My Theory Of The Browns' 2013 Draft... The Fo Agrees With Us

[Tour2ma]

Simply put, just as many of us concluded through the 2012 season:

 

- the Offense was not as bad as we feared;

- the Defense was not as good as we hoped; and

- the talent on both sides of the ball was there, but the coaching staff was a major... ahem... "hindrance".

 

I think the FO (and the new staff) agree with us...

 

Offensively Wheezy remains the big question mark, but he showed enough progress to warrant at least one more season. Otherwise the questions were third WR (maybe Bess fills the bill?) and OL depth (hello 7th round OL Gilkey... maybe).

 

Defensively the secondary was our major source of frustration (howdy Messrs McFadden and Slaughter). Additionally DE/LB questions arose with the impending change back to the 3-4 (wazzup Messrs Kruger, Mingo and Bryant).

 

Otherwise it looks to me like the new regime thinks they can coach the 2012 roster up, and into, the new schemes, but until they try they just will not know what it is they really have. So rather than make uncertain moves in a marginal draft, they made minimal moves and stockpiled 2014 picks.

 

So 2013 may, once again, be a bumpy disappointment. If it is, then we are set for a critical 2014 draft, but if it is not, then we are set for a 2014 draft that just may move our Browns back to the relevance we all so desperately want.

[D Bone]

I was at a high school softball tourney all day and just got home. I thought I would be doing all sorts of research on all of the new players, but that isn't the case. Can someone detail what we got in return for all of our trades?

[cambridgeho]

we traded with the steelers our 4th for next years 3rd of theirs, and then traded I forget who's maybe Ind';s 5th into next years 4th

[D Bone]

Sounds good, thanks for the info!

[Canton Mike]

This draft, IMHO, was nicely orchestrated. Next draft we will better know what our player & position needs are after a full season of actual game experience with new offensive & defensive systems. Those 2 extra picks in the 3rd & 4th rounds should net us viable players.

We are finally seeing a designed plan being thought out & executed. I love it!

 

Mike

[thenew23]

I can agree... we had the youngest team in the NFL last year, and those guys deserve time to develop. We already have a nice core of talent with 2 bookend tackles, a stud RB, 2 good WRs going into their 2nd and 3rd years, a young TE who could be quality, great D-line and now solid pass-rushers, a stud CB and SS... we added a #2 CB hopefully and brought in a high risk/reward FS.... I don't think the sky is falling like some people on here. I think we have a good team. Weeden is the biggest ?? but we weren't going to replace him in this draft anyway. Smart, really. Our 4th and 5th rounders weren't going to make or break this season...

[miktoxic]

I can agree... we had the youngest team in the NFL last year, and those guys deserve time to develop. We already have a nice core of talent with 2 bookend tackles, a stud RB, 2 good WRs going into their 2nd and 3rd years, a young TE who could be quality, great D-line and now solid pass-rushers, a stud CB and SS... we added a #2 CB hopefully and brought in a high risk/reward FS.... I don't think the sky is falling like some people on here. I think we have a good team. Weeden is the biggest ?? but we weren't going to replace him in this draft anyway. Smart, really. Our 4th and 5th rounders weren't going to make or break this season...

 

so your're saying all we did was bring in a 2nd tier CB, a 'maybe' 3rd receiver via trade (in your words and an iffy safety.

 

yeah i give this draft an A+!!

 

not.

[hoorta]

 

so your're saying all we did was bring in a 2nd tier CB, a 'maybe' 3rd receiver via trade (in your words and an iffy safety.

 

yeah i give this draft an A+!!

 

not.

 

Well Mik, let's look at it another way. The Brown's FO decided (correctly IMHO) regardless what they did THIS YEAR not enough pieces to the puzzle to make a legit SB run.

 

So sure, why not stockpile picks for next year? Unless you think we could pull another Tom Brady & Marquis Colston out of the rabbit hat in the last couple rounds this year.

[Unsympathetic]

We signed the other Kruger from Utah as UDFA.. I expect him to make the roster as the last DL.

 

We hit all our needs with this draft, and set up next year's draft to be even better.

 

*Mingo is the guy the SEC O-lines doubled -- not Montgomery.

*The DE in the seventh has the talent to start.. but he was caught once selling drugs during practice, so he's a big character risk.

*Slaughter had low-first/hi-second round talent, but had a season-ending injury.

[English Brown]

Next season hinges on the play of Weeden and the FO maybe had this in mind when trading for 2014 picks.

 

They managed to pick up another pass rusher and while i wasnt impressed with pick at first, I'm coming around to it. Add to that, the lack of numbers in the S, CB and OL has been addressed and it could have been a lot worse given the level of confidence in Lombardi before the draft.

 

It might not be a popular decision but they look to be using next season as a starting point to fully assess what they have before really making a push in 2014 and to be fair with a whole new coaching staff, overhaul of the defence and unproven QB it's probably not a bad way to go. It doesn't necessarily mean next year has to be a waste, they just aren't betting all their chips on it.

[hammertime]

this team can buy there dope 'in house' now.....

[USFBrown]

I'm happy with the draft and all the FA moves. But I do tire of the building for next year attitude. Its every season for us, building for next year. I just hope this years team can at least make a decent run at the playoffs.

 

I'm tired of being pissed off every Sunday!

[English Brown]

There's no reason why they can't do well this season. If you look back to before last season's draft the team is far better on both sides of the ball and has coaches who seem to have a game plan.

 

The only problem is with Weeden still to prove he's a worthy first round pick it would be risky to throw everything at this season like Miami has, if you need something to pick up a top rated QB next year.

[calfoxwc]

The Browns had a fine draft. It was just a below average year for first round talent in some areas.

 

The following gives some perspective on the draft: (they don't take into consideration Gordon with the Browns'

 

second pick. I figure Gordon would have gone very high in the first round this year. That makes the Browns' second round

 

pick a huge steal. But getting an extra third and fourth next year, in a draft that is sure a better quality draft.... is very, very smart.

***********************************************************

 

http://www.sbnation.com/nfl-mock-draft/2013/4/27/4273388/2013-nfl-draft-grades

AFC NORTH

Baltimore Ravens

Matt Elam, S, Florida

Arthur Brown, MLB, Kansas State

Brandon Williams, DT, Missouri Southern

Ozzie Newsome beats everyone again. The Elam pick in the first round was solid. The trade up to get Brown in the second round was spectacular. He's more Dannell Ellerbe than Ray Lewis, but he may be even better than the new Dolphin. Williams is a little strange. Most predict him to shift to offense.

Grade: B+

****************************************************

Cincinnati Bengals

Tyler Eifert, TE, Notre Dame

Giovani Bernard, RB, North Carolina

Margus Hunt, DE, SMU

Shawn Williams, S, Georgia

The choice of Eifert remains a good one because of how he can change the offense and be a dependable target for Andy Dalton. At one point Bernard was considered the top running back in the draft, so he's a fine pickup as well. With Hunt, he may only be a factor on special teams early in his career, and the same goes for Williams.

Grade: B

************************************************

Cleveland Browns

Barkevious Mingo, OLB, LSU

Leon McFadden, CB, San Diego State

Mingo was a good high-upside choice in the first round, a good gamble for a team unlikely to make the playoffs this season. The Browns absolutely needed to take a cornerback in the third round. Whether or not McFadden can beat out Buster Skrine, though, is a little shaky. McFadden has a lot of experience, though, so he shouldn't need a lot of fine tuning before breaking into the lineup.

Grade: B

******************************************************************

Pittsburgh Steelers

Jarvis Jones, OLB, Georgia

Le'Veon Bell, RB, Michigan State

Markus Wheaton, WR, Oregon State

Jarvis Jones remains one of the steals of the entire draft. Bell likely got the nod for Pittsburgh because he's a better blocker than most running backs. His playing style fits how the Steelers run the ball. The same can be said for Wheaton in the pass game. He should be one of the top rookie wide receivers this season because he can stretch the field vertically.

Grade: A+

[thenew23]

 

so your're saying all we did was bring in a 2nd tier CB, a 'maybe' 3rd receiver via trade (in your words and an iffy safety.

 

yeah i give this draft an A+!!

 

not.

I never said this was an A+ draft.

 

I said the sky wasn't falling like you seem to think

 

Pretty good offseason so far, overall...

[Assmunch]

Simply put, just as many of us concluded through the 2012 season:

 

- the Offense was not as bad as we feared;

- the Defense was not as good as we hoped; and

- the talent on both sides of the ball was there, but the coaching staff was a major... ahem... "hindrance".

 

I think the FO (and the new staff) agree with us...

 

Offensively Wheezy remains the big question mark, but he showed enough progress to warrant at least one more season. Otherwise the questions were third WR (maybe Bess fills the bill?) and OL depth (hello 7th round OL Gilkey... maybe).

 

Defensively the secondary was our major source of frustration (howdy Messrs McFadden and Slaughter). Additionally DE/LB questions arose with the impending change back to the 3-4 (wazzup Messrs Kruger, Mingo and Bryant).

 

Otherwise it looks to me like the new regime thinks they can coach the 2012 roster up, and into, the new schemes, but until they try they just will not know what it is they really have. So rather than make uncertain moves in a marginal draft, they made minimal moves and stockpiled 2014 picks.

 

So 2013 may, once again, be a bumpy disappointment. If it is, then we are set for a critical 2014 draft, but if it is not, then we are set for a 2014 draft that just may move our Browns back to the relevance we all so desperately want.

Frankly, I'm stunned at all the positive comments here about the draft.

 

I've read and heard a lot of lukewarm assessment about Leon McFadden, who is not all that fast and is more of a slot receiver cover guy, vs. the outside cover guy he'll be for the Browns. If the guy is so good, why wasn't he on the radar of the experts? CBs like Poser and Webb, who were even available in round 4, are considered better than McFadden.

 

At least McFadden isn't hurt. I can't imagine the 6th round safety Slaughter being able to go on all cylinders in camp or at the start of the season, even though he says he'll be fine. If you read some of the draft expert analysis and grading of the Browns, several had negative things to offer about Slaughter, who a lot of people said wouldn't even be drafted. Even Slaughter himself was surprised he was drafted!

 

And what happens if McFadden gets hurt? Owens and Barnes to cover the opponent's #2 receiver?! Are you kidding me? If Gipson gets hurt and Slaughter can't play, then we put in Hagge?!

 

Browns should have used those 4th and 5th round picks to add another DB like Webb or Poser and add a quality safety like Rambo. It's bizarre to me that the Browns have an overabundance of quality depth in the front seven yet have almost nothing of quality in the secondary. I'm sorry. This is akin to building up your military force with far more tanks than you need but allocating almost no resources to providing air cover for your force. When battle comes, the opponents' QB and receivers will be the air force that goes over top of the Cleveland Browns tanks and dominates the air, beats the heck of your army and bases, and wins going away. It's insane to go in to a season with such a thin secondary! Same thing happened last year and we saw the result. Disaster.

 

The other thing that bothers me is the "wait till next year" attitude AGAIN. I thought we had enough of that with "take the money and run" Holmgrem. The fans want the team to do all it can to win NOW, not in 2014. Those draft picks should have been used NOW. It's a slam, too, against all the loyal season ticket holders who expend thousands of dollars each year and now know that the product they see on the field in 2013 won't be good enough again due to a weak secondary.

 

You didn't see all the other teams collecting draft picks for 2014, did you? They all knew that this current crop of collegians is a deep group of quality athletes, and they went after it. Pittsburgh and Cincy had far better drafts than the Browns and the Ravens have replaced all they lost from a world championship season.

 

I still don't understand why they didn't aggressively go out and try and get CB and S at the start of free agency. That was a huge strategic mistake. If they had filled that need, they could have drafted a guy like Tavon Austin who would have accelerated the offense to a new level. But , you know, we never get big thinking from Browns executives. They always think small. And we see the result. Yes, it is a factory of sadness ... and ineptitude.

[Zombo]

Simply put, just as many of us concluded through the 2012 season:

 

- the Offense was not as bad as we feared;

- the Defense was not as good as we hoped; and

- the talent on both sides of the ball was there, but the coaching staff was a major... ahem... "hindrance".

 

I think the FO (and the new staff) agree with us...

 

Offensively Wheezy remains the big question mark, but he showed enough progress to warrant at least one more season. Otherwise the questions were third WR (maybe Bess fills the bill?) and OL depth (hello 7th round OL Gilkey... maybe).

 

Defensively the secondary was our major source of frustration (howdy Messrs McFadden and Slaughter). Additionally DE/LB questions arose with the impending change back to the 3-4 (wazzup Messrs Kruger, Mingo and Bryant).

 

Otherwise it looks to me like the new regime thinks they can coach the 2012 roster up, and into, the new schemes, but until they try they just will not know what it is they really have. So rather than make uncertain moves in a marginal draft, they made minimal moves and stockpiled 2014 picks.

 

So 2013 may, once again, be a bumpy disappointment. If it is, then we are set for a critical 2014 draft, but if it is not, then we are set for a 2014 draft that just may move our Browns back to the relevance we all so desperately want.

 

I agree with the positive takes on the draft.

 

Obviously I did not have Mingo graded high myself ... but what do I know? I like the fact they got the man they had targeted, and if they didn't get him they were prepared to trade down. That is War Room success.

 

I also agree that the front office likes the talent level on this roster or they wouldn't be deferring picks to next year. They want to see what they have, who they want to re-sign, and they are loaded for next year's draft. If they hated our roster then would have been grabbing every body they could.

 

I also like that they went "need" in the third round and got a corner that can compete for a starting position on this team right away. I liked the late round picks and I love what I am reading about the F/A signings.

 

This front office has been on the ball since Day 1. The Kruger signing was crucial, as was targeting their guy for the open DE slot, bringing in depth like Groves, decent tight ends and secondary guys who can compete, and then trading virtually nothing to get one of the best possession receivers in the AFC and signing him to a nice deal.

 

Obviously these guys love what Weeden should be able to do in this offense, and they acquired Campbell so that the position wasn't a "need" in this QB defiicent draft.

 

I am stoked about this upcoming season, I already have tickets to two games, I love the Chud/Turner way of playing offense and I am excited about all these new defensive pieces in Horton's scheme.

 

Oh ... and how bout a healthy T-Rich blowing holes up?

 

Zombo

[RoyceRolls]

I'm glad Chud and Norv will have the opportunity to truly evaluate Weeden. If he sinks, the FO has acquired more firepower in next years draft to move up and get their guy. This team will be better than last years on merit of coaching change alone, can't wait to see how the brownies do.

[thenew23]

Frankly, I'm stunned at all the positive comments here about the draft.

 

I've read and heard a lot of lukewarm assessment about Leon McFadden, who is not all that fast and is more of a slot receiver cover guy, vs. the outside cover guy he'll be for the Browns. If the guy is so good, why wasn't he on the radar of the experts? CBs like Poser and Webb, who were even available in round 4, are considered better than McFadden.

 

 

McFadden NEVER played as a nickel corner, or slot cover guy, in college. He lined up outside every play, and was pretty damn good. He's a solid pick.

[b86b]

I can agree... we had the youngest team in the NFL last year, and those guys deserve time to develop. We already have a nice core of talent with 2 bookend tackles, a stud RB, 2 good WRs going into their 2nd and 3rd years, a young TE who could be quality, great D-line and now solid pass-rushers, a stud CB and SS... we added a #2 CB hopefully and brought in a high risk/reward FS.... I don't think the sky is falling like some people on here. I think we have a good team. Weeden is the biggest ?? but we weren't going to replace him in this draft anyway. Smart, really. Our 4th and 5th rounders weren't going to make or break this season...

the Browns were one of the youngest not the youngest, but so were the Bengals, Seahawks, Vikings, Colts and Packers..so sick of that Bull shit excuse as to why this team sucked last year. Shitty coaching, drafting and FA is why this team sucked not age

[VaporTrail]

I could give a shit about draft grades. Everyone was giving us high marks when we traded the Jets and when we traded the Falcons. Look at how many wins that got us.

[Tim Couch Pulls Out]

 

The Browns had a fine draft. It was just a below average year for first round talent in some areas.

 

The following gives some perspective on the draft: (they don't take into consideration Gordon with the Browns'

 

second pick. I figure Gordon would have gone very high in the first round this year. That makes the Browns' second round

 

pick a huge steal. But getting an extra third and fourth next year, in a draft that is sure a better quality draft.... is very, very smart.

***********************************************************

 

http://www.sbnation.com/nfl-mock-draft/2013/4/27/4273388/2013-nfl-draft-grades

 

AFC NORTH

 

Baltimore Ravens

 

Matt Elam, S, Florida

 

Arthur Brown, MLB, Kansas State

 

Brandon Williams, DT, Missouri Southern

 

Ozzie Newsome beats everyone again. The Elam pick in the first round was solid. The trade up to get Brown in the second round was spectacular. He's more Dannell Ellerbe than Ray Lewis, but he may be even better than the new Dolphin. Williams is a little strange. Most predict him to shift to offense.

 

Grade: B+

****************************************************

Cincinnati Bengals

 

Tyler Eifert, TE, Notre Dame

 

Giovani Bernard, RB, North Carolina

 

Margus Hunt, DE, SMU

 

Shawn Williams, S, Georgia

 

The choice of Eifert remains a good one because of how he can change the offense and be a dependable target for Andy Dalton. At one point Bernard was considered the top running back in the draft, so he's a fine pickup as well. With Hunt, he may only be a factor on special teams early in his career, and the same goes for Williams.

 

Grade: B

************************************************

Cleveland Browns

 

Barkevious Mingo, OLB, LSU

 

Leon McFadden, CB, San Diego State

 

Mingo was a good high-upside choice in the first round, a good gamble for a team unlikely to make the playoffs this season. The Browns absolutely needed to take a cornerback in the third round. Whether or not McFadden can beat out Buster Skrine, though, is a little shaky. McFadden has a lot of experience, though, so he shouldn't need a lot of fine tuning before breaking into the lineup.

 

Grade: B

******************************************************************

Pittsburgh Steelers

 

Jarvis Jones, OLB, Georgia

 

Le'Veon Bell, RB, Michigan State

 

Markus Wheaton, WR, Oregon State

 

Jarvis Jones remains one of the steals of the entire draft. Bell likely got the nod for Pittsburgh because he's a better blocker than most running backs. His playing style fits how the Steelers run the ball. The same can be said for Wheaton in the pass game. He should be one of the top rookie wide receivers this season because he can stretch the field vertically.

 

Grade: A+

 

The problem is that we still had the worst grade in our division. Comparatively, that gives us an F.

 

We were a worse team than anyone in our division going into the draft, and they all had a better draft than us, therefore this draft was, once again, a failure.

 

It doesn't matter if we drafted better than, say, the Cardinals (which we didn't) or the Vikings (again, didn't). All that matters is that we do significantly better than the three other teams in the AFC North.

 

And we didn't. Again.

 

 

You can put any positive spin you want on this draft. The only thing this regime has done right so far has been signing Kruger away from a rival, and even that's still a question mark.

[calfoxwc]

No, those grades do not take into account Gordon as a second round pick.

 

Besides, I believe a lot of these grades, are simply "give the Steelers and Ratbirds a high grade,

because they are winning anyways"

 

Seriously, I see it that way. "Your team is losing, so the draft won't make you a winner, so your draft sucks"

 

We won't know the impact (the only true grade) of this draft until the season wears on.

 

The Browns will be competitive this year, I'm sure, and next year, with an extra third and fourth rounder,

watch their draft grade be higher, especially with them winning.

[Canton Mike]

No, those grades do not take into account Gordon as a second round pick.

 

Besides, I believe a lot of these grades, are simply "give the Steelers and Ratbirds a high grade,

because they are winning anyways"

 

Seriously, I see it that way. "Your team is losing, so the draft won't make you a winner, so your draft sucks"

 

We won't know the impact (the only true grade) of this draft until the season wears on.

 

The Browns will be competitive this year, I'm sure, and next year, with an extra third and fourth rounder,

watch their draft grade be higher, especially with them winning.

Exactly! Add Josh Gordon as our 2nd pick & our score soars. You also need to factor Bess in there. I tend to look at our entire off season including what teams lost & we score pretty well.

 

Mike

[Tim Couch Pulls Out]

No, those grades do not take into account Gordon as a second round pick.

 

Besides, I believe a lot of these grades, are simply "give the Steelers and Ratbirds a high grade,

because they are winning anyways"

 

Seriously, I see it that way. "Your team is losing, so the draft won't make you a winner, so your draft sucks"

 

We won't know the impact (the only true grade) of this draft until the season wears on.

 

The Browns will be competitive this year, I'm sure, and next year, with an extra third and fourth rounder,

watch their draft grade be higher, especially with them winning.

 

 

They shouldn't take Gordon into account, because Gordon wasn't drafted by this regime. He was picked by Heckert, a guy who actually knew how to draft.

 

If you believe that the Steelers, Ravens and Bengals are getting good grades because they win, it just shows how dark the orange tinted glasses are that you are wearing. The Steelers have always drafted well, as have the Ravens. The Bengals have made some great picks in the last 3-4 drafts, and that's why they are winning. We, however, continue to make shitty selections year in and year out. The only competent GM we've had was handcuffed by an inept coaching staff trying to implement antiquated, vanilla schemes that haven't been successful in their base forms in the NFL in the last 20 years.

 

This draft was pitiful for us and nearly every expert and analyst agrees. We made marginal improvements, if that, and we left good players at positions of need on the board for no apparent reason. The best draft pick of this entire class for us very well be McFadden. Mingo is too much of a Gholston/Maybin clone for me to expect anything more and the rest of the picks are practice squad or special teams fodder.

 

 

By week eight, we may see a UDFA higher on the depth chart than Slaughter.

 

Mingo would have been available had we traded down, and if he wasn't, Jones would have been. We could have very easily recouped a second round pick and used that to take a guard who would have immediately started or an interior linebacker that we still desperately need.

 

 

Unless they FO decides to move Sheard for an interior linebacker, we still have a gaping hole in our front seven. Loading up with pass rushing outside linebackers is a moot point when the other linebackers aren't able to cover the checkdowns and valve reads. Kruger is still a question mark, Mingo is a big question mark, and so is Sheard. We don't know which D'Qwell Jackson we're going to get nor do we know how long we are going to get him for. We've loaded up with nothing but upside, yet have really no solid players in the LB corps that we can rely on. When all is said and done, the only players we know we can count on in the front 7 are going to be Rubin and Taylor.

[Unsympathetic]

Think of picks as assets.

 

All of our picks are significantly more talented than the equivalent round picks in previous years.. I'm happy they took a chance on both of our 7th round picks: The 8th best OG and the DL who has the athleticism to be a starter.

 

The picks we didn't make this year will make our team better next year. Bess and Gordon are also good picks.

 

Our CB will be at minimum a decent starter. NFL.com compared him to Brent Grimes.. he's scrappy.

 

I don't get the hate!

[VaporTrail]

Here is why draft grades the day after the draft don't make a fucking difference.

 

 

 

Round 1 of the 2007 draft is a wrap. If you found it long and tedious, at least you can take some small comfort in the fact that you aren’t Brady Quinn:

Best picks

Brady Quinn, QB, Browns

Quinn had a rough afternoon. When the Dolphins dissed him with the ninth pick overall, Commissioner Goodell sent him to a special isolation room so that gawkers couldn’t watch him squirm on two television networks. And by the way, Aaron Rodgers wants to know where that isolation room was when he slipped to the Packers two years ago.

Quinn is a lifelong Browns fan who was coached at Notre Dame by Charlie Weis, a long-time colleague of Browns coach Romeo Crennel. He’s NFL-ready in terms of work habits, footwork and game knowledge. He needs to work on his timing, but that’s a correctable flaw. By 2009, Quinn will be a Pro Bowl-caliber quarterback.

If you don’t believe the scouting, believe the numbers. The Football Outsiders Quarterback Projection System believes that Quinn will be successful. The system is rarely wrong.

 

 

 

 

Cleveland Browns

Grade: A-

Details: 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.

They didn’t get an A for two reasons: They may regret passing on Mark Sanchez and they didn’t improve their pass rush enough.

 

 

http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/30413106/?pg=14#spt_nfl_draft_reportcard2009

 

[The Gipper]

 

so your're saying all we did was bring in a 2nd tier CB, a 'maybe' 3rd receiver via trade (in your words and an iffy safety.

 

yeah i give this draft an A+!!

 

not.

 

As far as I was concerned, what the Browns needed going into this draft was the following:

1. Another stud pass rusher OLB

2. A complimentary CB to go along with Joe Haden, i.e. a step up from Buster Skrine

3. Someone to compete with Hagg and Gipson at FS.

4. Depth on the offensive line and perhaps someone to compete with Pinkston/Lauvao at the Guard positions

5. Depth at WR

What we got out of this draft is exactly what we needed/wanted.

A. Our first pick was going to be either that pass rusher or a CB. We took the pass rusher. Had we taken Milliner, then they would have needed to do something with the pass rush with the third round pick...and who knows what would have been there then.

B. So, in round 3 we get what we hope is the complimentary CB.

C. We got a guy to compete at FS, Jamoris Slaughter. He was probably undervalued because of his injuries. Had he played a full season, he may have been deemed 2d/3rd round talent.

D. With Gilkey there is someone to compete at the OG position. Who knows if a 7th rounder will work out, but apparently this guy has size and skills...and will perhaps push the incumbents.

E. Through trade down maneuvering they got what looks to be a solid young veteran WR.

 

Now, where can criticism come from? Obviously it comes from trading the 4th rounder and the 5th rounder this year for picks in next year's draft. .leaving the Browns with only 5 picks in what many said was a deep draft.

Maybe it will work out great. The Steelers, I think, will struggle this year. That 4th rounder could end up being in the top half of the 3rd round next year. Same with the 5th rounder that could be mid 4th round next year.

Of course, it pisses one off that we have to sit for an hour and a half anticipating the Browns pick, only to have them defer it for a year....and then do it again another hour and a half later.

The criticism comes where if a year or two or now a guy that they could have taken proves to be a real player.

E.g. I was hoping the Browns would have grabbed say, OG/OG Barrett Jones out of Alabama with their 4th round pick to provide the depth we needed in the interior OL. I guess the genius Mike Lombardi didn't think that highly of him.

 

The other potential criticism is that with their late round picks Lombardi seems to be infatuated with trying to prove how smart he is by taking these unknown players from unknown small schools.

I will say this however, Gilkey on a couple of draft services I reviewed was grade out to be perhaps a 6th rounder despite being from small Chadron St. So, maybe that is not a reach.

The other guy though from north by northwest central eastern Oklahoma/Timbuktu state is a guy that Bill Parcells would describe as "May Day in Moscow" there are so many red flags flying around this guy.

 

Nevertheless, the Browns did exactly what they needed to accomplish in this draft. It just has to work out.

[The Gipper]

 

The Browns had a fine draft. It was just a below average year for first round talent in some areas.

 

The following gives some perspective on the draft: (they don't take into consideration Gordon with the Browns'

 

second pick. I figure Gordon would have gone very high in the first round this year. That makes the Browns' second round

 

pick a huge steal. But getting an extra third and fourth next year, in a draft that is sure a better quality draft.... is very, very smart.

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http://www.sbnation.com/nfl-mock-draft/2013/4/27/4273388/2013-nfl-draft-grades

AFC NORTH

Baltimore Ravens

Matt Elam, S, Florida

Arthur Brown, MLB, Kansas State

Brandon Williams, DT, Missouri Southern

Ozzie Newsome beats everyone again. The Elam pick in the first round was solid. The trade up to get Brown in the second round was spectacular. He's more Dannell Ellerbe than Ray Lewis, but he may be even better than the new Dolphin. Williams is a little strange. Most predict him to shift to offense.

Grade: B+

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Cincinnati Bengals

Tyler Eifert, TE, Notre Dame

Giovani Bernard, RB, North Carolina

Margus Hunt, DE, SMU

Shawn Williams, S, Georgia

The choice of Eifert remains a good one because of how he can change the offense and be a dependable target for Andy Dalton. At one point Bernard was considered the top running back in the draft, so he's a fine pickup as well. With Hunt, he may only be a factor on special teams early in his career, and the same goes for Williams.

Grade: B

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Cleveland Browns

Barkevious Mingo, OLB, LSU

Leon McFadden, CB, San Diego State

Mingo was a good high-upside choice in the first round, a good gamble for a team unlikely to make the playoffs this season. The Browns absolutely needed to take a cornerback in the third round. Whether or not McFadden can beat out Buster Skrine, though, is a little shaky. McFadden has a lot of experience, though, so he shouldn't need a lot of fine tuning before breaking into the lineup.

Grade: B

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Pittsburgh Steelers

Jarvis Jones, OLB, Georgia

Le'Veon Bell, RB, Michigan State

Markus Wheaton, WR, Oregon State

Jarvis Jones remains one of the steals of the entire draft. Bell likely got the nod for Pittsburgh because he's a better blocker than most running backs. His playing style fits how the Steelers run the ball. The same can be said for Wheaton in the pass game. He should be one of the top rookie wide receivers this season because he can stretch the field vertically.

Grade: A+

 

Somebody is a Steeler jock sniffer with that grade. It was a good draft on paper....but not as good...on paper as the Bengals and Ravens drafts.

[The Gipper]

No, those grades do not take into account Gordon as a second round pick.

 

Besides, I believe a lot of these grades, are simply "give the Steelers and Ratbirds a high grade,

because they are winning anyways"

 

Seriously, I see it that way. "Your team is losing, so the draft won't make you a winner, so your draft sucks"

 

We won't know the impact (the only true grade) of this draft until the season wears on.

 

The Browns will be competitive this year, I'm sure, and next year, with an extra third and fourth rounder,

watch their draft grade be higher, especially with them winning.

The biggest advantage the Bengals/Steelers/Ravens had on the Browns in this draft? Simply numbers.

The Ravens had 10 picks, the Bengals 10, the Steelers 9, the Browns 5.

One of the reasons the Steelers and Ravens had so many picks was because they were given compensatory picks from their losses of so many Free Agents.

 

One other way to look at it is: those 2 teams had many more holes to fill than the Browns.. And that's true.