Hard to believe that the training camp starts in just six weeks or so away.
The Cleveland Browns were a team with plenty of needs to fill and after this draft, they remain a team with plenty of needs to fill.
However, the draft addressed some of them, ignored others and made a gamble that might be the key to not only the Browns future but that of Mike Holmgren, Tom Heckert, and Pat Shurmur.The Browns traded up one slot to make sure that they landed the player that they wanted in Alabama running back Trent Richardson at the third spot in the first round through a trade with the Minnesota Vikings.
Richardson instantly becomes the star of the Cleveland offense as a back that can run between the tackles and has the burst to get around the corner.
Richardson also is not a back that needs to leave the field as he catches the ball well and is not a liability as a blocker.
Some have compared Richardson to Adrian Peterson and rate him as the best back to enter the league since Peterson's arrival.
I agree with the latter, but not the former as I don't remember seeing Peterson sit behind backs at Oklahoma like Richardson did at Alabama, but I still think Richardson can be an impact selection on a team that was screaming for one...
The Brown then took the gamble that will define this management group with the selection of Oklahoma State quarterback Brandon Weeden.
I like Weeden's arm and accuracy and he appears to be the best total passer that Cleveland has had since the teams return to the NFL, but he is 28 years old, so there is little time to be wasted.
Weeden was drafted to be the starter, so the learning curve will have to be minimal.
This pick also means the Browns are invested in Weeden in the next seasons draft as drafting a Matt Barkley would be seen as admitting this selection would be a bust after just one season.
I like Weeden, but this selection is somewhat worrisome to me with the questions involved.
The selection of Cal tackle Mitchell Schwartz addresses a need at right tackle and solidifies a line that should be together for quite a while considering the age of the group.
I had other tackles rated ahead of Schwartz and I would have rather seen a wide receiver taken here and Schwartz or another tackle in the third, but I am still fine with the pick, even though other considerations might have worked out better in my opinion.
The Browns traded down in round three and added a fourth-rounder to replace the one traded to Minnesota in the Trent Richardson deal and their pick was the one that had most scratching their draft guides in wonder.
Cincinnati defensive tackle John Hughes was not even the top lineman on the Bearcats and most thought he was a late rounder at best.
Hughes is supposedly great against the run and with the injury to Phil Taylor, Hughes will get his chance early in his career.
This is part of a trend that I will address later in the post.
The Browns finally picked a wideout in the fourth round in diminutive and speedy Travis Benjamin.
To me, this is a pick that will help more in situations than a player that will be a full-time impact player.
This one is a pick at a need, but not one that will provide the type of production that the Browns need.
Benjamin looks to me to be a player that might be decent in the slot in five receiver formations, but not one that will be able to get off the line outside the hashmarks...
Nevada linebacker John-Michael Johnson looks to be a possible starter at linebacker with Scott Fujita's suspension and could fit into a position in the long term.
Johnson can run from sideline to sideline and is the type of speedy linebacker that the Browns are lacking in on the roster.
Fifth-round guard Ryan Miller of Colorado has the type of size that you usually see at tackle but will be an NFL guard. Miller will be a project, but his size makes me think that if he can play guard, he might be a solid contributor in a year or two if he can be agile enough to play the interior.
I really liked the sixth rounders in linebacker Emmanuel Acho of Texas and defensive lineman Billy Winn of Boise State.
Acho's brother Sam was a middle-round steal for the Cardinals a year or so back and Emmanuel might be the same type of steal.
At a minimum, Acho will be a special teams standout and maybe a situational rusher.
I would be not surprised to see Acho start eventually.
Winn was thought to be a second or third-round pick but fell through the draft and at the point that Winn was picked at, he rates as a high reward low-risk selection. Winn is not a run stuffer but has above average pass rushing skills from the defensive tackle slots.
If the Browns can keep Winn motivated, Winn can also be a nice addition to the defensive line rotation for the next few years...
Cleveland took two compensation seventh rounders with corner Trevin Wade of Arizona and tight end Brad Smelley of Alabama.
Wade is a bit undersized and his last two years were not a strong as his first, but might fit as a nickel type.
Smelley catches the ball well, but on a team with four tight ends ahead of him (Ben Watson, Alex Smith, Evan Moore, and Jordan Cameron), he might have to show that he can block well enough to fit as a fullback as well as a tight end...
My biggest issue with this draft was that it smelled of panic.
It is always conjecture to say someone would have fallen, but I think that Weeden might have fallen to the second round, Schwartz would have likely been available in the third and for John Hughes, well he would have almost definitely been available in the fourth and likely lower.
Take that with the fourth-rounder that was given away to the Vikings for Trent Richardson, which did not have to happen as the Vikings were not taking Richardson and the Browns seemingly could have done so much better.
I really liked the later round picks and I think Tom Heckert might have found some contributors with Johnson and Acho along with the potential of Winn and if Travis Benjamin can provide any help at wideout, the third day could be an excellent haul for the Browns.....
I want to believe in Tom Heckert, but the two picks that will make or break this draft are Brandon Weeden and Mitchell Schwartz.
Weeden has to start and be the foundation QB that Cleveland has not seen since Bernie Kosar along with getting up to speed and be able to lower the learning curve that comes with the NFL.
Schwartz has to live up to his selection with a pick that could have landed a strong pass catcher in either Stephen Hill or Alshon Jeffery or a more highly regarded tackle that was still on the board in Cordy Glenn (Bills) or Jonathan Martin (Dolphins).
If Schwartz starts for the next ten years, all will be forgotten, if not this draft will be what could have been...
Our grade: B
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