining them later on this year. I fear the progress that's been made in the last year could be for naught due to a bad decision in firing Chud.

Browns Land Without Making a Chud

Rob Chudzinski is out of Cleveland, and the football world is still wondering why. Including me. This was a horrible decision in my mind. Coach Chud made some really sound decisions, had a really good supportive staff with him, and had a lot of fan support. Oh, and he grew up in Ohio as a true Browns fan. This was his dream job.

I don't know about you, but I wouldn't want to leave my dream job.

He wasn't listed among the greats yet, but few up-and-comers are. He hadn't really gotten his chance to shine. He made a great move by playing Hoyer ahead of Campbell, and once Hoyer got injured, made a great move by playing Campbell ahead of Weeden. He was one of the guys to solidify the defense in the draft last year when it turns out we had 4 pro-bowl players on offense. He was the first coach that was part of the new regime; a new start, a fresh face.

None of this really mattered, though, to Jimmy Haslam and the front office. I feel good about not understanding this move because nobody else seems to, either. I am worried that players won't respond well to the short-lived stint, especially because so many guys bought in to everything this year when they hadn't in previous years. Even Joe Thomas publicly rebuked the move, as well he should have.

I also really liked Norv Turner and Ray Horton. Turner gets a pass due to all the QB turnover. He did well with Hoyer and Campbell, I hope the Browns keep those two and sign a young, franchise QB with their 4th pick. Horton took some heat this year because of the Browns inability to stop late drives. Some of those are on the officials; some of those are on Horton, but a lot of it was probably due to the Browns being in a downward spiral once Hoyer went down. Players don't want to play to their ability if they have nothing to play for. This is the same defense that held AP to under 100 yards on 25 carries. How many times does that happen? Every game this year that AP had 25 or more carries (5 games), he got at least 100 yards. The Browns defense is stout, and will get better next year with free agency and the draft. That is unless the Browns organization keeps doing things that don't make sense.

Okay, so I really don't agree with the move of firing Chud, but I have agreed with so many of the things that Haslam has done that I still think he will be a great owner for the Browns. First and foremost, he does care about winning. The firing of Chud I suspect was more CEO Joe Banner or GM Mike Lombardi than Haslam. In the press conference this week, it was brought out that the last week of the season was really when they started to consider letting Chud go.

Here are some of the choices the Browns hope to land:

• Gus Malzahn from Auburn
• Josh McDaniels, OC at New England (interviews this Saturday)
• Todd Bowles, DC at Arizona
• Dan Quinn, DC at Seattle
• Adam Gase, OC at Denver

Aside from possibly Josh McDaniels, I don't think any of these are an upgrade. I like Gus, my best friend is an Auburn fan so I follow them a little bit. But I don't know if he's ready to make the jump to NFL coach. Todd Bowles coached the DB's in the early 2000's for the Browns. He's a good choice, but is unproven as a head coach just like Chud was last year. Quinn is considered one of the best DC's in the league and has the stats to make his case. Adam Gase was the first one linked to the Browns, although I think he's enjoying being the OC to Peyton Manning. How much do you really need to do besides say, "yes Peyton, that's a great idea...let's do that."

Horton and Turner have also been given the opportunity to interview. I love Turner as an OC, not a head coach. I'm intrigued by Horton and would consider him one of my top 3 choices. McDaniels is interesting, too. He's an Ohio guy, went to John Carroll. He didn't get a chance to work with Hoyer but probably was involved with drafting him. That means for me, he's 1 for 2 on drafting QB's (Tebow). He's familiar with the NE system, though, and that would be good for Hoyer if the Browns start him next year which they should.

Along with Horton and McDaniels, I'd throw Jay Gruden (Bengals OC) in the mix of my top three choices now that Lovie Smith is off the market. Jay has done a lot to improve that offense while still limited to Andy Dalton. He can grab a good, young QB (with some inside help from his brother, John, who everyone wants to coach their team) in the draft and develop him. I don't care if Hoyer is the franchise QB going forward or we draft one, but let's actually get one this year!

So even though I disagree with the firing of Chud, it's time to move on. I still support Haslam and the ownership, but this is a huge black mark on their resume. The team is still a ton better off right now than this time last year. Let's keep that perspective and see how the Browns use their plethora of draft picks and who they get in free agency. Browns fans and local media members love to throw around the 'same old Browns' mantra, but if we are being honest with ourselves, these aren't the same old Browns. Two linemen, Thomas and Mack, are pro-bowl level with an all-division RT in Schwartz. Jordan Cameron and Josh Gordon, two guys I relied on heavily in my fantasy leagues, are a dynamic duo. Both pro-bowlers, Gordon is very similar to Calvin Johnson and maybe a little faster while Cameron emulates the new, modern definition of a TE that Jimmy Graham, Rob Gronkowski, and Vernon Davis all fit. That's a great group to be in.

On the defensive side, Joe Haden is possibly the best CB in football: pro-bowler. All-division DT Phil Taylor anchors a line that is really good and getting better with young talent around it. Jackson is a stud at LB.

So do the Browns have some holes? Of course, every 4-win team has holes. But now we actually have really good pieces. Kansas City had a ton of pro-bowlers last year when they finished with the worst record in football. The Browns do, too. My worry would be the Browns won 4 games WITH their franchise QB. Once Hoyer is healthy and/or we get a young, franchise QB in there, we will be a playoff-contending team.

Despite recent events, these aren't the same old Browns. On our way to becoming a playoff team, there will be some slip-ups. Firing Chud was definitely one of them.