Now that I have a few weeks in hindsight and some time to logically look at things, I want to do things a little different with this review.I've been making a draft DVD for a friend of mine and I've been reviewing things as they progressed.
Yes, I still was steamed at the antics of Baker Mayfield and still think that this might be a bust that makes the selections of Brady Quinn, Brandon Weeden, and Johnny Manziel look like the 1983 draft, but he's here now and I hope he does well because if he doesn't John Dorsey better be damn near perfect otherwise in his rebuild or this will be the Dorsey epitaph for his career in Cleveland.
However, I looked at the players that the Browns selected as the draft occurred here and I'm not going to do much of this here.
What I will do is to place for posterity so no one can claim otherwise, what I would have done with the Browns final draft bounty as they have the same picks as everyone for the 2019 draft.
So don't call it a review, let's call it a redraft.
Round 1
Browns Pick: Baker Mayfield QB Oklahoma
TRS: Sam Darnold QB USC
Simply put, the Browns selected a small and not overly fast quarterback because of the most elaborate con job seen in the league in years.
I see all the points for Mayfield and I'll counter with a not overly strong arm in a division that he'll play in wind and cold often, small (watch to see if he struggles to find passing lanes against the pass rush) and not especially fast (as noted) against the elite athletes in the NFL combined with an arrogance that won't wear well in Cleveland, should he not play well.
Sam Darnold is the safer pick, the more suited for the league with size and athleticism and would have been the better fit for the weather, the city, and the organization.
Mayfield vs Darnold will be the decision that fans will be talking about for years
Round 1
Browns Pick: Denzel Ward CB Ohio State.
TRS: Bradley Chubb DE N.C. State.
This one is one that I am fine with either way.
The Browns selected the best cornerback in the draft rather than the best pass rusher and that's a matter of preference.
I would have rather seen Chubb and Myles Garrett not allowing offensive lines to double team both and quarterbacks falling apart under their wrath, but the Browns also needed a shutdown corner as well and Ward suits that bill.
This pick really was one of crab vs lobster- They are both good eating, which one are you in the mood for?
I'm fine with Denzel Ward.
Round 2
Browns Pick: Austin Corbett G-T Nevada
TRS Pick: Connor Williams G-T Texas.
I preferred Connor Williams here because without his injury in 2017 at Texas, he would have been the first lineman off the board and at minimum a top 15 pick.
That said, if Corbett can play tackle, this is a solid pick,
The Browns needed a left tackle, they took steps to get one.
I preferred Williams, but Corbett is more than a solid lineman.
Round 2
Browns Pick: Nick Chubb RB Georgia
TRS: Derrius Guice RB LSU
I didn't have a problem with Nick Chubb here either.
I had Guice, Chubb and USC's Ronald Jones all ranked roughly the same and I leaned toward Guice because he's a different type of back than Carlos Hyde and I thought some different looks would be a good thing among Cleveland's backs.
Chubb is very similar to Hyde and the Browns must have wanted backs that could slide into the same slot and be used in the same manner.
I'm not going to hit them on that, just a different manner of building a team.
Round 3
Browns Pick: Chad Thomas DE Miami.FL.
TRS: Sam Hubbard DE Ohio State
After a drop of a few picks in a trade with the Colts, this pick was the one that I really shook my head at as I thought Chad Thomas was a fifth-round pick and Sam Hubbard was at least a second rounder.
Hubbard was a high energy player with the size to be a 4-3 end.
Thomas was just another guy at Miami and is a project pick.
Projects do work out sometimes, so I'm open to this working out, but the safer pick and the one that would help sooner was Sam Hubbard.
Round 4
Browns Pick; Antonio Callaway WR Florida
TRS: Antonio Callaway WR Florida
The Browns traded up for the oft-troubled Callaway and despite my dislike for players with baggage, I was OK with this.
In a down draft for pass catchers, had Callaway not had those issues, he might have been the first wideout taken.
But he does have those issues and on a team with Josh Gordon and now Baker Mayfield, the Browns are suddenly an incubator for possible locker room lawyers.
However, at the cost and the fact that Antonio Brown, who kills the Browns every year, thinks enough of Callaway to work with him all offseason, makes me think that maybe this will work out.
I'll believe in Antonio Brown and think Callaway was worth the risk-on a short leash that is.
If you gamble-gamble on greatness.
Round 5
Browns Pick: Genard Avery LB Memphis
TRS: Genard Avery LB Memphis.
As much as I hated Chad Thomas over Sam Hubbard-I loved this pick!
In fact, I had Avery rated higher than Thomas so this could be a steal.
Avery hits hard, hustles all over the field and will be a special teams demon.
IMO- Avery will make Christian Kirksey dispensible and could push him out the door in 2019, considering the ridiculous extension, Kirksey was signed to by Sashi Brown.
Round 6
Browns Pick: Damion Ratley WR Texas A&M
TRS: Deon Cain WR Clemson
Ratley is a tools guy with big size and speed, but little production to the point of not being invited to the combine.
Ratley does have deep speed for a QB that could struggle throwing the deep ball, so he's a lottery ticket.
Cain has similar tools with far more production in working with an NFL passer in DeShaun Watson.
We're in round six, but Cain was the better bet even considering the late spot.
Round 6
Browns Pick: Simeon Thomas CB Louisiana-Lafayette
TRS: Safe: Will Clapp C LSU or Lottery: Jordan Mailata Australia
For a team that wants to "change the culture", a nice catch phrase that everyone uses when rebuilding in any sport, the Browns sure took some questionable characters guys between Mayfield, Callaway and Simeon Thomas here in round six.
Thomas had issues with academics and an off-season theft issue with teammates and despite excellent size, I would have gone elsewhere.
It's late in the draft and there were several guys that could have been drafted by me-WR's Stephen Dunbar of Houston or Cedric Wilson, RB Bo Scarborough of Alabama or Temple defensive tackle Julian Taylor.
However, LSU center Will Clapp can play center or guard and might be a lineman with a chance to have a long career and if you love the lottery ticket, why not the massive Australian rugby star Jordan Mailata, who is a developmental project that might take time, but physically looks the part of an offensive tackle to a T.
Remember if you gamble- gamble on greatness, not gambles on "meh".
It takes time (at least three years) to judge a draft, so I'm not going to try.
I wanted to look at the draft in real time before these players hit the field and take my swings at the selections.
It all comes down to Baker Mayfield- if the Browns are right, the rebuild truly has begun and things will get brighter in Cleveland.
If I'm correct, you thought things were dark before, this might be the tip of the iceberg...
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