The Cleveland Browns have a very intriguing situation going into this weekend's draft. It may seem like a poor situation in the eyes of the fans. I do not believe that Savage and his scouting staff would agree. It may be a reach, but it seems that the Browns inability to draft well in later rounds is due to not spending as much time on said later rounds. For example: Babatunde Oshinowo. However, since the free agency period rendered trades that lost picks in rounds 2 and 3, the staff has spent all of their time working on prospects in the 4th-7th rounds. As they have done, so have I. There is a small chance that they could trade up in the draft. Do not fool yourself, if they trade up, it will be higher in the 4th or maybe into the back end of the 3rd. Do not expect a blockbuster that will put the Browns into the first day...not going to happen. (just for fun, there is a rumor circulating that since Herm Edwards wants to acquire starters, they may consider packaging a deal to the Browns with a 1st [17th] and a 3rd for Derek Anderson). The following is the draft board as I see it for players the Browns could be interested in, based on need, players available, potential moves by position, and upside. If there is a player not mentioned...chances are, he will either be gone by the end of the 3rd, does not fit the Browns well, or just is not as good as advertised. The BOLD players indicate the players I really would want if I were making the picks.
- Bruce Davis-OLB-UCLA
- Shawn Crable-OLB-Michigan
- Ali Highsmith-ILB-LSU
- Philip Wheeler-ILB-Georgia Tech
- Jordan Dizon-ILB-Colorado
- Andre Woodson-QB-Kentucky*
- Kevin Smith-RB-Central
- Jacob Hester-FB/RB-LSU
- Frank Okam-DT-Texas
- Antwaun Molden-CB-Eastern
- Mario Manningham-WR-Michigan**
- Jeremy Zuttah-OG-Rutgers
- Mike McGlynn-OG-Pittsburgh
- Marcus Howard-OLB-Georgia
- Stanford Keglar-OLB-Purdue
- Zach Bowman-CB-Nebraska
- Jamar Adams-SS-Michigan
- Beau Bell-ILB-UNLV**
- Eric Young-OG-Tennessee
- Tony Hills-OT-Texas
- John David Booty-QB-
- Peyton Hillis-FB/RB-Arkansas
- Owen Schmidt-FB-West
- Tyvon Branch-CB-UConn
- Barry Richardson-OT-Clemson
- Allen Patrick-RB-Oklahoma
- Craig Steltz-SS-LSU
- Paul Hubbard-WR-Wisconsin
- Chauncey Washington-RB-
- John Carlson-TE-Notre Dame
- Oniel Cousins-OT-UTEP
- Kenny Iwebema-DE/OLB-Iowa
- Jack Ikegwuonu-CB-Wisconsin***
- Marcus Griffin-FS-Texas
- Jonathan Hefney-FS-Tennessee
- Ryan O’Hara-Central
- Adrian Arrington-WR-Michigan
- Robert Felton-OG-Arkansas
- Ben Moffitt-ILB-South
- Caleb Campbell-SS-Army****
- Dwight Lowery-CB-San Jose St
- Adam Kraus-OG-Michigan
- David Roach-FS-TCU
- Eric Ainge-QB-Tennessee
- Cory Byrd-RB-South
- Chevis Jackson-CB-LSU
- Chris Hopkins-TE-Toledo
- Jonathan Zenon-CB-LSU
- Doug Legursky-OC-Marshall
- Matt Flynn-QB-LSU
- Justin Forsett-RB-California
- Dominique Barber-SS-Minnesota
- Tim Hightower-RB-Richmond
- Wallace Gilberry-DE-Alabama
- Pedro Sosa-OT-Rutgers
- Chase Ortiz-DE-TCU
- Kyle Wright-QB-Miami
- Tommy Blake-DE-TCU
- Jordan Grimes-OG-Purdue
- Mario Urrutia-WR-Louisville
- Tyler Polumbus-OT-Colorado
- Jeremy Geathers-DE-UNLV
- Greyson Gunhiem-DE/OLB/ILB-Washington
1-37 are 4th round projected players
38-59 are 5th round projected players
60-70 are 6th round projected players
71-73 are 7th round projected players
74, the last physical freak who will play out of position if at all
75, Undrafted Free Agent
* = Formerly top 2-3 Round player who has dropped significantly
** = Higher rated player who has dropped far based on workouts or off field issues
*** = Injured during workouts. Ikegwuonu is my pick for "Steal of the Draft"
**** = The Army Academy has a program allowing cadets to play professionally immediately
***** = Xavier Lee was Terrell Pryor of a few years ago. He is a freak, but won't play QB due to a troubled, and short, career. If he can translate into a WR, he could be a major steal. Keep in mind what happened to Josh Cribbs after embracing his future as a special teamer. Even Cribbs' did NOT have the personal "issues" that Lee does.
2 comments:
Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul, Lebron James or Kevin Garnett. Who is your Most Valuable Player in the NBA?
Per their position, which one do you believe is the most efficient in the NBA? Which would you rather build a team around?
Really good question -- for me, although I considered Lebron the MVP for most of the season, I've got to give it to Chris Paul for helping elevate his team to the #2 seed in the incredibly tough West.
In terms of efficiency, I'd rank them in this order:
1. Lebron: He's developing into the greatest all-around player since the Big O, who I consider the greatest player of all time even if he was before my time.
2. Paul: The ceiling on this kid is amazing; he projects to be even better than Jason Kidd because of his offensive dimension.
3. Kobe: He's a better all-around player this year, but he has more to work with as well.
4. Garnett: He deserves a lot of credit for gelling not just with the fellow members of the Big 3, but the lesser teammates as well. Nevertheless, he was down in a few categories this year, not just scoring (which was predictable).
... and that's the same order I'd take them in if I were starting a team.
--Rick
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