My Thoughts and Opinions on the Draft

[Harry Buffalo]

I need to start off by saying that I do in fact like every single player that Farmer has selected. He has targeted players that should come in right away and produce for us year one in some capacity other than special teams. He is simply drafting how he learned how to draft. By taking the BPA on his board, regardless of position, regardless of need. This is how the Chiefs made their current roster. But knowing that Farmer knew about Gordon most likely (99.9% chance) be out of the league for next season has left me trying to figure a few things out.

 

1. With our first pick we obviously wanted to trade back into an area where we could take a player who played a position of need but was also very highly ranked on our board. Yes CB was a need, but if we were going to move around to get as close to max value as possible for a need, then why didn't we manuvor ourselves for a WR. I get it, to move we had to pass on Watkins, but why didn't we try to target Evans after we moved back. I have to believe that we tried to trade back up to 6 to get Evans. Farmer knew that Evans would be gone at 7, he knew Gordon would be gone, and he knew that he was going to try and target Johnny Manziel. Or was Gilbert ranked so much higher than Beckham that is was worth spending a 5th round pick to move up one spot to secure him, in order to keep Detroit from leap frogging us? I know this is me being a bit of a Monday morning QB, but I don't understand how he used to plan of moving back to grab a player of need at the correct value, and he grabs a CB over a WR. Mind you I am also asking all of this, and I still like Gilbert as a player.

 

2. How can we be supposidly following the seahawks franchise model is we keep trading away our late round picks to move up? We traded back to 9 and we had now other guy in mind other than Gilbert and we just had to spend a 5th rounder to get him? I highly doubt he thought Evans would fall. He had to be looking at Fuller, Beckham, or trading back again a few spots. Now I can understand spending a 3rd to grab your QB, but in the 3rd round we have to move up again spending our 6th round pick to grab a RB, who again I like as a player, but not worth trading up for. There was a good chance he could have still been there with or first forth round pick, and if not, just follow your own draft strategy of getting the BPA and grab a RB latter that falls to you. I mean they HAD to have had such a high grad on this guy to jump up and go get him, like a high 2nd round grade or something. And they must have passed him up earlier in the 3rd cause they deemed RB such a low priority that they wouldn't take one until later or if someone rated very high fell to them. But I still just don't understand. The Seahawks traded back 2-3 times so far in the draft and have picked up 2-3 4th round picks plus a 7th to go with all the mid round comps they already had. They had their security blanket of picks, they could have used mid round pick to move up for players, but they didn't, they continued to pick up more. Because they know the draft in a lottery. Your not gaurenteed to win with any given selection, so the more you have the more likely you are to hit the jackpot. Then they load up on UDFA and they let the cream rise to the top and cut people, even if they were drafted in the 3rd, 4th, rounds on down.

 

3. It is too late in the show for WR to even matter. We are not going to grab someone that will come close to mathcing half the production of Gordon. Hopefully we pick up 1 or 2 of the best FA still availible, grab another older WR with something still in the tank after another team cuts them, or even make some sort of trade, cause no rookie drafted at this point is going to come in and be able to be a #1 WR. Sure, Bryant might have a high ceiling, and if we hit on him maybe he could be a #1 WR... in 2ish years. Unless we have a WR, that is WR, that we have gradded highly fall to us with the #27 selection in the 4th round, we need to trade back from the pick. We need to undo some of the damage we have done and replenish at least one selection for the remainder of this draft. A lot of teams have comp picks coming up, so we might be able to get an extra 6th rounder for moving back somewhere in the 5th round. I know we will still end up with 7 players drafted, but the teams that have done the best and have gotten better the fastest over the past several years did so by taking more than 7 players in each draft. Plus is there really going to be much of a difference between a end of the 4th round player and a mid of the 5th round player? Its a crap shoot at this point, get us another scratch off ticket and at least give us an extra chance at winning some beer money.

[Tour2ma]

I like the chosen players that I know, but I only love 2 so far (with one to go). The two are our 2 CBs Gilbert and Desir. And, while I think we reached on a couple, I do not see a bust in the bunch.

 

As for the WR... I'm already on record as thinking Evans is vastly overrated... a significant minority opinion around here, but one with a smattering of support... so I do not mourn his loss. Ditto for Sammy on the trade down, but only because I was on the record of taking Mack if he was there as well... and somehow he was.

As for the continued passing on WRs throughout??? No answer there other than value and alternatives... some of which are starting to emerge.

 

Pick wise... Yes, Farmer's use of the lower round picks does not reflect either the Seattle trade down or the Pats trade out model. However, if we've been snookered into any mini-move-ups in this draft, like we were in the TR-pick deal, then the stories would have already leaked out... true or not. So far I'm not hearing them...

 

And we have to remind ourselves that we have Buffalo's 2015 1st and 4th... not bad at all.

[Erie Dawg]

Haven't had time to look thoroughly at the players yet, but some of the trades that farmer made seemed unnecessary. Seems to me that he could have been more patient and we would have landed them anyway.

[Harry Buffalo]

I like the chosen players that I know, but I only love 2 so far (with one to go). The two are our 2 CBs Gilbert and Desir. And, while I think we reached on a couple, I do not see a bust in the bunch.

 

As for the WR... I'm already on record as thinking Evans is vastly overrated... a significant minority opinion around here, but one with a smattering of support... so I do not mourn his loss. Ditto for Sammy on the trade down, but only because I was on the record of taking Mack if he was there as well... and somehow he was.

As for the continued passing on WRs throughout??? No answer there other than value and alternatives... some of which are starting to emerge.

 

Pick wise... Yes, Farmer's use of the lower round picks does not reflect either the Seattle trade down or the Pats trade out model. However, if we've been snookered into any mini-move-ups in this draft, like we were in the TR-pick deal, then the stories would have already leaked out... true or not. So far I'm not hearing them...

 

And we have to remind ourselves that we have Buffalo's 2015 1st and 4th... not bad at all.

 

I'm more so pointing out what could have made what looks like a good draft a great draft. I agree, that we didn't jump up at anypoint because some team was lying to us (as in when we traded up for Gilbert). We went up when there was real danger who we wanted wouldn't be there. I assume Detroit was trying to jump us for Gilbert since they desperatly needed a CB, the Chiefs we more than likely going to grab Manziel at #23, and the Ravens basically came out and admitted that they would have taken West. While I like West, I think we should have just stuck to our spot and kept the 6th round selection. We could have gotten a good RB selection later.

 

After spending the day thinking about it more, and hearing about possible trades for a WR, I think the FO had a plan without reaching for WR. I think any draft where you can make 8 selections is good, and that should be a number teams shoot for. Get that extra pick to take an extra shot and finding a good player.

[JAFBF]

1 - We've had a glaring need for another star CB for a number of years. To me with the extra picks and the player we got this is a killer move.

 

2 - Seattle has been building for some years now, plus they haven't had Owner, FO, and the all the Coaching changes we've had. How many times have we changed directions/schemes in the past few years?

Pretty hard to build a Team when you keep moving the target around.

 

3 - This is a bit contrary to normal thinking, but there may be some validity to it:

http://www.coldhardfootballfacts.com/content/chff-theory-elevated-to-man-law/2490/

[JAFBF]

I was scratching my head a little at the West RB pick at first.

 

Smaller school, lower level competition.

 

5'9" @ 225 lbs

41 TD's & 2500yds

 

Those are some interesting numbers.

[bermeck08]

As fans, most are holding onto faith... But really, that's all we have had since 1999.

 

Yet again, (for the billionth time)... This is what you get every regime change. New coach(s), new GM - another QB. The mili-second we feel good about ourselves, we get bombed on with the josh Gordon fiasco.

 

How frustrating this is... NFL gods only give us like 18 hours of joy...and I slept through most of that...and here we are...A graded into big fat F... Unbeleivable.

 

Is farmer tanking us....? Why not--- it's like "sandbagging as a salesperson"... Why risk "win now moves" when you don't need to ? Even if we go 0-16, farmers not getting fired...farmer was headed to south beach ...Haslem promised him 3-4 years, I'm sure...with the crap Haslem is into- firing farmer will be the VERY last thing the owner will do. (Old jesse would be fueling his rainbow coalition jet and aiming it for northern Ohio.)

 

Bottom line... 4-12... With all the hope and change to come.

 

 

Bermeck (this draft sucks... Someone save my post and make me eat it someday...please)

[cambridgeho]

Above:

If it were not for Gordon being a dumb shit and the info coming out the day after we took JF, we would be saying how this draft has been fantastic. We addressed DB with elite talent. We got a QB that could be a savior, a beast lineman, a ILB prospect that was rated very high. A small school DB that we absolutley stole in the 4th round that will be our starting FS. Even if we drafted a top tier talent WR, they usually take 2-3 years to develope anyway. So why draft one late, just because. Personally I think we bring in Holmes or Meachem for a year.

[LBC mike]

We just traded out of the draft?

[Tiott]

Yep. We're done for this year. No receivers.

[miktoxic]

so what happened to our last pick?

[Tiott]

We traded the pick for a 2015 6th round pick

[JAFBF]

so what happened to our last pick?

Traded for Ravens #6 next year.

[Harry Buffalo]

Last pick when to the Ravens for their 6th round pick next year.

 

They drafted Michael Campanaro WR Wake Forrest

[Tour2ma]

So we do have a little Bill B. in our FO...

 

When's the presser?

[miktoxic]

no storm johnson? lol.

 

guess they're expecting the UDFA list to be quite bountiful.

[LBC mike]

guess so

 

 

[bermeck08]

Great end to farmers first draft... F+

 

He's tanked it... For next years draft- that's the "plus"

 

WR 1, pot busted

WR 3/2 arm surgery

 

And no drafted receivers... Am I missing anything ?

 

That old ass steeler D gets major break week 1... Bastards

[cdl15]

Traded for Ravens #6 next year.

Yet another great move. This FO really earned their strips in all three days of this draft. Idiots can disagree but they are just that idiots.

[cdl15]

Great end to farmers first draft... F+

 

He's tanked it... For next years draft- that's the "plus"

 

WR 1, pot busted

WR 3/2 arm surgery

 

And no drafted receivers... Am I missing anything ?

 

That old ass steeler D gets major break week 1... Bastards

Yea if that is all that happend this weekend it would be a F+ which is miles above ur assessments. Go home loser!!

[miktoxic]

solid draft.

 

if these guys pan out we will have a freakishly good defense and will finally be able to run the ball.

[runyon27]

Great end to farmers first draft... F+

 

He's tanked it... For next years draft- that's the "plus"

 

WR 1, pot busted

WR 3/2 arm surgery

 

And no drafted receivers... Am I missing anything ?

 

That old ass steeler D gets major break week 1... Bastards

You have no clue of what you speak. I think they will probably address the WR position with available FAs and possible roster causalities. Not ideal but its obvious the mentality of this team is moving more towards a ground and pound ball control offense anyways. Burleson will be ready for camp. They had a plan and stuck to that plan, they were not going to panic and deviate it from it.

[Gunz41]

Great end to farmers first draft... F+

 

He's tanked it... For next years draft- that's the "plus"

 

WR 1, pot busted

WR 3/2 arm surgery

 

And no drafted receivers... Am I missing anything ?

 

That old ass steeler D gets major break week 1... Bastards

 

Haslem should pull out his checkbook and sign you to be a part of the organization right away. Maybe you can be an UDFA as part of FO. Are you even a fan of the team buddy? If so you have got to be worst one I have EVER heard. Have some faith and pride in them. Not one of them has played a down in the NFL yet and you are proclaiming them to be the worst thing ever. An F? So we get the top rated CB, the top rated QB (even though I wasn't high on him, but I am behind him now that he is a Brown), a nasty OL, a ABSOLUTE STEAL with 2nd round talent CB/S in the 4th, a pretty good LB who can step in from day 1 maybe, and a good backup RB. How is that an F?

[Harry Buffalo]

End the draft with 6 players. I guess I can't be mad that we manage to trade a 7th rounder for a 6th rounder next year, but it still just highlights my point, that Farmer needs to NOT do what he did this year come next draft, and that is trade away our picks just to move up a few spots. Once is fine for a special player, but you can't do that for half your draft. We end up with 6 players on 10 draft picks.

 

I like all our players, but I kept seeing players that I would have liked just as much drafted at or just after picks we traded away. Deepest draft in a decade. A decade. If there was any year to use 10 picks it was this one. Any year to use 8 picks, its this one. We come out with 6 out of 10 picks.

 

All the selections average out as an A right now for me. The BPA strategy gets an A from me. Farmers trading pattern gets a D, and it is only helped out because we got a 1st and 4th rounder for next year. He gets further points docked because of trading away our 7th rounder for a future pick, to a devision rival, who took a WR, when we had only selected 6 players in the draft. The only trade up that made sense was for Manziel, and even that trade was way above value. Because of that it averages out to a B for me. I'm going to call it a B- because it was the second year in the row where I watched all through the last day for no damn reason.

[Mr. Make-Believe]

I'm one of the few on here who didn't consider our receiving corps to be missing much. We'll see how long Gordon is out for, but I believe Farmer and Co. accurately assessed the weak points of the Browns... and then proceeded to strengthen them (while also of course, adding to the draft for NEXT season).

 

Gordon will be out and that sucks. But we still have some talent remaining and Gordon will return when he's allowed to do so.

 

5 or 6 losses last season by about a touchdown or less. And this year we have depth at most positions, will likely have a running game (which we didn't at ALL in 2013) and have made significant additions to the defense.

 

Even if one isn't a Manziel fan, one has to admit that the Browns look to be vastly improved.

 

I am very happy with how the draft went down and for once I feel as though my silly optimism about my team is finally credible.

[Harry Buffalo]

I'm one of the few on here who didn't consider our receiving corps to be missing much. We'll see how long Gordon is out for, but I believe Farmer and Co. accurately assessed the weak points of the Browns... and then proceeded to strengthen them (while also of course, adding to the draft for NEXT season).

 

Gordon will be out and that sucks. But we still have some talent remaining and Gordon will return when he's allowed to do so.

 

5 or 6 losses last season by about a touchdown or less. And this year we have depth at most positions, will likely have a running game (which we didn't at ALL in 2013) and have made significant additions to the defense.

 

Even if one isn't a Manziel fan, one has to admit that the Browns look to be vastly improved.

 

I am very happy with how the draft went down and for once I feel as though my silly optimism about my team is finally credible.

Right now we have a 2nd round bust, two speedsters coming off ACL tears, and UDFA picked for Weeden that has like 10 catches and 2-3 drops, and a career #2 WR with serious injury concerns.

 

BTW the Packers just took Jeff Janis, he is their 9th selection in this draft. Hopefully they cut the kid like they did with Charles Johnson (minus the torn ACL) and we can pick him up and see what he has.

[CaineDeSoulis]

i just saw that, Packers took both the WR i wanted late

[cdl15]

End the draft with 6 players. I guess I can't be mad that we manage to trade a 7th rounder for a 6th rounder next year, but it still just highlights my point, that Farmer needs to NOT do what he did this year come next draft, and that is trade away our picks just to move up a few spots. Once is fine for a special player, but you can't do that for half your draft. We end up with 6 players on 10 draft picks.

 

I like all our players, but I kept seeing players that I would have liked just as much drafted at or just after picks we traded away. Deepest draft in a decade. A decade. If there was any year to use 10 picks it was this one. Any year to use 8 picks, its this one. We come out with 6 out of 10 picks.

 

All the selections average out as an A right now for me. The BPA strategy gets an A from me. Farmers trading pattern gets a D, and it is only helped out because we got a 1st and 4th rounder for next year. He gets further points docked because of trading away our 7th rounder for a future pick, to a devision rival, who took a WR, when we had only selected 6 players in the draft. The only trade up that made sense was for Manziel, and even that trade was way above value. Because of that it averages out to a B for me. I'm going to call it a B- because it was the second year in the row where I watched all through the last day for no damn reason.

of those six 4 are starters going into next year and great depth at the area's of the game they want to concentrate on with the other 2. Trading away 5,6,@7 rounders to move up in the higher rounders(1-4) is pure brilliance. That pick we got from the ravens is just that. U think they can find quality players at 6&7??? But loading up on those assets going into next year gives us nice sweeteners to move up for say a player they really wantin the 4th or 1st. Selling a 3rd was pretty steep but for ur qb of the future it's well worth the gamble. I'd give the Browns FO a solid A-. Definitely a top 5 draft class.

[Harry Buffalo]

of those six 4 are starters going into next year and great depth at the area's of the game they want to concentrate on with the other 2. Trading away 5,6,@7 rounders to move up in the higher rounders(1-4) is pure brilliance. That pick we got from the ravens is just that. U think they can find quality players at 6&7??? But loading up on those assets going into next year gives us nice sweeteners to move up for say a player they really wantin the 4th or 1st. Selling a 3rd was pretty steep but for ur qb of the future it's well worth the gamble. I'd give the Browns FO a solid A-. Definitely a top 5 draft class.

 

Good teams final players that can be solid contributers and some cases stars. Look at the seahawks, there team is build with mid round picks who turned into great players. You can't play the lotto when you give away your tickets and constantly trading up to get a better player, say in the third round (which is the only one I am really complaining about) is pointless when you consider the drop off in talent and the % chance to hit on a player isn't much different. Ya trade awy the 7th rounder for a 6th next year, you know if you actually have drafted at least 7 players. But when you start off with the ability to draft 10 and you walk away with 6, there is an issue there. We will have 10 next year (as it currently stands) we need to come away with 8.

[calfoxwc]

My guess is, they know they have certain ops

to trade a dl for a bigtime veteran wr..

and they figure they have the $$$$$$$$

to sign a cap casualty.

 

Both of which, would be able to have more immediate impact

to their offense this year than a drafted rookie.