How to Fix the Cleveland Browns in 1 Simple Draft
I really enjoyed doing this one because the Browns currently have 11 picks in this upcoming draft, which allows us fantasy GM's to go nuts. I did this on the assumption that the Browns would be picking 3rd overall in the first round. The same rules apply as when I did this for the Raiders (which can be found here)
1) The title is firmly tongue in cheek
2) This is a draft of who I would take were I the GM, not who I think those teams will take.
1st Round: Eric Berry, S, Tennessee
Wow, the Cleveland secondary is just awful. Awful's not even a strong enough word. Maybe the ancients had a word to describe just how bad they are, but I don't know Latin or Greek. They have no true playmakers on the whole defensive side of the ball. I'll tell you this: if there is one player I absolutely promise you will not bust, it is Eric Berry. He is everything the Browns need on the defensive side of the ball. Quarterback is a big temptation here, but I'm just not going to do that....there are better options in free agency and in the later rounds. When your secondary is as weak as it is, you can't pass a guy like Berry.
2nd round: Zac Robinson, QB, Oklahoma State
Some people might hoot at me for this, but so be it. I'm a lot higher on Robinson than a lot of people. I like that he plays in a hybrid offense, so he has experience taking snaps under center as well as from the shotgun. I like that he can make plays with his feet. I like that he has good size and arm strength. He's excellent clay to mold an NFL quarterback from. I question his decision making at times, but that can be fixed.
3rd round: Montario Hardesty, RB, Tennessee
Jamal Lewis is done and I'm not at all sold on who else Cleveland has on their roster at this position. Hardesty is an electric presence in the backfield. In fact, it wouldn't shock me if he's gone at this point, but in researching I found that he's mostly projected in the third round....so here he is.
3rd round (from Jets): Zane Beadles, OT, Utah
Joe Thomas is one of the best in the NFL, but they need help on the other side of the line. I really like Beadles for his size and think he's a great value pick at this point. He projects as an excellent right tackle.
4th round: Brandon Deadrick, DE, Alabama
He was shot and didn't miss any time. Let me repeat that: He got shot. With a bullet. Fired from a gun. And it didn't seem to affect him. Put a guy like that on my team, please. Not to mention he has the size you want in a 3-4 DE and comes from a great program. Another guy currently projected in the 4th round, but it wouldn't surprise me if he goes a bit higher.
5th round (from Bucs): Jamar Wall, CB, Texas Tech
Remember what I said about the Cleveland secondary and how bad it sucks? At this point in the draft, you could do a lot worse than Wall.
5th round: Colin Peek, TE, Alabama
They miss Kellen Winslow in a big way. Peek has great size without being too big, can block well, and is a great pass catcher. The Browns really, really need a guy like this on offense.
5th round (from Jets): Kavell Conner, OLB, Clemson
Outside linebacker depth is a concern of mine if I'm Cleveland's GM. Conner is a hard worker, though a tad undersized. A nice project, though.
6th round: Brandon Brinkley, CB, Houston
Have I mentioned how bad Cleveland's secondary is?
6th round (from Carolina): Vladimir Ducasse, G, Massachusetts
Still looking to upgrade the offensive line, and I like Ducasse for size and versatility, especially in the 6th round. Plus, his name is Vladimir, and that's pretty cool.
7th round: Cam Thomas, DT, North Carolina
A huge, productive guy who might be a nice backup for Shaun Rogers.
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35 comments
Comments
Nicely mocked. I'll give you points for picking past the third round.
For the Lions I felt I just might as well pick names out of a hat after the third round.
I was looking at Beadles for a possible LT but was not sure if he has the capability to pull off that job.
I don’t know much about Robinson, but what about the QB that Mangini brought over from the Jets? Does he not have a chance to play?
by NorthLeft12 on Oct 20, 2009 10:14 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
For a draft junkie like me...
….the big fun lies in speculating who’s going where in the mid rounds…though at this point, it’s still a huge matter of opinion if a player is going in the 3rd round vs. the 5th or whatever.
I think Beadles will be a great RT. I agree with you in not being sure he has the stuff for a LT at the next level.
As for the QB, that’s Brett Ratliff. Well, people can surprise you, but I’m not expecting much from him.
"'Tis a bird I love, with its brooding note, And the trembling throb in its mottled throat; There's a human look in its swelling breast, And the gentle curve of its lowly crest; And I often stop with the fear I feel-- He runs so close to the rapid wheel." Nathaniel Parker Willis, "The Belfrey Pigeon"
by Raybin on Oct 20, 2009 12:36 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
We already have a good backup for Shaun Rogers.
Zac Robinson is not very accurate and I doubt he will go before the fourth round.
Hardesty isnt that good, and I would rather have Gerhart at that spot.
I like Deaderick and Berry at those spots
by TheRealSlimShady on Oct 20, 2009 12:17 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Like I said, I'm much higher on Robinson than most people
He’s completing 62 percent of his passes this year. Not great, but good enough and it can only get better with pro level teaching.
I know you’ve got a backup for Rogers, but, hey…….it’s the seventh round, you know? Doesn’t hurt to see.
We’ll just have to agree to disagree about Hardesty. I think he’s got a big future.
"'Tis a bird I love, with its brooding note, And the trembling throb in its mottled throat; There's a human look in its swelling breast, And the gentle curve of its lowly crest; And I often stop with the fear I feel-- He runs so close to the rapid wheel." Nathaniel Parker Willis, "The Belfrey Pigeon"
by Raybin on Oct 20, 2009 12:33 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Good to find someone else
I thought I was the only one! :-)
"'Tis a bird I love, with its brooding note, And the trembling throb in its mottled throat; There's a human look in its swelling breast, And the gentle curve of its lowly crest; And I often stop with the fear I feel-- He runs so close to the rapid wheel." Nathaniel Parker Willis, "The Belfrey Pigeon"
by Raybin on Oct 21, 2009 12:38 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
did you see his two TD passes vs. baylor? (so far) making nice throws given such a small window.
by emily522 on Oct 24, 2009 1:48 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
secondaries are a lot better in the NFL, so bad decision making is hard to fix
hope you can let him sit a year like Henne, he has been damn good so far and he learbed a lot from CP10
OFFENSE- Protect the Quaterback at all costs
DEFFENSE- Get to the Quaterback at all costs
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by kewlguy on Oct 23, 2009 7:01 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Our secondary isnt THAT bad. Pool and Elam are both solid, and CB Eric Wright is very good. We just need another starting CB.
by TheRealSlimShady on Oct 20, 2009 12:18 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I don't know, man
I mean, you’re the Browns fan, so you have a more in-depth knowledge of the team than I do. that being said, I’ve watched the Browns a few times this year and from what I saw, they were hideous.
At the least, they need more depth at CB and those guys I have drafted can help. I mean, really…Hank Poteat? No thanks.
And there is no way on earth that Eric Berry isn’t an upgrade at SS over Elam. Elam is a pretty decent player, so you can draft Berry and trade Elam for a good player at a position of need.
"'Tis a bird I love, with its brooding note, And the trembling throb in its mottled throat; There's a human look in its swelling breast, And the gentle curve of its lowly crest; And I often stop with the fear I feel-- He runs so close to the rapid wheel." Nathaniel Parker Willis, "The Belfrey Pigeon"
by Raybin on Oct 20, 2009 12:31 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Dont get me wrong I love the Berry pick, and it would be nice to have Berry, Pool, and Elam.
One reason for our secondary looking bad is because Brandon McDonald is nothing more than a nickel back, and he sometimes has to start. I like Coye Francies’s potential, but your secondary is only as good as its worst player, so our secondary is Brandon McDonald. We defineatly need another CB, and Im glad you didnt give us SydQuan Thompson.
by TheRealSlimShady on Oct 20, 2009 11:01 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
SydQuan Thompson = overrated
Or so it seems to me anyway. Much, much better options available.
"'Tis a bird I love, with its brooding note, And the trembling throb in its mottled throat; There's a human look in its swelling breast, And the gentle curve of its lowly crest; And I often stop with the fear I feel-- He runs so close to the rapid wheel." Nathaniel Parker Willis, "The Belfrey Pigeon"
by Raybin on Oct 21, 2009 12:40 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I think he has value to a team that does a fair amount of zone coverage. He just doesn’t have the speed to stay with WR’s in man.
Draft guru in training.
by tj.hendricks on Oct 21, 2009 11:30 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Elam and Pool are solid.
Berry will be a superstar.
Nothing wrong with solid backups.
..."I predict...the Giants are #1"...
...."That's not a prediction meatman, that's a FACT OF LIFE"!.
---Carl
by FreeBradshaw on Oct 20, 2009 9:41 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Dont get me wrong, I LOVE the Berry pick.
by TheRealSlimShady on Oct 20, 2009 10:57 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
The funnest drafts
are the ones when you have lots of picks.
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by TheTealDeal on Oct 20, 2009 6:41 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Fire Mangini.
..."I predict...the Giants are #1"...
...."That's not a prediction meatman, that's a FACT OF LIFE"!.
---Carl
by FreeBradshaw on Oct 20, 2009 9:39 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Step 2
hire someone who isn’t a Belichick disciple since he obiously hasn’t gotten over them not hiring him in 99
by Steel in FL on Oct 21, 2009 12:14 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
They fired him in 95 or 96 whatever their last year in Cleveland was
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Mechem on the roots of Troy Polamalu
by WVPiratesfan on Oct 21, 2009 12:08 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
They had a chance to hire him again in 99
Elvis Grbac(sp) lobbied for them to hire him, but the owner shot that idea down.
by Steel in FL on Oct 21, 2009 2:36 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Yep. Belichick related coaches( Belichick, Crennel, Mangini) dont work in Cleveland.
by TheRealSlimShady on Oct 21, 2009 11:21 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
The third rounder could turn into a second rounder if Edwards catches enough passes.
by TheRealSlimShady on Oct 20, 2009 11:01 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
have you heard what the number is?
I’ve read that it’s going to be damn near impossible for it to turn into a 2nd rounder but haven’t seen a definitive number.
Draft guru in training.
by tj.hendricks on Oct 20, 2009 11:31 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
i could be wrong, but I might have heard 50.
by TheRealSlimShady on Oct 20, 2009 11:47 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Yeah, that's why I kept it as a third.
"'Tis a bird I love, with its brooding note, And the trembling throb in its mottled throat; There's a human look in its swelling breast, And the gentle curve of its lowly crest; And I often stop with the fear I feel-- He runs so close to the rapid wheel." Nathaniel Parker Willis, "The Belfrey Pigeon"
by Raybin on Oct 21, 2009 12:37 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I also think we should trade Shaun Rogers. I know that he is arguably the best NT in the NFL, but he is about 30 and we wont be contenders soon. We could probably get a good pick for him.
by TheRealSlimShady on Oct 20, 2009 11:02 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
We want him back in Detroit!
Its true that “you don’t know what you got ’til its gone”.
Our D line has been an absolute mess without him. Shaun has numerous faults but he is a bona fide playmaker at DT. I think he still has two to three more good years left.
by NorthLeft12 on Oct 21, 2009 9:23 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
His conditioning is poor, his effort level is down as much as up, and he is considered a pain in the ass by his coaches and management.
He is always battling to keep his weight down which leads to or comes from his conditioning issues. He would miss a lot of plays as he would be on the sideline being resuscitated. Early in the second quarter.
When Shaun is on he is the best DT in the league. He has amazing athletic ability for a guy 350 pounds. He blocks an incredible number of FGs and extra points. It seems like he considers blocking them a personal challenge and just does it.
Like I said, his faults are part of who he is. The Lions should have just lived with them.
by NorthLeft12 on Oct 22, 2009 6:16 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
He hasnt given bad effort at all in Cleveland
by TheRealSlimShady on Oct 22, 2009 7:29 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I half expected that.
Another footnote. One of the reasons Marinelli was hired as coach was to instill some discipline and get tough with certain players. ie. Rogers.
Marinelli had him traded away. Talk about epic failure.
by NorthLeft12 on Oct 23, 2009 6:07 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Too late to trade him now
But I’ll be interested to see what they do in the off-season. It really depends if they take a “blow the whole team up and start over” mentality or not.
"'Tis a bird I love, with its brooding note, And the trembling throb in its mottled throat; There's a human look in its swelling breast, And the gentle curve of its lowly crest; And I often stop with the fear I feel-- He runs so close to the rapid wheel." Nathaniel Parker Willis, "The Belfrey Pigeon"
by Raybin on Oct 21, 2009 12:37 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

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