My Take on the Browns 2009 Draft
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Oh, I stand corrected. I went looking for him at the Shrine game and didn't find him and assumed he wasn't at the Senior Bowl at all. My bad.
Still don't like the comparison.
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I love the topic and opinions and agree that there is only one guy worthy of a #5 pick and that is Crabtree and maybe the OL Moore. One of the reasons I posted the topic of best available vs drafting for need.
Crabtree being available may be an option to trade down and I also think that one of the QBs being available may also be an option. Regardless of what SF is saying, they want a franchise QB. I believe if Sanchez slides to #5 they would be very interested because they wouldn't want TB or Minn to make a trade to jump ahead of them.
There is a long way to go until draft day. There is the combine and also pro days and especially FA. Our draft may well be dictated by what we do or don't do in FA.
I stated yesterday that I believe that Everette Brown is the biggest impact 3-4 front 7 player in the draft. After the combine and his pro day, he may very well draw even with Curry as the best defensive player available to us. I personally wouldn't take Curry unless I was sure that he could play the SILB position. Everette Brown or Maybin are much better choices for a pass rushing OLB in this draft.
Balt is about the same as us as far as cap space and I believe it is impossible for them to sign their Center, Safety and all 3 LBs. So, I think a Bart Scott may be one of the odd men out. I'd take him and move to acquire some more draft choices and be very happy. (Well throw in a safety also and I'd be very, very happy).
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Masters said:
I can't say last years draft was one for the ages at RB. 3 rookie RB ended up in the top 10 for yards (Slaton, Forte, and Johnson). But that isn't the first time it has ever happened. Time will shake out how great the RB class really was.I am really interested and kindof scared to see Mendenhall two times a year, Ray rice is a damn good Back, Jonathan Stewart is an animal, Kevin Smith came on strong in the end for Detroit but to no fanfair, Seven running backs with significant PT, save Mendenhall... Oh yeah and the guy I wanted in the fourth Tashard Choice had 100 yards in his only start....against Pittsburgh! For the ages.....oh and forgot about Mcfadden and Felix Jones......
I am really interested and kindof scared to see Mendenhall two times a year, Ray rice is a damn good Back, Jonathan Stewart is an animal, Kevin Johnson came on strong in the end for Detroit but to no fanfair, Seven running backs with significant PT, save Mendenhall... Oh yeah and the guy I wanted in the fourth Tashard Choice had 100 yards in his only start....against Pittsburgh! For the ages.....oh and forgot about Mcfadden and Felix Jones......
It may end up that way, but it's just too early to tell imo.
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Heading into the spring of 2009, it seems Cleveland fans are once again becoming dazzled with with the riches another NFL Draft promises. Frankly, what else do we have to do with our January's around here? My fear (perhaps that's too strong a word) is that the pending college cattle auction will leave said fans in a state of numbing malaise. I caution you... fear not. The more uneventful the 2009 Draft appears for the Browns on Draft Day, the better off they'll likely be.
Trading out of the top of the draft never thrills the fans, but the Browns need to run screaming from the #5 pick they find themselves with. Outside of Michael Crabtree, there isn't a top 5 pick in this litter. Period. Based on sheer talent, they could probably start this draft at number 11 or 12. But I digress (frequently).
If George Kokinis is worth his salt, he'll spend the better part of the next 2 months calling all 27 teams picking behind him (and maybe the other 4 as well... 'cause moving to the top of round 2 isn't out of the question), and trying to unload that number 5 pick. If Michael Crabtree falls to 5? Well... then... raise the price and call 'em again.
Admittedly, I'd be tempted to take Crabtree if he's there. But, you must weigh the fact that his mere presence more than doubles the value of that pick. And the players the Browns "need" (there's that ugly word), are scattered throughout the draft board. You have to remember, in this day and age, it's often more important to get "your" guy, instead of getting "the" guy.
Nobody asked me, but I would advise the Browns to steer well clear of Aaron Curry. Curry is a fine player. But he's not enough of anything to fill the Browns need for edge personnel in the 3-4. He's not dynamic enough to be a significant upgrade over Wimbley, and doesn't show the strength and leverage to play his opposite. He's a talent to be sure, but pass.
Even if the governing opinion is that Kam Wimbley can elevate his play to be a dangerous pass rusher, Curry is not your answer. The Browns need to start their search for a strong sider with Brian Cushing... but don't stop there. Cushing's a bit better playing off the line. But he is a lunch-pale type. Cushing's performance and pedigree could have him going mid-first round. The problem here, is that the Browns have little hope of mining 1st round value out of Cushing given the fact that he's a bit of a mismatch for the position he'll be asked to play. If he wows 'em at the workouts and in the interview room, maybe you take a good hard look at Cushing. But, I'm afraid the Cleveland brass is going to have to dig deeper if they're going to find a legitimate strong side backer in this draft.
Now that being said, if the Browns can wiggle their way back toward the middle of the 1st round, there may be a better solution. Florida State's Everette Brown could offer the Browns the opportunity to move Wimbley to the strong side, where his strength and leverage could be put to better use (if not to cover up for a lack of pass rushing ingenuity). Brown is a pass rusher plain and simple. He is arguably the best pure pass rusher in the draft -- Great quicks, and a spin move that would make Karl Wallenda dizzy. The presence of Brown on the roster makes the Browns better... and first round pick better.
The only other prospect the Browns should consider should they draft in the teens is LSU DE Tyson Jackson. And that's going to be highly dependent on what they find out in the interviews. 3-4 DE is not a glamour job, and Jackson has been known to be a bit of a glamour player. So, he may disqualify himself. But he is an interesting prospect. Is he the next Richard Seymour? I'm going to go ahead and doubt it. But, even a poor-man's Richard Seymour is worth a look in the middle of Round 1.
Now, if the Browns work all the way back into the 20's, Brown and Jackson will be long gone. The boys in brown will then have to turn their attention to the other side of the ball. Early estimates show the bottom of the first round will likely have available two or three impact rookies on offense that fit need areas for the Browns. RB Chris Wells, and WR Hakeem Nicks at the skill positions and C Alex Mack, and T Michael Oher up front.
Wells' durability concerns have hurt his draft status, but has the body and talent to be a dominant cold-weather back when healthy. Nicks is meaty receiver who plays physically and catches the ball with his hands. He hasn't shown great speed on film, but gets good separation, and rarely drops a ball he should catch. He's a bit of a gamble in round 1, and you probably don't consider him if Wells is still on the board. But he's a player to pay attention to particularly if his combine numbers (he projects upper 4.5 ish) start him falling toward Round 2.
Michael Oher is an enigma... the subject of an fantastic novel by Michael Lewis (the author of Moneyball), Oher was, uh, let's just say, not under review for a Rhodes scholarship. However, he has all the physical tools of a dominant left tackle in the NFL. He may be better suited to RT in the NFL where he can spend more time run blocking, and benefit from the extra personnel when picking up some of the more exotic blitz schemes common in the League.
Mack may be the safest pick of the group. He's strong, tough, smart, and the best pure center in the draft since Mangold, and some say better. It just ain't glamorous to pick a center with your #1... which may make it just the right one... see what I mean about boring?
As you move into Round 2 and beyond, you have to understand that at this point in the winter, the guys projected from the top of Round 2 to the bottom of Round 4 will shuffle around like a deck of cards. So I'll leave you with a couple of names to watch for. Guys whose play has shown them to be "Mangini" guys.
SILB Jasper Brinkley - South Carolina: A custom built Sam with a strong frame and good skills. He's got the tenacity and humility to play the position the way it's drawn up and could be a steal in Round 3-4.
SOLB Michael Johnson - Georgia Tech: A nasty cuss of a hybrid DE/OLB. He's got all kinds of flashes, but lacks consistency. The structure of the 3-4 may accentuate his skills, if it doesn't frustrate him in its limitations.
S William Moore - Missouri: A bit of a vanilla safety. Studious and sound. He's what I call a stealth tackler. Where some guys like to blow up running backs exiting the line, William has a tendency to drop them to the grass without making any noise. This is not the kind of guy who strikes fear in the hearts of wideouts. But he always seems to be where the ball is. Do you see this "boring" thing happening here...
WR Ramses Barden - Cal Poly: Uhhh... big, really big. Runs well, catches the ball. And he's big. Did I say that?
Anyway... just some food for thought I hope. I purposely avoided the running backs who will have to separate themselves with the stopwatch in the coming months. But there are some guys out there that already bear noting. Ooh, one obscure one to keep an eye on LB Aaron Clark from Virginia. May miss the draft workouts with the injury that ended his senior season. He'll be looking to catch on with a 3-4 team as an OLB. Just a note.
-jj
SOLB Michael Johnson - Georgia Tech: A nasty cuss of a hybrid DE/OLB. He's got all kinds of flashes, but lacks consistency. The structure of the 3-4 may accentuate his skills, if it doesn't frustrate him in its limitations.
No doubt this guy has immense potential, but I don't think I'll ever get past seeing him get absolutely mauled by a a freshman 280 pound FSU offensive tackle.
At this point, he's definitely not not strong enough to play 4-3 DE...and may be too weak to be an effective 3-4 OLB.
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what separates Brinkley from Bell?
Not to sound like a ass......the SEC??
Good in the SEC is a little different than good in the mountain west or whatever conference Nevada is in.
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I see that Scouts, Inc. has moved him up to the #3 overall prospect, so I'm not the only one who's feeling the Raji love. You couldn't separate the two of us with a crowbar, Shep. I'd give B.J. a B.J. - that's how in the tank I am.
I'm drafting Curry if he's there, but I'm convinced he's not going to be.
And I'll add my two cents to the Everette Browns talk: when it's all said and done I don't think he's going to be viewed as a 3-4 OLB, but a 4-3 end for teams like Indy and Philly. Just my feeling from watching him.
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I agree about Brown being better suited for Tampa 2 DE/Jim Johnson rush end. The coaches at FSU would even sometimes slide him in to DT on passing downs, allowing him to use his quicks to get around interior linemen.
That said, I'm starting to think that some team will be convinced that he's a perfect fit for 3-4 OLB. I think he's a better version of Gaines Adams, but his workout numbers will have some thinking DeMarcus Ware.
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I am really interested and kindof scared to see Mendenhall two times a year, Ray rice is a damn good Back, Jonathan Stewart is an animal, Kevin Johnson came on strong in the end for Detroit but to no fanfair, Seven running backs with significant PT, save Mendenhall... Oh yeah and the guy I wanted in the fourth Tashard Choice had 100 yards in his only start....against Pittsburgh! For the ages.....oh and forgot about Mcfadden and Felix Jones......
It may end up that way, but it's just too early to tell imo.
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I agree about Brown being better suited for Tampa 2 DE/Jim Johnson rush end. The coaches at FSU would even sometimes slide him in to DT on passing downs, allowing him to use his quicks to get around interior linemen.
That said, I'm starting to think that some team will be convinced that he's a perfect fit for 3-4 OLB. I think he's a better version of Gaines Adams, but his workout numbers will have some thinking DeMarcus Ware.
Aloysius said:
I agree about Brown being better suited for Tampa 2 DE/Jim Johnson rush end. The coaches at FSU would even sometimes slide him in to DT on passing downs, allowing him to use his quicks to get around interior linemen.That said, I'm starting to think that some team will be convinced that he's a perfect fit for 3-4 OLB. I think he's a better version of Gaines Adams, but his workout numbers will have some thinking DeMarcus Ware.
Brown is 6' 4" and 250 lbs. Just about the same size as Cushing, Maybin, Orakpo and Sintim. All are within an inch and 5 lbs of each other. Why would you think he is better suited for a 4-3 DE. Many list him as the best pass rusher in the draft and project him as a Suggs type of pass rusher. I think he is more like Suggs then Gaines Adams.
He will eat the combine up and have 3-4 teams slobbering all over themselves. I think he just may jump right up there with Curry as the best defensive player in the draft.
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Masters said:
It may end up that way, but it's just too early to tell imo.I forgot to mention Tim Hightower.....and Peyton Hillis, Jamaal Charles and Mike Hart....Charles will be someone to watch come next year and Hart is solid bak-up
I forgot to mention Tim Hightower.....and Peyton Hillis, Jamaal Charles and Mike Hart....Charles will be someone to watch come next year and Hart is solid bak-up
To me, mentioning Hightower is like mentioning McClain. They are great at short yardage or ponding it into the endzone from 3 yards out. But after that, they didn't do squat and I don't think they ever will.
Hillis looked pretty good for a bit. Then again, it's DEN. We'll see how he does with a new O, which probably no longer feature the zone blocking scheme Shanahan used for so many years.
The other guys, well I'll have to see what they do when they see real playing time and not just a carry or two.
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I forgot to mention Tim Hightower.....and Peyton Hillis, Jamaal Charles and Mike Hart....Charles will be someone to watch come next year and Hart is solid bak-up
To me, mentioning Hightower is like mentioning McClain. They are great at short yardage or ponding it into the endzone from 3 yards out. But after that, they didn't do squat and I don't think they ever will.
Hillis looked pretty good for a bit. Then again, it's DEN. We'll see how he does with a new O, which probably no longer feature the zone blocking scheme Shanahan used for so many years.
The other guys, well I'll have to see what they do when they see real playing time and not just a carry or two.
Masters said:
To me, mentioning Hightower is like mentioning McClain. They are great at short yardage or ponding it into the endzone from 3 yards out. But after that, they didn't do squat and I don't think they ever will.Hillis looked pretty good for a bit. Then again, it's DEN. We'll see how he does with a new O, which probably no longer feature the zone blocking scheme Shanahan used for so many years.
The other guys, well I'll have to see what they do when they see real playing time and not just a carry or two.
well...together with the others....makes up one hell of a RB draft class in 08'
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Masters said:
To me, mentioning Hightower is like mentioning McClain. They are great at short yardage or ponding it into the endzone from 3 yards out. But after that, they didn't do squat and I don't think they ever will.Hillis looked pretty good for a bit. Then again, it's DEN. We'll see how he does with a new O, which probably no longer feature the zone blocking scheme Shanahan used for so many years.
The other guys, well I'll have to see what they do when they see real playing time and not just a carry or two.
well...together with the others....makes up one hell of a RB draft class in 08'
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Aloysius said:
I agree about Brown being better suited for Tampa 2 DE/Jim Johnson rush end. The coaches at FSU would even sometimes slide him in to DT on passing downs, allowing him to use his quicks to get around interior linemen.That said, I'm starting to think that some team will be convinced that he's a perfect fit for 3-4 OLB. I think he's a better version of Gaines Adams, but his workout numbers will have some thinking DeMarcus Ware.
Brown is 6' 4" and 250 lbs. Just about the same size as Cushing, Maybin, Orakpo and Sintim. All are within an inch and 5 lbs of each other. Why would you think he is better suited for a 4-3 DE. Many list him as the best pass rusher in the draft and project him as a Suggs type of pass rusher. I think he is more like Suggs then Gaines Adams.
He will eat the combine up and have 3-4 teams slobbering all over themselves. I think he just may jump right up there with Curry as the best defensive player in the draft.
Brown is 6' 4" and 250 lbs. Just about the same size as Cushing, Maybin, Orakpo and Sintim. All are within an inch and 5 lbs of each other. Why would you think he is better suited for a 4-3 DE. Many list him as the best pass rusher in the draft and project him as a Suggs type of pass rusher. I think he is more like Suggs then Gaines Adams.
He will eat the combine up and have 3-4 teams slobbering all over themselves. I think he just may jump right up there with Curry as the best defensive player in the draft.
Two of Brown's best attributes are his quickness off the snap and and his underestimated strength, both of which he deploys very well from the DE spot. He also has a sweet Freeney-like spin move.
All of those make him a good Tampa2 DE prospect. And though he quickly gets back in his drops on zone blitzes, they're usually very shallow and I can't remember seeing him ever do anything while dropped into coverage.
He likely could transition to 3-4 OLB, but his style of play says 4-3 DE in a way that the rest of those guys' play doesn't. Maybe it's because three of the other guys you mentioned have experience at linebacker, and another one is only 235 pounds (Maybin).
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Yeah, it's not so much about his size, though I think he's going to show up to the weigh-ins bigger than those other guys. It's more about what he does. I haven't really seen him do anything but rush the passer, which he does well, though most of it seems to depend on getting off the ball fast. Which is fine - Dwight Freeney has made quite a living that way. I'm just saying we'll have to see what else he can do. Can he drop into coverage? Can he hold the edge against the run? I can't tell.
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Brown is 6' 4" and 250 lbs. Just about the same size as Cushing, Maybin, Orakpo and Sintim. All are within an inch and 5 lbs of each other. Why would you think he is better suited for a 4-3 DE. Many list him as the best pass rusher in the draft and project him as a Suggs type of pass rusher. I think he is more like Suggs then Gaines Adams.
He will eat the combine up and have 3-4 teams slobbering all over themselves. I think he just may jump right up there with Curry as the best defensive player in the draft.
Two of Brown's best attributes are his quickness off the snap and and his underestimated strength, both of which he deploys very well from the DE spot. He also has a sweet Freeney-like spin move.
All of those make him a good Tampa2 DE prospect. And though he quickly gets back in his drops on zone blitzes, they're usually very shallow and I can't remember seeing him ever do anything while dropped into coverage.
He likely could transition to 3-4 OLB, but his style of play says 4-3 DE in a way that the rest of those guys' play doesn't. Maybe it's because three of the other guys you mentioned have experience at linebacker, and another one is only 235 pounds (Maybin).
Aloysius said:
Two of Brown's best attributes are his quickness off the snap and and his underestimated strength, both of which he deploys very well from the DE spot. He also has a sweet Freeney-like spin move.All of those make him a good Tampa2 DE prospect. And though he quickly gets back in his drops on zone blitzes, they're usually very shallow and I can't remember seeing him ever do anything while dropped into coverage.
He likely could transition to 3-4 OLB, but his style of play says 4-3 DE in a way that the rest of those guys' play doesn't. Maybe it's because three of the other guys you mentioned have experience at linebacker, and another one is only 235 pounds (Maybin).
He still reminds me of Suggs when I watch film of him. I would love to see him stand up and be able to move around a bit. To me he is what you are looking for in a pass rushing OLB in the 3-4. Maybe what the Browns were looking for in Wimbley and never got.
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Wimbley is such a mystery. After year one I was prepared to say that he was at least as good a pick as Ngata, the guy I wanted, but the three-year results are in and that's clearly not the case.
11 sacks as a rookie, then 5, then 4 this past year. Not what you want to see. It may mean that left tackles have figured him out.
But hey, at least his contract year is coming up.
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The problem with us taking Curry, is that he is a Weak Side ILB, he's the smaller ILB who is better at coverage than the other ILB..... the thing is, we already have that in D'qwell, Maualuga is our monster, our blitz up the gutter, our run stuffer, our madman, our identity... if you will
Are there any mocks that go into round 2 that have us taking Jennings?!?!?!?
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I also must say that although I dont share Aloysius' views on curry, his post on Frantz Joseph wowed me. If that guy is seriously a day 2 pick Im stunned. I could see him being Rey Maualugas back up, they can sub in and out, keeping them both fresh.
So now I know somewhat of what I want
1. Rey Maualuga
2. Rashad Jennings
3.(if we get one) a FS prospect
4. Frantz Joseph
5. A right tackle prospect we could groom (a strong nasty pure run blocking type, im sure there will be some prototypical guys in the 5th)
Hopefully we can trade down to 10 and get another second rounder out of it so we can scoop up onother OLB, or draft our RT there.
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