OconRecon Posted April 27, 2009 Report Share Posted April 27, 2009 Early reviews look good for Browns' draft by Plain Dealer staff Monday April 27, 2009, 3:59 AM MSNBC.com - Grade: A- -likes the moves by new coach Eric Mangini Eric Mangini hasn't made many fans in Cleveland, but this weekend should help win them over. They brilliantly moved down the draft board, grabbing three extra picks and three veterans. This was the perfect strategy for a thin roster in a deep draft without stars. Center Alex Mack, wideout Brian Robiskie, and OLB David Veikune all should help right away. Fourth-rounder Kaluka Maiava could be a steal out of USC. link CBS Sports.com's Pete Prisco - Grade: C -is not as impressed I love the pick of receiver Brian Robiskie in the second round. He will be a starter as a rookie. Questionable move: Trading down as much as they did and not quite getting the value they deserved. The Jets got the better of them in that deal for the fifth pick. link Mel Kiper's take - Grade: B- Alex Mack was a good pick at No. 21 and Mohamed Massaquoi was a very good pickup in the second round. I think fellow second-rounder David Veikune was a bit of a reach in that round, but not enough of one to seriously dent the Browns' grade. They didn't get a great receiver in Brian Robiskie in the second round, but he's polished enough as a rookie that he could be a solid possession guy for this franchise Bleacherreport.com - Grade: B -but it still has a few questions, They traded down... and down... and down again... and then they drafted a center? There was a time when the Browns didn't have many picks in this draft. They ended up having three in the second round and used them all very, very well. ... The real million dollar question is, with Robiskie and Massaquoi coming into camp, where does that leave the underperforming (and overpaid) Braylon Edwards? link San Diego Union-Tribune - Grade: B+ Bland no longer, the Browns hop-scotched through the opening round, three times trading down before choosing Alex Mack, a center. Gaining WR Brian Robiskie was a nice move. link USA Today - Grade: B Cleveland Browns: Creative deal-making allowed the Browns to load up on picks and players from the New York Jets that coach Eric Mangini likes. C Alex Mack was the best at his position, solidifies problem area, but may have gone a tad early at 21. Both receivers, Brian Robiskie and Mohamed Massaquoi, will contribute quickly and Robiskie may start. LB/DE David Veikune may lack a true position, should get first look as rush end in 4-3 sub package. link Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sisky fringo Posted April 27, 2009 Report Share Posted April 27, 2009 by the end of the season we're an A and the bengals are a D......and that aint the kool-aid talkin' either! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gips Posted April 27, 2009 Report Share Posted April 27, 2009 by the end of the season we're an A and the bengals are a D......and that aint the kool-aid talkin' either! I agree this is a far better draft then some are giving credit for and will prove itself as we take to the field..mankok obviously believes the browns are in better shape then many people think and im inclined to agree...we will compete sooner rather then later! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sisky fringo Posted April 27, 2009 Report Share Posted April 27, 2009 Here we go brownies here we go! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ballpeen Posted April 27, 2009 Report Share Posted April 27, 2009 The thing about this draft is we won't have to wait 3 years to know if this was a good draft. Mack starts day one, 2 of the 3 players we got from the Jets should start or at least see significant time, and the receivers we picked up should be major contributors. Add in the wild card in James Davis, and we should know something pretty quick. It's funny. I remember Savage talking about how a team doesn't have to hit homeruns, it just needed lot's of singles and doubles, yet he always seemed to be swinging for the fence, and now Mangini and Kokinis come in and start doing what Savage talked about. Very refreshing...IMO this draft made us significantly better this past weekend. Big thumbs up in this corner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sisky fringo Posted April 27, 2009 Report Share Posted April 27, 2009 heck, they only need 1.5 starters to ante up to Savage..... this might end up being the best draft since the return if they get 2 to start and 1 to contribute, all in kok/man year 1. steeler nation isn't even talking any shit irl down here. (it's still early though). i might actually wear something orange this year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ndneighbor Posted April 27, 2009 Report Share Posted April 27, 2009 heck, they only need 1.5 starters to ante up to Savage..... this might end up being the best draft since the return if they get 2 to start and 1 to contribute, all in kok/man year 1. steeler nation isn't even talking any shit irl down here. (it's still early though). i might actually wear something orange this year. Over the weekend I noticed some threads that were started by trolls were deleted. Nice. We actually got to discuss Browns stuff w/o the Peanut Gallery. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sisky fringo Posted April 27, 2009 Report Share Posted April 27, 2009 Over the weekend I noticed some threads that were started by trolls were deleted. Nice. We actually got to discuss Browns stuff w/o the Peanut Gallery. i've never had a thread or a post deleted on this board ever. or any of the other two before this one. got something to say? say it plainly so i can make sure i understand you perfectly. so far it sounds like you had a little circle jerk with your buddies when your parents weren't home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onefellswoop7 Posted April 27, 2009 Report Share Posted April 27, 2009 I too like this draft. I'd go for a B/B+. I like the picks of Mack and Robiskie (not an OSU fan AT ALL) who are NFL ready from day one. I've said ti a few times on here that the second WR pick caught me off guard but when you are as thin at WR as we are...you gotta do something. I also love the Veikune pick. Funny to see people rip this pick because they know little about him. He is versatile, unselfish, has an extremely high motor, and fits a great need for us. Toss in the addition of a starting SS in Elam, who I liked a lot from last year. A backup QB that is NOT DA and a starter/rotation DE. Solid draft. No homerun hits like people like to see but an extremely solid one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest AdaM Posted April 27, 2009 Report Share Posted April 27, 2009 I too like this draft. I'd go for a B/B+. I like the picks of Mack and Robiskie (not an OSU fan AT ALL) who are NFL ready from day one. I've said ti a few times on here that the second WR pick caught me off guard but when you are as thin at WR as we are...you gotta do something. I also love the Veikune pick. Funny to see people rip this pick because they know little about him. He is versatile, unselfish, has an extremely high motor, and fits a great need for us. Toss in the addition of a starting SS in Elam, who I liked a lot from last year. A backup QB that is NOT DA and a starter/rotation DE. Solid draft. No homerun hits like people like to see but an extremely solid one. Next year we can afford to take some chances, I love what we did this year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ballpeen Posted April 27, 2009 Report Share Posted April 27, 2009 Next year we can afford to take some chances, I love what we did this year. We took some chances this year.....guys like Carey and Francies are bust or boom type guys. We did a great job this year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan in Florida Posted April 27, 2009 Report Share Posted April 27, 2009 from Sports-Central.org: Cleveland Browns — The most active team on the first day of the draft, the Browns traded down three times and made four selections on the first day, netting some solid players who should contribute immediately, but no obvious high-impact playmakers. The most interesting acquisitions weren't draft picks, but the players acquired by trading the fifth overall selection to the Jets: backup QB Brett Ratliff, DB Abram Elam, and DE Kenyon Coleman. This wasn't a flashy draft, but if the cards fall correctly, the Browns may have addressed a lot of problems on Saturday. On the other hand, it's also possible that the team added a bunch of backups and special teamers when it needed to draft a star. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Solon16 Posted April 27, 2009 Report Share Posted April 27, 2009 "On the other hand, it's also possible that the team added a bunch of backups and special teamers when it needed to draft a star".....I hope not Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sisky fringo Posted April 27, 2009 Report Share Posted April 27, 2009 he was merely talking about steeler trolls I would guess...calm down... don't take Kris too seriously, he was up all night. had his fangs in too i see..... we're twins. just smile, he'll go away. Bill yes i threw you under the bus. deal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ndneighbor Posted April 27, 2009 Report Share Posted April 27, 2009 he was merely talking about steeler trolls I would guess...calm down... Sorry I wasn't clear. Some Steely Mcbeamer/Village People types stopped by the board at least 2 or 3 times over the weekend and posted some typical troll crapola. It got deleted. Thought it was rather nice. No Peanut Gallery for a change. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
next2nothing Posted April 27, 2009 Report Share Posted April 27, 2009 I don't want to be a dick but I really hate these draft grades. I'm excited about the guys we drafted, as well as the guys we picked up. Overall I think it was a good weekend. However I don't understand how you can really grade a draft? These kids haven't played a snap in the NFL yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snatch98 Posted April 27, 2009 Report Share Posted April 27, 2009 Over the weekend I noticed some threads that were started by trolls were deleted. Nice. We actually got to discuss Browns stuff w/o the Peanut Gallery. First and foremost the deleting of posts is BS. I wasn't trolling yesterday or the day before and my posts were being deleted because one of the admis apparently enjoys wrongfully censoring the posts of others. Either way I think the Stains did pretty well. A good percentage of the Pittsburgh fan base wanted Mack at 32 but plenty are more than happy with Ziggy Hood to bolster our finely aged defensive line. Robiskie was/is the most polished WR in the draft and a student of the game. Great pick up in my opinion. I don't really have an opinion on Massaquoi but he was solid for Georgia. I think Edwards gets traded and you either get a player for this year or draft picks for next. You also according to a few NFL sources will have a problem if you go in to TC with 3 QB's competing for snaps. The media seems to think that either Quinn or Anderson are going to take a walk which could lead to more draft picks or someone to contribute immediately. It appears the Stains are on the right track but as most of you learned last season it's never a good idea to get the cart before the horse so the "SUPER BOWL" predictions will likely be tempered over this way this season...at least one would hope lol. Good draft guys. However it seems the entire AFC north did pretty well in the draft department. As far as the Steelers are concerned we had a solid draft from top to bottom and picked up some good UDFA's. We also still have Mendenhall and Sweed who should both really contribute this year. It's going to be another good season in the NFL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest AdaM Posted April 27, 2009 Report Share Posted April 27, 2009 First and foremost the deleting of posts is BS. I wasn't trolling yesterday or the day before and my posts were being deleted because one of the admis apparently enjoys wrongfully censoring the posts of others. Either way I think the Stains did pretty well. A good percentage of the Pittsburgh fan base wanted Mack at 32 but plenty are more than happy with Ziggy Hood to bolster our finely aged defensive line. Robiskie was/is the most polished WR in the draft and a student of the game. Great pick up in my opinion. I don't really have an opinion on Massaquoi but he was solid for Georgia. I think Edwards gets traded and you either get a player for this year or draft picks for next. You also according to a few NFL sources will have a problem if you go in to TC with 3 QB's competing for snaps. The media seems to think that either Quinn or Anderson are going to take a walk which could lead to more draft picks or someone to contribute immediately. It appears the Stains are on the right track but as most of you learned last season it's never a good idea to get the cart before the horse so the "SUPER BOWL" predictions will likely be tempered over this way this season...at least one would hope lol. Good draft guys. However it seems the entire AFC north did pretty well in the draft department. As far as the Steelers are concerned we had a solid draft from top to bottom and picked up some good UDFA's. We also still have Mendenhall and Sweed who should both really contribute this year. It's going to be another good season in the NFL. Just imagine if you had our line to run those two behind Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snatch98 Posted April 27, 2009 Report Share Posted April 27, 2009 Just imagine if you had our line to run those two behind Agreed. Definitely a solid line. However after the Playoffs last season I'm not worried about ours. We picked up solid depth in the draft and have a few interesting prospects from last years draft that may emerge. Either way the Stains have a beastly offensive line. The Steelers did draft the Bus 2.0 in Frank "THE TANK" Summers so holes or not he'll be making em. I just hate that we have to now wait for the preseason but more importantly the actual season which is SO DAMN FAR AWAY. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oldcrow1945 Posted April 27, 2009 Report Share Posted April 27, 2009 Early reviews look good for Browns' draft by Plain Dealer staff Monday April 27, 2009, 3:59 AM MSNBC.com - Grade: A- -likes the moves by new coach Eric Mangini Eric Mangini hasn't made many fans in Cleveland, but this weekend should help win them over. They brilliantly moved down the draft board, grabbing three extra picks and three veterans. This was the perfect strategy for a thin roster in a deep draft without stars. Center Alex Mack, wideout Brian Robiskie, and OLB David Veikune all should help right away. Fourth-rounder Kaluka Maiava could be a steal out of USC. link CBS Sports.com's Pete Prisco - Grade: C -is not as impressed I love the pick of receiver Brian Robiskie in the second round. He will be a starter as a rookie. Questionable move: Trading down as much as they did and not quite getting the value they deserved. The Jets got the better of them in that deal for the fifth pick. link Mel Kiper's take - Grade: B- Alex Mack was a good pick at No. 21 and Mohamed Massaquoi was a very good pickup in the second round. I think fellow second-rounder David Veikune was a bit of a reach in that round, but not enough of one to seriously dent the Browns' grade. They didn't get a great receiver in Brian Robiskie in the second round, but he's polished enough as a rookie that he could be a solid possession guy for this franchise Bleacherreport.com - Grade: B -but it still has a few questions, They traded down... and down... and down again... and then they drafted a center? There was a time when the Browns didn't have many picks in this draft. They ended up having three in the second round and used them all very, very well. ... The real million dollar question is, with Robiskie and Massaquoi coming into camp, where does that leave the underperforming (and overpaid) Braylon Edwards? link San Diego Union-Tribune - Grade: B+ Bland no longer, the Browns hop-scotched through the opening round, three times trading down before choosing Alex Mack, a center. Gaining WR Brian Robiskie was a nice move. link USA Today - Grade: B Cleveland Browns: Creative deal-making allowed the Browns to load up on picks and players from the New York Jets that coach Eric Mangini likes. C Alex Mack was the best at his position, solidifies problem area, but may have gone a tad early at 21. Both receivers, Brian Robiskie and Mohamed Massaquoi, will contribute quickly and Robiskie may start. LB/DE David Veikune may lack a true position, should get first look as rush end in 4-3 sub package. link Ocon, you win the gentleman's bet. I bow to you sir. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BUNSofSTEEL08 Posted April 27, 2009 Report Share Posted April 27, 2009 The Browns did well... I was in that Camp who wanted Alex Mack he will be a Solid Center for years. I do however like Ziggy that's a Need we have ignored the past few yrs. We did get Shipley and he will eventually be a Solid Center also. I Like Robiskie and Massaquoi I would keep Edwards that makes your Passing game very Formidable ( If your QB can Deliver it) We will see. Congrats on a Solid Draft. Wont say you have closed that gap yet , but its a sloid effort by the manGenius ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NW Ohio Brownie Posted April 27, 2009 Report Share Posted April 27, 2009 I disagree with the assessment that Mack and Veikune were reaches for the following reasons: 1) Mack is not a reach at #21 if he's the highest-rated center and there's thought that he'll be gone by the time the Browns pick at #36. Hell, it's the same logic the Jets employed to go get Sanchez. 2) Veikune may not have been a projected second-rounder, but ask the draftniks if he would have been there for the Browns' FOURTH round pick and they all probably would have said no. So he's not a reach if that's the guy you want with your next pick. The only part of the Browns' draft that I question is the back-to-back drafting of receivers. It just seemed like a bit of overkill. I have no doubts about Robiskie's ability, but I do to an extent about Massaquoi (strength, hands). Otherwise, I give this draft a B. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ndneighbor Posted April 27, 2009 Report Share Posted April 27, 2009 First and foremost the deleting of posts is BS. I wasn't trolling yesterday or the day before and my posts were being deleted because one of the admis apparently enjoys wrongfully censoring the posts of others. I really don't believe your opinion about deleting of posts matters. It still isn't your board. The admin. or whomever they have designated to moderate will delete as they see fit regardless of your opinion. It still isn't your board. They can delete anything I might post also. It isn't my board either. My opinion about deleting doesn't matter either. The trolls I referred to were starting new (pointless) threads with memberships that appeared to be less than 24 hours old. They were trolling just for the sake of trolling. You should be happy your Steelers point of view gets the tolerance it does get. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brownshirt Posted April 27, 2009 Report Share Posted April 27, 2009 Agreed. Definitely a solid line. However after the Playoffs last season I'm not worried about ours. We picked up solid depth in the draft and have a few interesting prospects from last years draft that may emerge. Either way the Stains have a beastly offensive line. The Steelers did draft the Bus 2.0 in Frank "THE TANK" Summers so holes or not he'll be making em. I just hate that we have to now wait for the preseason but more importantly the actual season which is SO DAMN FAR AWAY. You want to wish the rest of this glorious spring, summer and fall (as well as your so called life) away to watch your football team. I wouldn't be surprised if you posted on every NFL board to brag about your Sqeelers. Please leave us alone, you are not welcome here IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flugel Posted April 27, 2009 Report Share Posted April 27, 2009 It's funny. I remember Savage talking about how a team doesn't have to hit homeruns, it just needed lot's of singles and doubles, yet he always seemed to be swinging for the fence, and now Mangini and Kokinis come in and start doing what Savage talked about. Very refreshing...IMO this draft made us significantly better this past weekend. Big thumbs up in this corner. EXACTLY! Very well said. - Tom F. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoorta Posted April 27, 2009 Report Share Posted April 27, 2009 by the end of the season we're an A and the bengals are a D......and that aint the kool-aid talkin' either! I'll predict the Bengals will again lead the league in arrests. They never learn down there in Porkopolis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flugel Posted April 27, 2009 Report Share Posted April 27, 2009 "On the other hand, it's also possible that the team added a bunch of backups and special teamers when it needed to draft a star".....I hope not Superstars like: Courtney Brown? LeCharles Bentley? Tim Couch? Kellen Winslow? Braylon Edwards? William Green? Gerrard Warren? Just curious - what happens when we're counting so much on the 1 X-factor and he lands on a surgery table or he doesn't pan out? We end up with cap jam and uncertainty about the guy we just threw all our marbles at. We started this project in 1999 - can you tell me how many playoff wins our round 1 superstars have led us to? Ready for reality? ZERO. 1 guy doesn't win a football game. 22 starters, 11 special teams players and however many situational rotation guys you need WIN games. That's a big sum of hearts and sweat. SOMETIMES you need that 7th round Brett Keisel to do the unglamorous blue collar stuff while the young superstar named Woodley does that X-stunt and collects another sack for his resume. Same thing on the other side, where an Aaron Smith does the blue collar stuff so the Defensive MVP can collect sacks for his resume. And the NT takes on 2-3 blockers so Farrior can enjoy the BEST years of his career. Before that Kendrell Bell enjoyed his ONLY good NFL football behind the a rock solid NT. Their front line plays ALOT of 2 gap; BUT they also mix in alot of slants to the wide side or even the short side which makes them occasionally 1 gap. ALOT of times, they'll do a slant to the wide side which will put Smith or Keisel outside and it creates the perfect scenario to pull off the x-stunt blitz from the OLBer shooting inside. They mix it up extremely well so nobody has an answer if they're 1 gap or 2 gap. Don't take this the wrong way because I'm ALWAYS talking up Jamir Miller's impact on our leading the conference in INTs because of his pass rush. We were actually trying to build our defense around Jamir before he blew out his achilles tendon in the 2002 preseason. Easily the best Defensive Player we've had prior to Shaun Rogers. Anyway, here we were building our defense around Jamir (when he became everything the scarred up Courtney Brown was incapable of) and the season he suffers a career ending injury - we MADE the playoffs. We pulled a guy named Hambrick off the NFL unemployment line in desperation to fill Jamir's spot. I'm not saying I DON'T want x-factors but I'd rather have a bigger core and foundation first. - Tom F. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan in Florida Posted April 27, 2009 Report Share Posted April 27, 2009 NFL DRAFT Draft grades Browns, Eagles receive highest marks By Nolan Nawrocki [Pro Football Weekly] April 27, 2009 In a typical draft, the goal of NFL teams is to come away with starters in the first three rounds. In a weak draft such as this one, the draft expectation diminishes, with teams hoping to find sub-package or niche role players who can contribute their first year in Round Three. It’s not fair to evaluate a draft class before it is given time to show how it produces, but there is an art to knowing the value of talent, moving up and down the draft board to secure targets and acquire additional picks — and the following grades are based more on the ability of teams to recognize value and manipulate the draft board to their favor than they are an evaluation of the talent acquired, which has not yet had a chance to prove its worth. For our analysis of the draft, we will use an abbreviated scouting scale with four terms — outstanding, good, average and questionable — to evaluate draft classes. Grades were assigned based on the number of starters we believe each team can be expected to have acquired, with two starters and a nickel contributor being the expectation by which we judged each team. Those teams we think were able to meet that expectation did a good job. Anyone producing better did an outstanding job. Future picks that were acquired for the first three rounds of subsequent drafts will be counted as potential starters, and veterans acquired also need to be factored into the equation. Because of the premium placed on the QB position, the acquisition of a Pro Bowl quarterback is being considered equivalent to two starters. To be fair, the best work of scouting departments is often done after the draft in what used to be Rounds 8-12, where many teams often produce starters. Not all undrafted free agents have even finished signing deals, making these grades very incomplete. For example, the Chargers' 2003 draft was discouraging, with the first three picks — Sammy Davis, Drayton Florence and Terrence Kiel, all drafted in the first 62 picks, turning out to be disappointments. But when taking into account an undrafted free-agent class that included not only three starters, but three Pro Bowlers — TE Antonio Gates, OG Kris Dielman and special-teams superstar Kassim Osgood — not to mention Pro Bowl P Mike Scifres in the fifth round, A.J. Smith’s 2003 draft may rank among the best ever. The risk of picks, considering medical and character questions, was also considered and weighed into grades, as was the drafting of projections who may have a steeper learning curve and include more overall risk to make it in the NFL. Also considered is the overall number of players expected to make the 53-man roster, although that was given less weight given that it is easier to make a roster of a bad team than it is a team that has been well-stocked. Lastly, the ability to match talent to schemes and coaching staffs was also weighed. Based on our analysis, the winners in each division this year were the Cleveland Browns in the AFC and the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC. AFC Cleveland Browns — No team may have orchestrated trades and acquired more overall value better than the Browns, who traded back three times in the first round before landing their prize, Alex Mack, in front of a team (Vikings) that was considering selecting the draft’s first center. Brian Robiskie and Mohamed Massaquoi both have starter potential at receiver and could allow for a Braylon Edwards trade. David Veikune is a projected outside linebacker who has a great motor and fits the scheme. Kaluka Maiava could fill a nickel linebacker role. CBs Don Carey and Coye Francies could make the roster. DE Kenyon Coleman and DB Abram Elam, acquired from the Jets for the fifth pick, along with QB Brett Ratliff, could both be starters. Overall, the Browns may come away with six starters from this draft, while also adding character to the locker room and potentially replacing a fifth of the 53-man roster through the draft. GM George Kokinis and head coach Eric Mangini have received a fair share of criticism in their short tenure together, but they may have had the best draft of any AFC team. Grade: Outstanding Pro Football Weekly link Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OconRecon Posted April 28, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 28, 2009 Ocon, you win the gentleman's bet. I bow to you sir. No gloating here. I'm sure I'll get the short end of the stick sometime soon with my obsessive posting on this forum! For the Browns sake, I'm glad I happen to take the "winnings". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan in Florida Posted April 28, 2009 Report Share Posted April 28, 2009 This looks alot like the article Shep posted as a new thread.....hmmmm NFL DRAFT Draft grades Browns, Eagles receive highest marks By Nolan Nawrocki [Pro Football Weekly] April 27, 2009 In a typical draft, the goal of NFL teams is to come away with starters in the first three rounds. In a weak draft such as this one, the draft expectation diminishes, with teams hoping to find sub-package or niche role players who can contribute their first year in Round Three. It’s not fair to evaluate a draft class before it is given time to show how it produces, but there is an art to knowing the value of talent, moving up and down the draft board to secure targets and acquire additional picks — and the following grades are based more on the ability of teams to recognize value and manipulate the draft board to their favor than they are an evaluation of the talent acquired, which has not yet had a chance to prove its worth. For our analysis of the draft, we will use an abbreviated scouting scale with four terms — outstanding, good, average and questionable — to evaluate draft classes. Grades were assigned based on the number of starters we believe each team can be expected to have acquired, with two starters and a nickel contributor being the expectation by which we judged each team. Those teams we think were able to meet that expectation did a good job. Anyone producing better did an outstanding job. Future picks that were acquired for the first three rounds of subsequent drafts will be counted as potential starters, and veterans acquired also need to be factored into the equation. Because of the premium placed on the QB position, the acquisition of a Pro Bowl quarterback is being considered equivalent to two starters. To be fair, the best work of scouting departments is often done after the draft in what used to be Rounds 8-12, where many teams often produce starters. Not all undrafted free agents have even finished signing deals, making these grades very incomplete. For example, the Chargers' 2003 draft was discouraging, with the first three picks — Sammy Davis, Drayton Florence and Terrence Kiel, all drafted in the first 62 picks, turning out to be disappointments. But when taking into account an undrafted free-agent class that included not only three starters, but three Pro Bowlers — TE Antonio Gates, OG Kris Dielman and special-teams superstar Kassim Osgood — not to mention Pro Bowl P Mike Scifres in the fifth round, A.J. Smith’s 2003 draft may rank among the best ever. The risk of picks, considering medical and character questions, was also considered and weighed into grades, as was the drafting of projections who may have a steeper learning curve and include more overall risk to make it in the NFL. Also considered is the overall number of players expected to make the 53-man roster, although that was given less weight given that it is easier to make a roster of a bad team than it is a team that has been well-stocked. Lastly, the ability to match talent to schemes and coaching staffs was also weighed. Based on our analysis, the winners in each division this year were the Cleveland Browns in the AFC and the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC. AFC Cleveland Browns — No team may have orchestrated trades and acquired more overall value better than the Browns, who traded back three times in the first round before landing their prize, Alex Mack, in front of a team (Vikings) that was considering selecting the draft’s first center. Brian Robiskie and Mohamed Massaquoi both have starter potential at receiver and could allow for a Braylon Edwards trade. David Veikune is a projected outside linebacker who has a great motor and fits the scheme. Kaluka Maiava could fill a nickel linebacker role. CBs Don Carey and Coye Francies could make the roster. DE Kenyon Coleman and DB Abram Elam, acquired from the Jets for the fifth pick, along with QB Brett Ratliff, could both be starters. Overall, the Browns may come away with six starters from this draft, while also adding character to the locker room and potentially replacing a fifth of the 53-man roster through the draft. GM George Kokinis and head coach Eric Mangini have received a fair share of criticism in their short tenure together, but they may have had the best draft of any AFC team. Grade: Outstanding Pro Football Weekly link Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.