Thursday, April 24, 2008

Cleveland Browns Draft Board (4th-7th Rounds)

By Jason Jones



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.

  1. Bruce Davis-OLB-UCLA
  2. Shawn Crable-OLB-Michigan
  3. Ali Highsmith-ILB-LSU
  4. Philip Wheeler-ILB-Georgia Tech
  5. Jordan Dizon-ILB-Colorado
  6. Andre Woodson-QB-Kentucky*
  7. Kevin Smith-RB-Central Florida
  8. Jacob Hester-FB/RB-LSU
  9. Frank Okam-DT-Texas
  10. Antwaun Molden-CB-Eastern Kentucky
  11. Mario Manningham-WR-Michigan**
  12. Kevin O’Connell-QB-San Diego St
  13. Dexter Jackson-WR-Appalachian St
  14. Jeremy Zuttah-OG-Rutgers
  15. Mike McGlynn-OG-Pittsburgh
  16. Marcus Howard-OLB-Georgia
  17. Stanford Keglar-OLB-Purdue
  18. Zach Bowman-CB-Nebraska
  19. Jamar Adams-SS-Michigan
  20. Beau Bell-ILB-UNLV**
  21. Eric Young-OG-Tennessee
  22. Tony Hills-OT-Texas
  23. John David Booty-QB-USC
  24. Peyton Hillis-FB/RB-Arkansas
  25. Owen Schmidt-FB-West Virginia
  26. Tyvon Branch-CB-UConn
  27. Orlando Scandrick-CB-Boise St
  28. Barry Richardson-OT-Clemson
  29. Allen Patrick-RB-Oklahoma
  30. Craig Steltz-SS-LSU
  31. Paul Hubbard-WR-Wisconsin
  32. Chauncey Washington-RB-USC
  33. Kirk Barton-OT-Ohio St
  34. Jack Williams-CB-Kent St
  35. John Carlson-TE-Notre Dame
  36. Oniel Cousins-OT-UTEP
  37. Kenny Iwebema-DE/OLB-Iowa
  38. Jack Ikegwuonu-CB-Wisconsin***
  39. Marcus Griffin-FS-Texas
  40. Jonathan Hefney-FS-Tennessee
  41. Ryan O’Hara-Central Oklahoma
  42. Adrian Arrington-WR-Michigan
  43. Adarius Bowman-WR-Oregon St**
  44. Robert Felton-OG-Arkansas
  45. Ben Moffitt-ILB-South Florida
  46. Caleb Campbell-SS-Army****
  47. Dwight Lowery-CB-San Jose St
  48. Adam Kraus-OG-Michigan
  49. David Roach-FS-TCU
  50. Eric Ainge-QB-Tennessee
  51. Cory Byrd-RB-South Carolina
  52. Chevis Jackson-CB-LSU
  53. Chris Hopkins-TE-Toledo
  54. Jonathan Zenon-CB-LSU
  55. Doug Legursky-OC-Marshall
  56. Shannon Boatman-OT-Florida St
  57. Matt Flynn-QB-LSU
  58. Geno Hayes-OLB-Florida St
  59. Justin Forsett-RB-California
  60. Dominique Barber-SS-Minnesota
  61. Tim Hightower-RB-Richmond
  62. Wallace Gilberry-DE-Alabama
  63. Jamie Silva-SS-Boston College
  64. Pedro Sosa-OT-Rutgers
  65. Chase Ortiz-DE-TCU
  66. Kyle Wright-QB-Miami
  67. Tommy Blake-DE-TCU
  68. Jordan Grimes-OG-Purdue
  69. Mario Urrutia-WR-Louisville
  70. Tyler Polumbus-OT-Colorado
  71. JoLonn Dunbar-OLB-Boston College
  72. Jeremy Geathers-DE-UNLV
  73. Xavier Lee-QB/WR-Florida St*****
  74. De’Cody Fagg-WR-Florida St
  75. 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:

Jacob Rosen said...

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?

Rick Morris said...

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