Cleveland Browns- Persons of Interest- Defense

    The Cleveland Browns defense last season was a strength (at least until the debacle in Houston) but team-building never stops, so there will be newcomers coming in to support the established players.

The Browns improved their defense against the run last season with the signings of veterans Dalvin Tomlinson and Shelby Harris at defensive tackle and they hope 2023 third-rounder Siaki Ika will step up this season but the Browns lost Jordan Elliott in free agency, so it would make sense for another interior lineman.

Three players have been connected to the Browns, should they address this early in the draft: LSU's Maason Smith, Ohio State's Michael Hall, and Michigan's Kris Jenkins.

Smith has the best tools, Hall is the best pass rusher, and Jenkins appears to have the highest floor of the three, so any would make sense.

If the Browns look at the position on day three, Gabe Hall of Baylor is a high-effort player who could develop into a rotational tackle.

Looking at the defensive end/edge rusher position, Cleveland would likely use late-round picks and toolsy rushers like Mississippi's Cedric Johnson and Texas Tech's Myles Cole are the types of high-reward players that could be a possibility.

The Browns don't seem to value linebackers as much as other positions but the success of Jeremiah Owosu-Koahmoah may have changed that a little.

I was a big fan of Jeremiah Trotter version one in his days with the Eagles and Jeremiah Jr is my favorite linebacker in this draft.

Trotter Jr. has many of the skills of JOK, runs to the ball, has great agility, and possesses the speed and tackling ability to be a three-down linebacker.

I'd love to see Andrew Berry grab Trotter. Jr on day two and watch JOK and Trotter run down ball carriers together as a pair!

Some prefer Michigan's Junior Colson (I don't) to Trotter but I still wouldn't be sad to see Colson with the Browns, and Ohio State's Steele Chambers is still learning the position and would be an immediate demon on special teams.

Andrew Berry loves to take at least one cornerback in each draft and for the flaws in his drafts, Berry has been successful with his selections at the position.

Assuming the Browns would decide to tab a cornerback on day two, the two that I really like that could be available are Max Melton of Rutgers and Khyree Jackson of Oregon.

Jackson is the larger of the two at 6'3 and projects as a classic outside corner while the 5'11 Melton is the more versatile of the two with the ability to play in or out of the slot and as the nickel corner as well.

A day three corner that I am high on is Tennessee's Kamaal Hadden, who missed half of the 2023 season with a shoulder injury just as he was earning attention for his play.

Hadden would be an interesting selection if his shoulder has healed as would Penn State's Kalen King, who looked like a first-rounder in 2022 before struggles last season in State College.

The Browns returned Grant Delpit and Juan Thornhill as starting safeties, re-signed Rodney McLeod, and received help from undrafted free agent Ronnie Hickman.

Cleveland could go back to that well if Ohio State safety Josh Proctor isn't drafted as Proctor would be a special teams contributor.

Another intriguing safety is Air Force's Trey Taylor, who won the Jim Thorpe Award as the nation's best defensive back and happens to be the cousin of long-time Browns nemesis Ed Reed.

If I have time, I'd like to post a brief preview- But in case I do not have that time, the following list shows the Browns draft picks by round and overall draft selection.

Round 2: (54)

Round 3: (85)

Round 5: (156) Via Philadelphia thru Arizona

Round 6: (206)

Round 7: (227) Via Tennessee

Round 7: (243) 

Cleveland Browns: Persons of Interest- Offense

  The 2024 draft will be the final one that the Cleveland Browns' lack a first-round selection the team makes the final installment of their payment to the Houston Texans for DeShaun Watson.

On offense, the Browns could make an argument that every position could use an upgrade through the draft but none that stands out as an immediate need.

The Browns certainly wouldn't pick a quarterback on days one (through a trade-up) or two but depending on the team's feeling for last year's fifth-round selection Dorian Thompson-Robinson, might be persuaded to pick another passer on day three.

If I were going to take a flyer, it would probably be Tennessee's Joe Milton, who has uncommon arm strength but Milton was a mixed bag in college so that should keep him available by day three.

Milton has the raw skills to become an NFL QB and sitting for a few years would be very good for Milton.

I also like Florida State's Jordan Travis on day three, who is still recovering from a late-season leg injury and might be able to be stashed on IR for some of the season.

The Browns signed Nyheim Hines to help in the passing games and Don'ta Foreman to replace Kareem Hunt as the short yardage horse but I'm still not convinced in Jerome Ford as the every down back and while everyone hopes for a return of Nick Chubb who resembles the one before his second knee injury, the Browns can't count on that, so I would love to see the Browns add a running back at some stage of the draft.

Again, I doubt the Browns take a back on day two but I think it's very likely that they add one on the third day of the draft.

The running back that I like most for the Browns at that point is Clemson's Will Shipley, who catches the ball well and can be used in all aspects of the running game.

Shipley isn't the biggest back and that will make him a day-three pick but he reminds me of Christian McCaffrey a little in that putting the ball in his hands makes things happen.

I'm really high on Shipley and I do have some fears that he will end up with a division rival and kill the Browns in multiple areas.

I'm not sure if Notre Dame's Audric Estime' lasts until round four but he might and he has lead running back potential for a team that may be in the market for a team that could need a lead dog before long.

I also like Wisconsin's Braylon Allen as more of a bruising back or Marshall's Rasheen Ali as a player who could be a standout that few are speaking of.

Even with the trade to acquire Jerry Jeudy, I still think the Browns are one player light at wide receiver and in a deep draft, could attack the position as early as day two.

The player that I love who could be long gone or fall to the Browns is Xavier Worthy of Texas, the fastest player in the draft.

Worthy would give this team the deep threat that hasn't been in Cleveland since Josh Gordon and for a deep threat, Worthy isn't afraid of contact.

I don't think Worthy drops that far but if he's there- he's my guy.

There are others that I'd be thrilled to see if Worthy is off the board by the Browns second-round pick, led by Florida State's Keon Coleman, who at 6'3 can go get the football and help in the red zone, Michigan's gritty Roman Wilson, Oregon's talented Troy Franklin, and Florida's Ricky Piersall.

In most seasons all of those might not be available but there are many wideouts with first and second-round grades, one will slip to the Browns.

If Cleveland decides to wait until the next level to make a choice, South Carolina's Xavier Legette, Western Kentucky's Malachi Corley (Who many have connected to the Browns), and North Carolina's Dez Walker would be acceptable options.

The loss of Harrison Bryant might be larger than the Browns think if they don't address the tight end position.

After David Njoku, the position is light and injuries can happen at any time.

Ohio State's Cade Stover is the natural choice for the Browns but I also like Penn State's Theo Johnson, who is huge at 6'6, 260 pounds from a school that churns out quality tight ends.

Iowa's Erick All would be a consideration but he has suffered from injuries and carries some risk.

The Browns seem set along the offensive line but Jedrick Wills could be a free agent after 2024 and Jack Conklin's injuries and age make him a candidate to retire unexpectedly, so the Browns could grab a tackle on day two.

Assuming the top tackles are gone, the player I like is Houston's Patrick Paul, who at 6'7, 331 pounds brings an athletic frame with traits that aren't exactly common.

Paul would be a player who could learn for a year and then be prepared to start if Wills and/or Conklin leave.

Notre Dame's Blake Fisher and Washington's Roger Rosengarten would be solid picks in rounds three or four and a development late-round dart on Marshall's Ethan Driskell on tools alone (6'8 320) would make sense.

I will be working on the defensive persons of interest and hope to have it ready later today or tomorrow.

Cavaliers Bedevil Magic in First Two Games

   The Cleveland Cavaliers struggled to the finish of the NBA regular season but have looked very sharp in winning their first two games at home in the Eastern Conference first-round matchup against the fifth-seeded Orlando Magic.

I missed game one due to my road trip (I'll be writing on that sometime next week), in which Cleveland won 97-83 behind thirty Donovan Mitchell points but I did watch Monday's 96-86 triumph to give Cleveland two games to nil advantage.

Cleveland dominated the first quarter in building a twelve-point lead and thereafter all they had to do was keep Orlando even the remainder of the way to post the win.

Donovan Mitchell led Cleveland with twenty-three points with Jarrett Allen contributing sixteen points and twenty rebounds in the victory.

Cleveland will travel to Orlando for games three and four on Thursday and Saturday nights.

Swashbucklings

1) The Cavaliers were favored in this series because the Magic are in the situation that Cleveland was in last season.

It was Cleveland who other than Donovan Mitchell needed the playoff experience from their young stars last season in their five-game loss to the Knicks, and Orlando requires the same "been there" in this series.

2) Part of learning about postseason basketball is learning how the physical play is turned up in the postseason.

Cleveland was bullied by New York last season and in the first two games, the Cavaliers are pushing around the Magic.

Can Cleveland do that if they move forward? Time will tell.

3) It's been defense-dominating for Cleveland as they held Orlando to 32 percent shooting in game one and 36 in the second game.

Orlando's young players haven't had the open shots or easy transition hoops that you can find in the regular season and the Cleveland defense has controlled this series in the two games.

4) Jarrett Allen received plenty of criticism in last season's playoffs for soft play but in the first two games against Orlando, he's combined for thirty-eight rebounds and has been the dominant frontcourt player in the series.

5) Orlando is one of the worst three-point shooting teams in the league and Cleveland has held them to only seventeen of seventy-two from outside the arc.

Cleveland isn't burning the nets from the outside but they aren't that awful!

Boxing Challenge: Garcia surprises Haney!

    Few people including myself gave Ryan Garcia much of a chance against Devin Haney after his antics since the fight was signed, even less when he missed weight by over three pounds (which turned the fight into a non-title welterweight pairing rather than for Haney's WBC junior welterweight belt), and even less than those expectations when he drained a large bottle of alcohol at the weigh-in.

However, this is boxing and anything can happen, so Garcia surprised everyone by knocking down Hnaey in the seventh, tenth, and eleventh rounds, and winning a shocking majority decision. 

Garcia staggered Haney in the first and may have finished Haney off in the seventh after dropping him but two possible knockdowns weren't counted, Garcia was penalized a point for hitting on the break, and there was an added stop in the action when a cameraman entered the ring thinking the round was completed with a minute remaining.

The problem was that on my card if you take away the knockdown rounds and round one, round eight was the only other round that Garcia had a case for winning.

I thought Haney won seven of the twelve rounds, which is how I scored the fight 112-112 with the poor decision by referee Harvey Dock to dock (pun intended) the point in the seventh costing Garcia the fight on my card and one judges as well with the two majority cards going to Garcia 115-109 and 114-110.

Garcia was the faster fighter and landed his left hook consistently but his lack of conditioning cost him in the close rounds in my opinion to allow Haney to squeeze out a few rounds that Garcia might have grabbed in better shape.

Still, it was phenomenal for Garcia to fight so well under the circumstances, and credit him for winning the fight.

However, he did miss weight by over three pounds, pounds that Haney made, and now I would have questions about Garcia making weight for any signed fight, let alone one for a championship since he isn't sorrowful about missing weight, he's reveling in his achievement and now will have no incentive to try in the future.

The fight reminded me of the Jose Luis Castillo-Diego Corrales rematch of arguably the greatest fight ever where Castillo badly missed weight, Corrales made the weight and took a piece of Castillo's purse before the much stronger Castillo, who didn't weaken himself to hit the scale, knocked Corrales out in four.

In the case of Castillo-Corrales II and Garcia-Haney, there will always be an asterisk around those wins despite excellent performances as the question that will forever be unanswered is this- Could they have fought so well had they made weight or at least been forced to try?

Some are complaining about the WBC decision to allow Haney to keep his title despite the defeat.

I'm not.

Garcia missed weight, Haney made it, and then it was agreed to allow the fight to take place as a welterweight match-up, that makes it a non-title fight and the result should have nothing to do with Haney keeping his title, he lost over the weight, that's why there are weight classes, and should he wish to fight at 140 pounds (Garcia announced plans to move to 147 pounds), it's reasonable to see Haney remain as champion.

Garcia didn't seem interested in a rematch with Haney or the man who defeated him in Gervonta Davis and even at 147, I don't see much for him in big fights with Terence Crawford moving to 154 pounds and not wanting any part of the IBF champion Jaron "Boots" Ennis.

Garcia may wait for more of the stars at 140 pounds to move to 147 and he can make lots of money against lesser contenders as he waits for the big fight.

Haney will need to re-establish himself after the loss and his marketability may have taken a hit after the loss but I'm not sure that's fair.

We ask our stars not to be boring (as in Shakur Stevenson), and yet when they abandon their best style to be more entertaining as Haney did and make a better fight with a loss, we shuffle them aside.

Boxing fans and writers often want things both ways and in the case of Devin Haney, I'm not sure that's fair quite yet.

I was away on the weekend on a trip (I'll be writing about it in the coming days), so I haven't seen the complete undercard.

I have seen the best fight on the undercard with David Jimenez upsetting John "Scrappy Ramirez for a minor junior bantamweight title by unanimous decision of 117-11 x2 and 116-112.

I picked Ramirez even though I liked Jimenez's chances because Ramirez was better connected and I thought that may make the difference in a close fight.

Glad the judges got the right result as Jimenez's only loss was controversial in losing a decision to then-WBA flyweight champion Artem Dalakian.

I also watched Sergey Dereyvanchenko's unanimous win over durable trialhorse Vaughn Alexander in a super middleweight ten-rounder.

Dereyvanchenko floored Alexander in the eighth round for the fights only knockdown with a body shot.

Talented junior middleweight Charles Conwell dominated veteran Nathaniel Gallimore in his return to the ring after a long absence.

Conwell won every round before the referee ended the fight in round six, which was an excellent decision on his part.

Conwell is the mandatory contender in the WBC ratings and will be a tough out for whoever has to take him on.

I have not seen the co-feature but many are howling about the split decision that was given to 140-pound contender Arnold Barboza over Great Britain's Sean McComb.

Barboza's scores were 97-93 and 96-94 with the more popular score for McComb at 98-92.

Boxing Challenge

Ramon Malpica: 51 Pts (6)

TRS: 50 pts (4)

Vince Samano: 23 Pts (3) 

Boxing Challenge

  Before I begin, I apologize for not writing often over the last two weeks.

I haven't been "feeling it" with boxing having a slow period, having next to zero interest in baseball, and a few personal (not mine) issues that have contributed to some downtime.

I have been keeping track of some things for the inbox and passings and I suspect next week may explode with some Browns-related posts for next week's NFL Draft.

The card underneath the Devin Haney-Ryan Garcia main event isn't the most compelling that I've ever seen but to have some fights in the challenge, I've decided to add them to the selections.

The Haney-Garcia main event originally signed for Haney's WBC junior welterweight title has been filled with bizarre behavior from Garca and there is a legitimate case that Garcia shouldn't be allowed to fight, especially after he missed weight by three pounds, refusing to attempt to lose the weight with the fight only continuing after Garcia agreed to pay Haney a reported 1.5 million for a "fine" for the missed weight.

In all honesty, Ryan Garcia's actions and behavior have put his career on the line.

Should he lose in lethargic fashion, which seems very possible considering his recent behavior, his previous defeat against his only top opponent (a loss to Gervonta Davis in which some criticized Garcia for quitting), and a lack of top fighters on his resume other than Luke Campbell and a much smaller Javier Fortuna, Ryan Garcia could be finished as a top attraction with a loss, assuming it is a non-competitive defeat.

The undercard is uninspiring with junior welterweight contender Arnold Barboza in the co-feature against Sean McComb.

Barboza was slated for the card as an insurance policy in the event Ryan Garcia was unable to participate and if Garcia found his way to the ring, Barboza didn't want to be matched too harshly as he had to prepare for three possible opponents.

McComb was stopped in his only loss to Gavin Gwynne and appears to be overmatched against Barboza.

The best fight on the card will be for a minor junior bantamweight title with John "Scrappy" Ramirez against David Jimenez.

Ramirez is an exciting fighter and Jimenez's one loss was a controversial decision loss for the WBA flyweight title to then-champion Artem Dalakian, so this one should be a good matchup.

Junior middleweight contender Charles Conwell has been inactive of late but returns to the ring in his first fight with Golden Boy against veteran trialhorse Nathaniel Gallimore.

Gallimore is usually durable but isn't quite world-class and serves the purpose of getting Conwell some much-needed ring work.

Veteran super middleweight contender Sergey Dereyvanchenko fights for the first time since his fight of the year loss to Jaime Munguia last June against journeyman Vaughn Alexander.

Dereyvanchenko, the Oba Carr of his generation as the best fighter not to win a world title, shouldn't have trouble defeating Alexander, who like Nathaniel Gallimore is very durable but overmatched against better opponents.

Boxing Challenge

Junior Welterweights. 12 Rds

Devin Haney vs Ryan Garcia

Ramon Malpica: Haney Unanimous Decision
TRS: Haney KO 7
Vince Samano: Garcia KO 8

Junior Welterweights. 10 Rds

Arnold Barboza vs Sean McComb

R.L and TRS: Barboza Unanimous Decision

V.S: Barboza KO 7

Junior Bantamweights. 12 Rds

John Ramirez vs David Jimenez

R.L: Jimenez Unanimous Decision
TRS: Ramirez Split Decision
V.S: Ramirez Unanimous Decision

Junior Middleweights. 10 Rds

Charles Conwell vs Nathaniel Gallimore

All: Conwell Unanimous Decision

Super Middleweights. 10 Rds

Sergey Derevyvanchenko vs Vaughn Alexander

R.L and TRS: Dereyvanchenko Unanimous Decision

V.S;  Alexander Unanimous Decision

Boxing Challenge: Hitchins survives Lemos

     I haven't had time to write this week or even watch boxing but I need to keep the challenge updated.

In the only fight I have watched, Richardson Hitchins won a controversial unanimous decision over Gustavo Lemos in a junior welterweight eliminator.

Hitchins has been razzed by me in the past for his less-than-electric efforts and he was more entertaining in this fight but I thought Lemos was the busier fighter, hurt Hitchins badly in the eighth round and he was the better fighter over the last half of the fight.

I scored Lemoa the winner with a score of 116-112 but the judges disagreed with two scoring for Hitchins 115-113 and the other an amazingly terrible 117-111.

I haven't watched Diego Pacheco's unanimous decision win over Shawn McCalman, who I thought was overmatched but fought well according to reports.

I also missed (because no one has this available) Bahkram Murtazaliev's eleventh-round knockout of Jack Culcay in Germany to win the vacant IBF junior middleweight title.

Boxing Challenge

TRS: 46 Pts (4) 

Ramon Malpica: 45 Pts (4)
Vince Samano: 20 Pts (4)

Boxing Challenge

     After an overstuffed boxing weekend last week, the plate is far smaller for this week with only three fights for the challenge.

DAZN/Matchroom has two of the fights from their Las Vegas card with one bout as a title eliminator and the other involving one of the top young fighters in the sport. 

The main event is an IBF junior welterweight eliminator between unbeaten Richardson Hitchins and Gustavo Lemos.

Lemos will be fighting for the first time outside of Argentina and will be fighting for the second time since his only name win in a fifth-round knockout of former featherweight champion Lee Selby.

Hitchins earned his biggest win in his last outing in a dominant unanimous decision win over former world title challenger Jose Zepeda.

Hitchins has only seven knockouts and isn't noted for his exciting fights, so unless Lemos is the latest Argentine to aggressively hunt down boxers (like Lucas Matthysse or Marcos Maidana to name two), this could be a dull distance fight.

The co-feature will showcase one of the best young fighters in the game with super middleweight Diego Pacheco, who has the look of a future star, against unbeaten Shawn McCalman.

McCalman's record is filled with non-entities from the Midwest circuit and he has only seven knockouts in his fifteen wins.

On paper, this is an absolute mismatch and Pacheco will decide whether he wishes to end this early or get a few rounds of work for the night.

Germany is the site of the remaining challenge fight as the final of the four junior middleweight titles removed from Jermell Charlo will receive a new owner as Bahkram Murtazaliev will meet Jack Culcay for the vacant IBF championship.

Murtazaliev, who seemingly has been the mandatory challenger since the Nixon Administration, had spent the last few years receiving step-aside dollars from PBC for allowing Charlo to fight in more lucrative fights which is nice work if you can get it but hasn't fought anyone of world-class ability.

Culcay is a solid fighter at the European level but has been defeated in all three of his fights when attempting to step up his opposition against Maciej Sulecki, Sergey Dereyvanchenko, and Demetrius Andrade.

Boxing Challenge

Vacant IBF Junior Middleweight Title. 12 Rds 

Bahkram Murtazaliev vs Jack Culcay

All; Murtazaliev Unanimous Decision

Junior Welterweights. 12 Rds

Richardson Hitchins vs Gustavo Lemos

TRS and V.S: Hitchins Unanimous Decision

R.L: Hitchins KO 6

Super Middleweights. 12 Rds

Diego Pacheco vs Shawn McCalman

R.L: Pacheco KO 9

TRS: Pacheco KO 3

V.S: Pacheco Unanimous Decision