It's almost time to see who the new college additions to the Browns will be for the year 2014. With all the hope surrounding the Browns this year, the draft will add to the excitement. There were some last-minute moves made which helped bolster certain parts of the roster including adding QB's Vince Young and Tyler Thigpen as well as some LB depth in Zac Diles. They also picked up a true FB in Chris Pressley. Alex Mack was retained at center which was probably the best move in the off-season. Nate Burleson was signed as a veteran WR and Craig Robertson was re-signed as ILB.
With these new additions, we now have a better idea of what Cleveland's needs are going into the draft.
QB - This need hasn't really changed, although with the additions of Vince Young and Tyler Thigpen, the Browns have already solved some depth issues. They wanted to bring in a veteran QB, and Young will actually compete for the starting job. He's much improved over Jason Campbell although he's not an all-star or anything. Thigpen isn't great, either, but I'll take him over Weeden. Neither Young nor Thigpen played last year so they have some catching up to do. Young showed he was a capable starter for a lot of his career with one great year thrown in there.
These additions, along with Alex Tanney and Brian Hoyer, mean the Browns are carrying four QB's on the roster. Thigpen and Tanney may not stick around, but having three is something not a lot of teams do. Cleveland probably will. With all these QB's, they'll probably only take one QB in the draft. I'm guessing it'll be in the first or second round. Half of the mock drafts have Cleveland taking Johnny Manziel, a move that they'd regret. If they don't take Manziel at 4, they'll probably take Bridgewater, Bortles, or Carr at 26. There's also talk of grabbing one of the last picks of the 1st round, maybe from Seattle, to grab a QB before Houston does assuming they take Clowney with their first overall pick.
WR - The Browns had a busy off-season at this position by signing Andrew Hawkins from Toledo and Nate Burleson who left Detroit. Hawkins is a speed guy similiar to Travis Benajmin. Not only could he impact the WR position, particularly the slot, but also special teams. He has big play capability especially off screen passes or short post-routes. Burleson is past his prime but can still be a solid receiver. Some say he may not make the cut, but having veteran leadership to complement the talented receivers the Browns have will help them get through some tough games.
The other half of mock voters (the ones who didn't choose Manziel at 4) are thinking the Browns will pick up Sammy Watkins. He and Mike Evans may be the only two reasons for Cleveland to take a WR in the first round. I would throw Benjamin into that mix. I'm not as high on Beckham or Lee. Maybe Brandin Cooks at 26 but I wouldn't be mad if they passed on him. So if Cleveland doesn't grab one in the 1st, look for them to do so in the 3rd round where they have two picks.
LG - It's not clear where McQuistan will play just yet, but I'm assuming he'll play RG to help out Schwartz. He was asked to play LT for the Seahawks for a while when their starter got injured. He did a good job, not great. I love taking guards who can play some tackle. That still leaves Greco, Pinkston, and Gilkey fighting for the LG spot. Look for the Browns to take at least one OL in the draft with one of their mid-round picks.
CB - Joe Haden is a top 5 CB in the NFL but needs a partner. By upgrading this position, the Browns will get more time to rush opposing QB's on pass plays. Considering the D-line the Browns have, look for sacks, hurries, and hits to go up. Skrine did improve a lot last year and McFadden is no longer a rookie. If the Browns can grab a starter in the draft, one of the two holes on the Browns D will be filled. Depending on who the Browns take with their first three picks, a CB could be grabbed in the second or third rounds.
ILB - With the addition of Dansby, Cleveland has a borderline pro-bowl player at this position already. However, since the Browns run their sets out of a 3-4, another good ILB is needed. This is the other hole on defense. Robertson was the one always picked on in the passing game. He's just not a true starter. Unless C.J Mosley is available at 26 or 35, look for the Browns to take Chris Borland, Preston Brown, Max Bullough, or Shayne Skov. I think Skov would be a great addition and the Browns could probably get him at 83 or 106 since he's the 4th or 5th ranked ILB.
There are lots of rumors going around out there, so who knows what's a smokescreen and what's real. All I know is that it's going to be a lot of fun watching who the Browns take to bolster up their already-great roster.
Let's go Cleveland!!
No comments:
Post a Comment