With free agency having mostly passed on, we can get a clearer picture of what's left for the Browns in the draft. The picture above is their current depth chart. As you can see, 13 starters are set on both sides of the ball. This off-season has been a pretty balanced attack. With seven players being picked up, four are on offense and three on defense. The same pattern will most likely be followed in the draft since, out of the top-five needed positions, three are on offense and two on defense. I'll discuss positions on both sides of the ball.
Offense
Offense was supposed to be the side of the ball that struggled last year. Instead, the Browns added two more pro-bowlers to their resume in Gordon and Cameron. Gordon led the league in receiving yards with a mediocre QB rotation. Oh, and he only played in 14 games. Cleveland also did the unthinkable and traded their former first-round draft pick in Trent Richardson to the Colts. I for one was outraged when I heard that, but then as I thought about it, I really liked it. Seeing Richardson struggle in Indianapolis only helps validate those feelings. Here are the positional breakdowns.
QB - B Hoyer and A Tanney. Tanney is expendable, a second-year player who served as a backup with all the injuries to Weeden and Campbell last season. Hoyer won over the starting job the first time Weeden got hurt. What a great move by Chud! Hoyer has spent years in New England under the tutelage of Tom Brady and Bill Belichick. He's a Cleveland guy. And even though they were only three games last year, he proved he can not only win but do it in the clutch (see Minnesota game). He doesn't have the strongest arm, but neither does Brady or Manning. I really want to see Hoyer start at least the first four games. I don't think he'll become an elite QB, but I do think that he will be a QB capable of winning a super bowl. Eli Manning, Big Ben, and Joe Flacco aren't elite QB's to me, either. Hoyer can fit his way into that group, especially with this group of weapons he now has.
Despite Hoyer being the possible answer at QB for the Browns, look for Cleveland to draft at least one, possibly two, QB's this year. It's the #1 positional need for Cleveland on paper, but with Hoyer, a new draftee, and either a second draftee or free agent fill-in, the Browns will be able to find their franchise QB this year. Hopefully the Browns don't use their #4 pick to draft Bridgewater, Bortles, or Manziel. They can, though. I think it would be safer to take Carr, McCarron, Mettenberger, or Murray in the second or third round. The difference in value between the "Big 3" and the rest of the field isn't that great, which means there's a high chance of the top three being busts and some of the others pulling a Russell Wilson.
FB - C Ogbonnaya. Really a RB, the FB hasn't been traditionally used in a while although I feel like it could be used a lot better. With the plethra of TE's, they may throw one of them back here. Ogbonnaya is a good catch-and-go option out of the backfield. He did have the second-most yards on the team behind McGahee, and some of his better games were when Hoyer was at QB.
Not really a draft need. Again, with the TE's and other RB's that could fill this spot, Ogbonnaya will stay active in the offense at some position.
RB - B Tate, D Lewis, E Baker, F Whittaker. This was going to be one of the top targets in the draft, but with the addition of Tate in free agency, he's locked up a starting spot. The other three didn't do too well last season but will serve as backups this year. They're young enough to learn still, they just weren't ready to bust out in 2013. Tate will be an explosive RB who defenses will have to account for.
Used to be a high draft need, but they'll probably grab a later-round RB like a James Wilder Jr. or De'Anthony Thomas. The pick will probably be used in the special teams unit as well.
WR - J Gordon, G Little, A Hawkins, T Benjamin, J Cooper, T Gurley. Gordon is easily a top-5 receiver, arguably the best. He's a mixture between size and speed that defenses have a hard time handling. Hawkins and Benjamin are speed guys. Benjamin got hurt last year but is dynamic in the return game. Hawkins has better instincts in the passing game, especially screen options. Once they touch the ball, Gordon, Hawkins, and Benjamin can probably outrun any defense. Little is the one who will need replacing. I'm not convinced he's a #2 guy, so an upgrade here would solidify the receiving corps.
I don't think the need by itself is that urgent, but the Browns are certainly looking at the crop of WR's this year and drooling. There are some great talents out there, especially Sammy Watkins. If he's there at 4, the Browns should take him. He's going to be an elite WR someday in the NFL. Evans and Benjamin are also great options that should be used if there. If they add Watkins, the Browns may have the fastest WR's in the NFL next year.
Defense
This side of the ball was severely upgraded last season, both through free agency and the draft. It already had some strong pieces in it, but it got even better. For a lot of the year the Browns had a top 5 defense last season. It wasn't until Hoyer went out and Campbell struggled with injuries, and ultimately losses piled up, that the Browns D started to give up. It's hard to blame them. This upcoming season, two big pieces have been lost (Jackson and Ward) but some pieces have already been gained, replacing the two lost. This year, there's no reason to think they won't be a top NFL defense.
NT - P Taylor, D Bryant, I Kitchen. Taylor is a beast, one of the more-feared nose tackles in the NFL. Bryant was a free agency acquisition last year who got injured and missed a lot of the season. This year, as long as he can stay healthy, this is a very strong defensive line. Kitchen is a good 3rd option, but if either Taylor or Bryant get injured, this part of the D-line may struggle.
The Browns are pretty solid at this position, and with other positions needing a more immediate upgrade, the middle of the D-line probably won't see any new faces barring injuries.
DE - A Rubin, J Hughes, A Bryant, B Winn, B Sanford. Even though these are the only names on the list, some of the OLB's may shift back and forth to play defensive end throughout the year out of their 3-4 set. Rubin is a bona fide starter. He's been with the Browns for a while and is an above-average player. The rest of the players on the depth chart can easily be replaced. Depending on what the Browns want to do with some of the OLB's, look for the Browns to take at least one DE, probably later in the draft.
ILB - K Dansby, C Robertson, D Eubanks, T Carder. With the departure of captain and leading tackler D'Qwell Jackson, the Browns suddenly had a huge need to fill. So they brought in Karlos Dansby from Arizona, a top 10 inside linebacker. He'll have to learn a new system, but Jackson would have had to as well. Dansby will be a potential pro bowl player this year.
The rest of the group has a lot of questions. Robertson was the part of the defense that was picked on when an opposing offense needed a completion (see Vikings game highlights). I'm not sold on him as a starter in a 3-4 defense. He also would fill the role in their nickel package. The other players are also replaceable. Look for the Browns to find a replacement for this position. Now that free agency has kind of died down, I'm guessing they'll use one of their first 5 picks on an ILB.
OLB - P Kruger, J Sheard, Q Groves, B Mingo, B Magee, E Martin. Kruger was acquired last season in free agency from Baltimore. He's shown that he is a solid starter. Across from him is Sheard who converted from a 4-3 defensive end. Groves was brought in from Arizona and is a good fit for a 3-4 system. Mingo has been used as a pass-rush specialist. Magee and Martin add some depth but are third string players.
The first four players are solid players, but with the lack of depth at DE, look for the Browns to grab an OLB, possibly with their 4th pick. While not a weak position, it could use another play-maker, especially a young one who can be developed.
CB - J Haden, B Skrine, L McFadden, I Trufant, J Posey, T Heath, B Hughes. The Browns have been criticized heavily for not upgrading this position last year. Their response for it was with all the new additions, they didn't want to add another new face to the team. Haden is a top 5 corner back in this league, getting high praise from Deion Sanders during the pro bowl. Haden stated in a recent interview that he is committed to the Browns in the long haul. That's great news; I don't know anyone not named Joe Thomas whose shared that conviction. The point is Haden is a top-tier CB.
The others, however, are a big drop-off. Skrine improved a lot last year but still isn't a solid #2 starter. McFadden is undersized, young, and hasn't developed just yet. He mostly plays in packages. Trufant is a new addition from the Jets, mostly having played special teams. He has the skill to play this position, but he'll have to prove it on the field. If he can hold down the #2 spot across from Haden, this position will have some good depth with Skrine and McFadden available for nickel and dime sets. Posey, Heath, and Hughes will mostly play special teams. The Browns may not feel comfortable with Trufant grabbing the CB spot, so they may draft a CB in the first three rounds, especially considering the number of picks they have. Heath and Hughes may be cut at some point if they do.
FS - T Gipson, J Bademosi. Gipson had a solid season last year while Bademosi played a lot of special teams. This one comes down to the new coaching staff. If Pettine feels that Gipson is a solid starter, then the Browns probably won't draft another FS. If they have their doubts about him, they'll draft another guy and primarily use him on special teams as well until he can show he's a better option than Gipson.
SS - D Whitner, J Poyer, J Aubrey, J Slaughter. Whitner is a pro bowl level player who comes from a winning organization. He's also from Cleveland. He will have this position locked up. The others will be used for special teams and possibly as fill-ins at FS. With this free agency acquisition, the Browns probably won't take a SS in the draft.
With the defense having already received an upgrade last year, one would think this year's draft will mostly be offense. Out of the ten picks, I'm guessing a lot of picks go for defense because we now have a defensive-minded head coach. Once QB, WR, OL, and maybe another QB or OL are taken, Pettine may decide to solidify some of the depth the Browns need at CB, LB, and DE. Every defensive coach likes to have his own guys in there, too.
Overall, the Browns have a lot of strengths in a lot of positions. With a few plug-ins for positions like CB, LB, DE, and OL, the Browns will be above-average if not downright elite. With five pro-bowlers and two or three more who are on the cusp, the Browns have a lot to build on. This year is going to be an exciting year.
