Browns 2015 Draft Recap

The NFL draft has come and gone. Hard to believe it really: kind of anti-climactic. The Browns entered the draft with ten picks and ended up with twelve different ones after a couple trades, the highest ever for in franchise history. Here were the original draft picks heading into draft day:

• Round 1: pick 12 overall 12
• Round 1: pick 19 overall 19 (from Buffalo)
• Round 2: pick 11 overall 43
• Round 3: pick 13 overall 77
• Round 4: pick 12 overall 111
• Round 4: pick 16 overall 115 (from Buffalo)
• Round 5: pick 11 overall 147
• Round 6: pick 13 overall 189
• Round 6: pick 26 overall 202 (from Baltimore)
• Round 7: pick 12 overall 229

The Browns pulled off three trades:

Trade with Houston Texans
     Cleveland received Texans 2nd round pick (#51), 4th round pick (#116), 6th round pick (#195)
     Houston received 2nd round pick (#43), 7th round pick (#229)

Trade with New England Patriots
     Cleveland received 3rd round pick (#96), 7th round pick (#219)
     New England received 4th round pick (#111), 5th round pick (#147), 6th round pick (#202)

Trade with Arizona Cardinals
     Cleveland received 4th round pick (#123), 6th round pick (#198), 7th round pick (#241)
     Arizona received 4th round pick (#116)

Ray Farmer has shown that he is willing to make some moves on draft day. He's not quite Kevin Costner, but this year he moved back some spots and gained a draft pick and then moved up a few spots giving up the extra draft pick. I think he actually did a good job, moving from two picks on day two to three picks. Here are the 2015 draft selections by the Cleveland Browns:

• Round 1 (pick 12, overall 12):  Danny Shelton, DT Washington
• Round 1 (pick 19, overall 19):  Cameron Erving, OL Florida State
• Round 2 (pick 19, overall 51):  Nate Orchard, DE Utah
• Round 3 (pick 13, overall 77):  Duke Johnson, RB Miami
• Round 3 (pick 32, overall 96):  Xavier Cooper, DT Washington State
• Round 4 (pick 16, overall 115): Ibraheim Campbell, SS Northwestern
• Round 4 (pick 24, overall 123): Vince Mayle, WR Washington State
• Round 6 (pick 13, overall 189): Charles Gaines, CB Louisville
• Round 6 (pick 19, overall 195): Malcolm Johnson, TE Mississippi State
• Round 6 (pick 22, overall 198): Randall Telfer, TE USC
• Round 7 (pick 2, overall 219):   Hayes Pullard, ILB USC
• Round 7 (pick 24, overall 241): Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, CB Oregon

Going into the draft, their five biggest needs (in order) were QB, OLB, D-line, O-line, and WR. After the draft concluded, they had addressed four of them (Nate Orchard projects to be an OLB or DE). A lot of people (including some so-called experts) felt WR was the Browns real position of need despite the off-season acquisitions of Brian Hartline and Dwayne Bowe. They are paired with Andrew Hawkins, Taylor Gabriel, and Travis Benjamin. Josh Gordon may also be coming back after his suspension in 2016.

Here is a little bit about each of the draftees for the Cleveland Browns, along with grades for each pick. Note: I don't know how other people grade each of their picks, but my grade reflect more of the value of each pick and not the grading of each individual player. For example, when Tim Tebow got drafted, his selection would have gotten an 'A' grade if he was taken in the 7th round but instead got an 'F' grade for where he was taken in the 1st round. Same player, different values.


Round 1 (pick 12, overall 12):  Danny Shelton, DT Washington
Most people had Danny Shelton pegged going to the Browns at the 12 spot. He's got a huge frame at 6'2" and 339 lbs. He's also Samoan which means he naturally has a big frame as opposed to a lot of guys who put on weight to play a position. The Browns play a 3-4 defense and already have a great DT in the middle by the name of Phil Taylor who is 6'3" and 335 lbs. The most quoted statistic by Browns fans who love all the DT picks for this draft is that the Browns finished 32nd in run defense. This is true, but not because they didn't have talent there; they just had too many injuries to their D-line that their 3rd stringer ended up playing a lot of it. I love the Shelton pick; it gives us a promising young player who's big and can stop the run. That is a big deal in the AFC North. It also gives us a really good front line with Taylor in nickel and dime packages allowing the Browns to put more guys in the secondary. Along with Taylor and Shelton, Cleveland has free agent Randy Starks, Ishmaa'ily Kitchen, Calvin Barnett, and Desmond Bryant in the middle. Grade: A-

Round 1 (pick 19, overall 19):  Cameron Erving, OL Florida State
With the second pick of the first round, Cleveland decided to grab an offensive lineman in Cameron Erving from Florida State. The 313-pounder isn't just any offensive lineman: he can play any position. He started off at guard and quickly moved to tackle. He then took over the center position. He may not be the best offensive lineman in the draft, but he's easily the most versatile. He can play any position, including center. Browns fans will remember what happened to the O-line last season after pro bowl center Alex Mack went out: they sucked. Their run game almost stopped immediately. Oh, and his inspiration for playing line? Joe Thomas, left tackle. Erving is going to be a great addition and serve as not only a starter at either right guard or tackle, but is a proven center who can backup Alex Mack if another injury hits. Grade: A

Round 2 (pick 19, overall 51):  Nate Orchard, DE Utah
The second round for the Browns started off with the Houston Texans trading into their spot to grab ILB Benardick McKinney. This changed the Browns 7th round pick to a 6th rounder and gave us an additional 4th rounder. I suspect that from the remarks Nate Orchard made to KSL after getting drafted by the Browns, both sides really wanted it to work out. Initially, I thought the Browns had a couple of better options at this spot, namely Randy Gregory and Maxx Williams. Nate Orchard is a really good player and provides some versatility on defense by being able to play both defensive end or outside linebacker. Living in Utah, I've gotten to hear a lot about him. With the departures of Ahtyba Rubin (DE) and Jabaal Sheard (OLB), both spots were a need for the Browns. In one player they get either position. Orchard is also a mature, disciplined guy: something the Browns need more of. If he doesn't end up starting by the end of the season in either one of those positions, he'll get major playing time. Grade: B+

Round 3 (pick 13, overall 77):  Duke Johnson, RB Miami
The third round selections don't make sense to me at all. With the first selection of the 3rd round, the Browns took a running back out of Miami in Duke Johnson. He's more of a speed runner and not a bruiser. As it currently stands, the Browns have four running backs on their roster: Terrance West, Isaiah Crowell, Shaun Draughn, and Glenn Winston. West and Crowell are the featured backs who both got a lot of playing time last season when Ben Tate went down with injury. I'm not against taking a running back in the draft, especially with the number of picks we had. But I don't like where this running back was taken. I think a better choice would have been Bryce Petty, a wide receiver, or another linebacker. This turns the Browns into an offense with a three-running back system. While all are rookies or second-year players, will they all be satisfied with the number of carries they get? Maybe if Cleveland only decides to throw it 10-20 times a game and run it the rest of the time. Johnson lacks size and blocking technique. Good player, not a great spot to take a running back. That's what the grade should reflect. Grade: C+

Round 3 (pick 32, overall 96):  Xavier Cooper, DT Washington State
The second selection in the third round makes even less sense to me: Xavier Cooper, defensive tackle out of Washington State. As discussed earlier, at defensive tackle, we have one of the premier players in Phil Taylor. We just took his in-state rival and superior Danny Shelton in the first round, arguably the best DT in the draft. We got Randy Starks in free agency. Ishmaa'ily Kitchen played major minutes last year and is a good backup despite the fact he'll probably be bumped to third or fourth string again this season. Desmond Bryant, while able to play defensive end, is also a great option at defensive tackle. While we can still re-sign him, all of this probably means we don't keep Sione Fua, also a DT. So not only do we have some depth at the position, the Browns moved up to get this guy giving up a 5th-round draft pick. All this for a guy who could be a 4th or 5th string player. Grade: D+

Round 4 (pick 16, overall 115): Ibraheim Campbell, SS Northwestern
Especially with Tashaun Gipson's contract still not being signed, getting Campbell was a nice pickup. Cleveland rebounded from a bad day two with a very nice first addition. While Campbell won't burn you with speed and is a bit undersized, what he lacks in talent he makes up for in intelligence. He has some things to work on that are correctable, like angles, but he can tackle and has good instinct. He played an important role in Northwestern's secondary as a four-year starter. Great senior bowl performance. Grade: B+

Round 4 (pick 24, overall 123): Vince Mayle, WR Washington State
Most Browns fans finally got their wish when Cleveland took a receiver to finish out the 4th round. Mayle is a taller receiver at 6'2" and has had plenty of reps being at WSU. He doesn't stand out as much as some of the earlier receivers taken like Funchess or Coates. The really good receivers stopped by taken by the end of the third round. However, Mayle possesses some skills and has a good body type to develop into a #2 or possibly a #1 receiver, though it is likely he won't see the field a ton this season. But if players like Bowe and Benjamin, both of which have an injury history, end up getting sidelined, look for Mayle to come in and have some footballs thrown his way. I didn't think the Browns needed a top-tier receiver in this draft, so taking one now before they missed the 5th round having no picks was a good idea. Grade: B-

Round 6 (pick 13, overall 189): Charles Gaines, CB Louisville
This pick is an example of a Rex Ryan understudy: can't have too many CB's. Pettine is a defensive-minded head coach and when good value is to be had on this side of the ball, he is showing that he'll take it. Picked to go somewhere in the 5th round, the Browns were able to grab him in the middle of the 6th. Gaines is a very good cornerback and shows that he can stay with receivers, something Pettine looks for in his CB's. He expects them to be able to play man coverage so he can send an extra rusher or two. Gaines possesses the skills but not the strength. He doesn't tackle extremely well and doesn't bump at the line of scrimmage. Cleveland already has Joe Haden , a top three CB in the NFL. Last year, the Browns picked up Pierre Desir, Justin Gilbert, and K'Waun Williams. Williams and Desir have shown some good things, but Gilbert had high expectations being taken not only early in the first round but instead of wide receiver Sammy Watkins who the Browns later found out needed due to Josh Gordon's suspension. If Gaines can put on some weight (and by weight, I mean muscle) and stay injury-free, he may see the field in some nickel and dime packages as well as special teams. Good value, not necessarily a need, but with the coach we have, it's understandable. Grade: B

Round 6 (pick 19, overall 195): Malcolm Johnson, TE Mississippi State
Johnson is the first tight end of two chosen and will have the best chance at making an impact his rookie year. Having split time at FB and TE, he possesses good blocking and catching skills. Not extremely fast, but has good wheels. He may see more time at fullback if the Browns choose to use one in light of the departure of undersized Chris Ogbonnaya. With three tight ends on the current roster, two blocking and one receiving in Housler, Johnson will most likely be a third or fourth string backup at TE but a starter at FB. Taking a TE/FB this late in the sixth round doesn't provide much risk. It's a position that the Browns can use more of. They could have taken a TE or FB sooner in the draft as there were a dozen players rated higher, maybe with the last pick of the third round for maybe Walford or Heuerman, but grabbing a second pass-catching TE isn't a bad idea. Grade: C

Round 6 (pick 22, overall 198): Randall Telfer, TE USC
This pick will remain to be seen if it's a good one or not. Telfer has had an injury-ridden past but will have the next year to get healthy, get stronger, and learn proper techniques. This is another pass-catching TE but a little more undersized than Malcolm Johnson. It seems as if the Browns were high on both these players and couldn't decide who they wanted. Telfer seems to have more upside but more risk. None of that potential can be realized, though, if he can't stay on the field. I don't think he gets a lot of playing time this year, but for a late 6th round pick, it's not a horrible value. Grade: C+

Round 7 (pick 2, overall 219):   Hayes Pullard, ILB USC
With Craig Robertson coming back and Karlos Dansby anchoring the ILB spot, this isn't a position of need. Robertson played well last year after struggling the last few. Chris Kirksey was taken last year as a mid-round pick to provide some depth as well. Pullard wrote an open letter to GM's and coaches before the draft informing them that he will be a great player basically. I don't know...I have my doubts about him. He was slotted to go around the 7th round, so the Browns got him at about the value everyone thought he'd get. He may be a special teams player for a while. I'm hoping the Browns grab Curtis Grant, a free agent now from Ohio State. If Pullard can live up to his own expectations, Robertson is anything but written in stone at the starting ILB position. Somehow I don't see Pullard taking it though. Grade: C

Round 7 (pick 24, overall 241): Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, CB Oregon
This is the player that got the Browns noticed for drafting fairly well this year. Ekpre-Olomu dropped in the draft after some considered him to be as high as a 1st round talent, although most confer that he's at least a 3rd or 4th. I love picking injured or problematic players in the 7th round because there's a ton of potential upside and, if it doesn't pan out, it only costs a 7th round pick which the Browns had two of this year. His knee injury kept him out of the national championship game but it wouldn't have mattered as my Buckeyes dominated the Ducks. Ekpre-Olomu will miss everything up until the season starts because of his surgery but will probably get a chance during the year to show what he's got. Most likely he'll develop more rapidly at the end of this season in time for next season. The Browns are still hoping for that lock-down corner across from Joe Haden, so if this guy shows he can do it, he'll get a spot. Grade: A-


Overall, I'd give the Browns draft a solid B+. We got a lot of guys who could potentially fill some holes. It started off well and then sort of went downhill but picked up towards the end. It was the exact opposite of last year. In last season's draft, we passed on a star receiver in wide receiver Sammy Watkins for cornerback Justin Gilbert. In light of all the Josh Gordon drama, this wasn't a great choice. And then we drafted the only player in the past few years who most people knew we should stay away from in Johnny Manziel.

Farmer has shown in two drafts now that he's not afraid to move around. He was able to get more picks this year than he started with. In the future, I'd like to see if he's able to get less picks than he starts with but of higher quality. I still maintain that Ray Farmer is a good general manager and Mike Pettine a good coach. Farmer has shown he's really good in free agency. It's tough to get good players to Cleveland when it still finishes last in the division. Haslam is a great owner and actually cares about the team. The Browns are slowly coming along. It's hard to do without a franchise QB and they're still making this team better. Once we get our franchise QB, we'll be a really good team, good enough to take over the division which is arguably the best division in the NFL. Until then, I don't think we can win a super bowl. But there's plenty to do before getting a shot at that.