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Overall Draft Reaction... your thoughts?


thenew23

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Overall, I thought the Browns did well addressing areas of need. I'm disappointed they didn't really add any pass rush, but otherwise did a good job position-wise.

I'm not overly impressed with WHO they drafted at those positions.  They seemed to go for character and work ethic (for the most part) over explosiveness and play making.

Favorite pick: Callaway-WR

Could be a MAJOR steal, think Tyreek Hill. Or, vould be the 2nd coming of Josh Gordon... in a not good way.  Either way, I like the risk in the 4th round.

Honorable mention: Genard Avery-LB

Finally, a steal. He should contribute quite a bit and was a great depth pick.

Least favorite pick: Chad Thomas-DE

I thought we'd look to upgrade the pass rush with a DE, instead we reached for a potentially good run defender... oh well.

Honorable mention: Baker Mayfield-QB

I don't HATE this pick, but not the guy I thought was best. I REALLY hope he proves me wrong

 

Others thoughts?

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It's a weird draft.

I don't hate it, but I'm a bit underwhelmed honestly. The QBs passed on, the high picks traded down on, 1-31 results in... Baker Mayfield? I like Ward, but #4 overall for a CB who could be under 180lbs by the end of Training Camp? That's bothers me a bit. Corbett sounds like a really solid pick - as a guard, which we are stacked at - questionable at tackle which we need. Chubb might be a bit of a reach, but I'm cool with him. One of the WRs is a candidate for the penal system, one is raw. Like the kid from Memphis. Not a fan of Thomas. 

 

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No idea how the picks will pan out yet but the main plus for me was how clear it is that the Browns are still in on analytics. DePodesta, Berry and Kovash are still prominent and you add in Dorsey, Highsmith etc NFL experience it looks a nice match to me. Time will tell how many of the FO are still here over the next few months though.

A lot of the picks were clearly data driven and the dinosaurs and "football guy" crowd like Tony Grossi are still crying, this is pleasing.

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Well the draft does seem to be as someone called it a bit Reachy . But that is because all we can do here is to look at the draft prospect rankings publications and refer to those as to who we think are the best players. But as someone said we should look at the NFL teams rankings. however as I responded there's no way that those things that information is ever released by the teams that's their internal ranking which we don't have privity towards so that's why it seems a bit Reachy

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13 minutes ago, LondonBrown said:

No idea how the picks will pan out yet but the main plus for me was how clear it is that the Browns are still in on analytics. DePodesta, Berry and Kovash are still prominent and you add in Dorsey, Highsmith etc NFL experience it looks a nice match to me. Time will tell how many of the FO are still here over the next few months though.

A lot of the picks were clearly data driven and the dinosaurs and "football guy" crowd like Tony Grossi are still crying, this is pleasing.

Do you think Mayfield was an analytics pick? 

On one hand, I can see it with the amount of starts he had in his career, his completion %, TD/Int ratio, etc....

But on the other hand, there's no analytics in the world that would tell Dorsey and Co. that picking a 6'0 tall QB from a conference that produces Sheet for QBs is a recipe for success #1 overall... 

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21 minutes ago, Dutch Oven said:

Do you think Mayfield was an analytics pick? 

On one hand, I can see it with the amount of starts he had in his career, his completion %, TD/Int ratio, etc....

But on the other hand, there's no analytics in the world that would tell Dorsey and Co. that picking a 6'0 tall QB from a conference that produces Sheet for QBs is a recipe for success #1 overall... 

Qbase and the Bill Parcells checklist disagree with you.  

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24 minutes ago, Dutch Oven said:

Do you think Mayfield was an analytics pick? 

Well I've heard Depo liked him most, so there's that. I also heard Dorsey liked him most. The kid can flat out play. It's up to Dorsey to set him up to succeed. and upto Hue to actually win games next year.

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1 minute ago, Dutch Oven said:

They disagree with facts about Baker Mayfield?

Makes sense. 

What I am saying is that he was by far the highest Qbase score in the group and checks 7/7 on the Parcells list. Those are good signs. Other than that the kid works to win. 

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Here’s a good analytics article written in March 2018 regarding Mayfield. . .

https://www.si.com/nfl/2018/03/22/baker-mayfield-advance-analytics-nfl-draft-oklahoma-pff

 

 

CD35783A-F526-4DE5-A5A1-E6E7C5A4C7CD.jpeg

I had Mayfield as my #2 QB in the draft, but the more I read into his metrics, the more I like the pick.

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B. Mayfeild - B

We got the most accurate QB in the draft. I think his floor is Case Keenum and his ceiling Drew Brees. At the very least we have a guy who won't lose the game for us. 

D. Ward - A

I know we passed on Chubb who was my favorite player in this draft, but we HAD to land one of the top CBs. Would it have been nice to trade back and land him or Alexander? Sure, but we got a potential #1 CB so I'm not going to complain.

A. Cobertt - D

I watched about 15 snaps of his tape against Notre Dame and it was awful. He spent alot of time on the ground and struggled against the outside rush. Hopefully he showed something at G/C because he is a terrible T.

N. Chubb - A

Penny went earlier than expected and Guice had some character concerns. I had Chubb rated about the same as those guys so I'm excited he is a Brown.

C. Thomas - B

His numbers aren't impressive but I watched a couple games and I was pretty impressed. He is very raw but his ability to move for his size is potentially deadly. I didn't like this pick at first glance but Thomas is a player to watch in a year 2.

A. Callaway - B

The draft experts claim he is a first round talent but I don't see it. He has some speed and decent hands but I don't see a home run Tyreek Hill type player.

G. Avery - C

Avery is a good blitzer with some promising athleticism but he's a sloppy tackler. At this stage in the draft he's a nice developmental LB.

D. Ratley - C

Nice size and speed combo. There's not alot of tape on him but what I saw I liked for the most part. He has deep threat potential but may not make the roster which is to be expected at this point in the draft.

S. Thomas - C

I can't grade this good or bad. I've never even heard of the guy but this late in the draft you're just throwing shi+ at the wall and hoping it sticks.

 Overall it's a C average for me. If Mayfeild pans out it's an A+. I'm confident in Chubb and Ward so if we finally get our QB of the future then this is a homerun

 

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3 hours ago, Canton Dawg said:

Here’s a good analytics article written in March 2018 regarding Mayfield. . .

https://www.si.com/nfl/2018/03/22/baker-mayfield-advance-analytics-nfl-draft-oklahoma-pff

 

 

CD35783A-F526-4DE5-A5A1-E6E7C5A4C7CD.jpeg

I had Mayfield as my #2 QB in the draft, but the more I read into his metrics, the more I like the pick.

It is why I said that Mayfield had the best stats and why Rudolph had the second best stats. Again what we don't know is whether or not this is because of the quality of these quarterbacks or because of a piss poor big 12 defenses

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I said in another thread someplace swallowed up by mods into another thread someplace that every qb coming out of college comes from a single read system.  We dont know how they will adapt to a more complex offense.  

Its a crap shoot every year.  I hope this guy is smart and works hard.  Seems like he fits the bill so Lets Go Brownies

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I wanted Rosen or Darnold...and Cubb round 1.   Wanted OT & RB at top of round 2.  (got my Chubb a round late)   And I wanted a CB and WR.

Got a QB & CB round 1.  Two big needs.  Got what I wanted at the top of round 2 (though he may not work out at OT).  And I got a couple of WR's...one of which has good size and the other likes good sized fatties.   

I don't feel that I can complain about the draft except to say that Mayfield had better not turn out to be a shrimpy, kocky jerk.  (that's the last time I'll say that until it's warranted - and hopefully that's never)

I think that Chubb can help us right away.  Ward may need a little time to acclimate to the talent of NFL wr's...but he might be able to step right in as an improvement.  The rest will need some time before they can show themselves as helpful.......or not.   -  Good luck to all!

Go Browns!

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-Some head scratchers for me, but I expected that as this draft was run by real football people & that hasn't been seen in Browns' Town for MANY years. I expected some surprises.

-I got the QB I wanted in Baker, CB in Ward, & RB in Chubb, so I'm happy there. I'm not familiar at all with our other picks, so I won't comment.

My attitude in general is to play the cards I'm dealt, so "we'll see" & GO BROWNS!

Mike

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51 minutes ago, Canton Mike said:

-Some head scratchers for me, but I expected that as this draft was run by real football people & that hasn't been seen in Browns' Town for MANY years. I expected some surprises.

-I got the QB I wanted in Baker, CB in Ward, & RB in Chubb, so I'm happy there. I'm not familiar at all with our other picks, so I won't comment.

My attitude in general is to play the cards I'm dealt, so "we'll see" & GO BROWNS!

Mike

Yep ! Those three picks will dramatically make the Browns a very different team.

The pick of Corbett was stunning to me. I said "..........WHAT?" lol

Here is some good info on that pick. Still a shocker, but there may be good reason why they did it - the Browns will be changing their blocking scheme on pass protection. They drafted Corbett, and could have drafted Hernandez - monster at OG.

Interesting. I don't get it.

https://dawgpounddaily.com/2018/04/28/cleveland-browns-enigma-austin-corbett/

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Overall I think the BROWNS had a mediocre draft at best, most others agree.

nfl.com/news

Day 1 grade: B 
Day 2 grade: A 
Day 3 grade: B+ 
Overall grade: B+ ......but actually slightly came in last in the AFCN, but they gave everybody above C grades

SI  Grade: B- ....... .. CIN A- BAL B- PIT B-

CLEVELAND BROWNS

Baker Mayfield’s beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Let’s give the Browns the benefit of the doubt since they surely researched this year’s QBs more than any of us (and perhaps all of us combined). But let’s also acknowledge that this a roll of the dice. A 6' 0" QB must play differently in the NFL. Mayfield dazzled with his sandlot plays at Oklahoma, but his best work actually came when he threw on schedule and within rhythm. If he’s to pan out, it’ll be via the Drew Brees path, not the Russell Wilson path.

A Drew Brees-type quarterback needs a firm pocket. The Browns already had an outstanding guard tandem in Joel Bitonio and Kevin Zeitler, and they didn’t want to gamble with intriguing-but-still-inconsistent third-year man Shon Coleman in Joe Thomas’s old left tackle spot. So, they spent a second-rounder on guard Austin Corbett, who will slide outside. That pick makes sense. The one made two spots later does not. Why draft Nick Chubb after you signed a terrific base runner like Carlos Hyde and still have a versatile scatback like Duke Johnson?

At No. 4, taking Denzel Ward over Bradley Chubb was GM John Dorsey’s way of saying a pass rush can be manufactured through scheme, as long as you have corners who can cover one-on-one. Defensive coordinator Gregg Williams has taken this approach for decades. The Browns still needed more pieces around last year’s No. 1 overall pick Myles Garrett, though, which is why the team spent their lone third-rounder on Chad Thomas.

USA TODAY

Cleveland Browns: C.....last in the AFCN  (they actually gave NO, SEA D grades)

This will be viewed as a seminal draft. But did GM John Dorsey properly leverage the bounty of assets left behind by analytics-driven predecessor Sashi Brown? Ultimately, it boils down to No. 1 overall pick Baker Mayfield, whom Dorsey apparently couldn't live without. If Mayfield lives up to his billing, the rest is gravy. But debate remains as to whether Darnold, Allen or even Rosen should have been the pick. Given RB Nick Chubb was taken in Round 2, also worth questioning if Saquon Barkley should have gotten the call at No. 1 with the guarantee that a quarterback — possibly even Mayfield — would have remained available at No. 4. Then there's the notion that DE Bradley Chubb was a much better option with that fourth pick than CB Denzel Ward given how hard it is to collect quality pass rushers (even though Myles Garrett is already aboard), and the wealth of corner options in this draft. At the top of Round 2, Austin Corbett must prove he can play tackle at the pro level. If not, what does Dorsey do with one of his highly paid interior linemen? And even fourth-round WR Antonio Callaway, who's talented but comes with drug and disciplinary issues, seems like a misadventure for a franchise that's had so many issues with Josh Gordon.

Walter football

Cleveland Browns: C+ Grade 

Goals Entering the 2018 NFL Draft: The Browns are the first team since the 1992 Colts to have two picks in the top four heading into the draft season (the Redskins picked second and third in 2000, but they moved up from No. 12 a couple of months beforehand.) Cleveland has just one win in the past two years, and needs to do something special. The team must select Saquon Barkley first overall, as it has an extremely rare luxury of also obtaining a franchise quarterback with the fourth pick. Unfortunately, it appears as though the Browns are going with the homoclitic route instead, meaning they're going to lose out on Barkley for no good reason. 

2018 NFL Draft Accomplishments: The consensus among analysts and casual fans is that the Browns bungled the top picks, but there are varying opinions on why they did this. There are those questioning Baker Mayfield over Sam Darnold and Denzel Ward over Bradley Chubb. I thought they were the right players in the scenario that the Browns felt they needed to go quarterback with the top pick. Mayfield is a great leader and a hard worker, unlike Johnny Manziel, and he stands a good chance of being successful in Cleveland. As for Ward, the Browns should've traded down, but taking him over Chubb made sense because the Browns wouldn't have been able to afford three $100 million contracts in a span of 12 months in 4-5 years. 

The Browns, however, made a mistake of not selecting Barkley first overall, as they also would've obtained Mayfield at the No. 4 spot. The Browns' inability to think heteroclitically could cost them in the future, but I don't have a big issue with the players they obtained in the top four. Cleveland will certainly be much better in 2018. 

Elsewhere, Cleveland acquired some intriguing weapons around Mayfield in Nick Chubb and Antonio Callaway. Unfortunately, Callaway comes with off-the-field problems, and I wonder if he'll be a bad influence for Josh Gordon. I don't think the Browns should've made that pick, and I also don't think they should've reached for Chad Thomas in the third frame. 

Read more: http://walterfootball.com/nfldraftgradesteam.php#ixzz5E2exPXKl

PRO FOOTBALL FOCUS

1 (1) Baker Mayfield, QB, Oklahoma, 94.8
1 (4) Denzel Ward, CB, Ohio State, 91.4
2 (33) Austin Corbett, G/C, Nevada, 84.0
2 (35) Nick Chubb, RB, Georgia, 87.6
3 (67) Chad Thomas, Edge, Miami (Fla.), 83.9
4 (105) Antonio Callaway, WR, Florida, 77.7* (in 2016)
5 (150) Genard Avery, LB, Memphis, 82.4
6 (175) Damion Ratley, WR, Texas A&M, 77.1
6 (188) Simeon Thomas, CB, Louisiana, 79.0

Day 1: Mayfield was PFF’s pick to be the No. 1 overall pick for the Browns since last October and they made it a reality despite many rumors to the contrary. Mayfield has the two highest single-season grades we’ve given a quarterback in our four years of grading and he can make every necessary throw with zip and accuracy. No matter which way the numbers are sliced, Mayfield generally led the way, including the best PFF grade from a clean pocket (the most consistent measure of year-to-year success) and also the best grade when facing pressure. He also came out on top in our new advanced accuracy numbers that emphasized actual ball location on every throw, and his was nine percent better than the next-best quarterback on tight-window throws. After much speculation, the Browns selected the No. 1 player on the PFF draft board with the first pick of the draft.

As for Denzel Ward, he fills a massive need in the secondary and his straight-line speed and lateral agility make him a perfect candidate to match up with the best route runners in the NFL. Ward allowed a completion percentage of only 35.0 percent in his career when targeted, picking off two passes and breaking up 19 more on only 100 targets. He may struggle at the catch point at times against bigger receivers, but he knows how to play through the receiver’s hands to break up passes and he’s had his fair share of success when matched up against bigger bodies in college.

Day 2: The Browns added a versatile offensive lineman in Austin Corbett who played left tackle at Nevada, though he could play guard or center where he showed well at the Senior Bowl. He has three years of grading in the mid-80.0s and his 98.0 pass-blocking efficiency ranked 13th in the draft class among tackles last season. Nick Chubb is one of the best runners in the class, and he looked back to form last year after two years of battling injuries and recovering. He maximizes what his run-blocking gives him and he averaged 3.7 yards after contact per rush during his four-year career at Georgia. Chad Thomas continued to improve throughout his career at Miami, and he did his best work in the run game where he graded at 84.5 last season while his pass-rush productivity of 9.9 ranked 39th in the draft class.

Day 3: On the field, Antonio Callaway is a big-play threat as his impressive game speed makes him a weapon on the deep ball, taking short passes for big gains, and as a punt returner. He averaged 7.3 yards after the catch per reception in his career, but fell in the draft due to off-field concerns, including being suspended for the entire 2017 season. Genard Avery did plenty of damage on the edge at Memphis, notching nine sacks, 14 QB hits and 34 hurries last season, and he brings versatility to the Cleveland defense.

Overall grade: Good

 

 

 

 

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10 hours ago, jcam222 said:

What I am saying is that he was by far the highest Qbase score in the group and checks 7/7 on the Parcells list. Those are good signs. Other than that the kid works to win. 

The guy that invented Qbase works in the Browns front office now, not a coincidence 

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I cannot stop thinking of Cubase, the music producing station... 

We filled 3 needs in the order I wanted. QB-CB in top of the first round, RB early in the second. 

If Ward and Chubb  perform at 70% of the likes of Lattimore and Kamara, it will be already a good upgrade. For those worried about Ward's size, the only good big receiver I come up with in the AFCN is AJ Green? 

An Olineman and a rotational DE won't hurt us, I like the positions, let's hope they succeeded chosing the players. And I like taking risks in the 4th with a WR, because I think we have a decent core now with Landry-Njoku and "no news-good news" Gordon, with Taylor throwing them and not an inaccurate rookie. 

Overall, looking both FA and Draft we improved QB (that was easy), WR, RB and, most important for me, SECONDARY. I think it will make wonders having a true FS, Peppers playing like the SS he is and a real CB1 who can play press coverage.

 

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9 hours ago, The Gipper said:

It is why I said that Mayfield had the best stats and why Rudolph had the second best stats. Again what we don't know is whether or not this is because of the quality of these quarterbacks or because of a piss poor big 12 defenses

The Sooners did play against some pitiful Big 12 defenses.

Don’t forget, Mayfield and company hung 48 points on Georgia and 31 on the Buckeyes.

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For me Walter Football has always been a joke.  They've reinforced that here by calling the Browns draft "homoclitic" and claiming that it should have been "heteroclitic" instead.  JFC -You're writing for football fans, not high school kids studying for the SATs.  Know your audience!

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Both PFF and QBASE have the most thorough quarterback analysis of any of the draft prospect rating entities.  It's incredibly gratifying to know that Baker Mayfield was the highest rated QB -BY FAR - by both of these services.

Those that criticize the pick simply don't know.

Those that complain about Mayfield's antics either forgot what it was like to be 21 years old or got butt-hurt when he beat OSU.  

We've got a real NFL GM now.  Sit back and enjoy the ride - it's going to be fantastic.

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I really wanted DE Chubb with Garrett and CB Oliver @ #33. And Corbett could have been #64. But very happy we got one of Guice, Michel, Chubb,Penny right where we got him because they were all gone by 64 anyway. Other than that I'm glad we took chances with the 2 WRs. A couple of our "droppers" are going to be history by Sept. IMO. Which ones I don't know, but we have plenty to choose from.

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18 hours ago, Dutch Oven said:

Do you think Mayfield was an analytics pick?

I think Baker was a unanimous pick for our FO... Analytics... drive... the whole she-bang.

The only challenge was getting by the height issue and I don't think it was that hard.

13 hours ago, Kvoethe said:

I said in another thread someplace swallowed up by mods into another thread someplace that every qb coming out of college comes from a single read system.

Agree that single-read is the norm, but every is an overstatement. I know of two of which it was definitely not true.

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It’s a crapshoot.

I live the Mayfield pick, think he’s a culture changer, and he was the best player in CFB last year.

Denzel Ward only gave up one reception last year against Baker Mayfield, on a 3rd and 30 where they were playing prevent.

Like the Callaway pick, Dorsey seems to have a knack for drafting guys with character issues who actually pan out, so he gets the benefit of the doubt for that one.

Cant speak too much on any other of the picks. Although, Chad Thomas is an interesting human being. He plays 10 instruments, and produces beats for famous rappers (including Rick Ross) He was actually so successful in the music industry he had to convince teams he’s all in on football. He also owns his own dollar store in Miami. Wether he pans out or not, he’s a true entrepreneur who made something out of himself financially before he even made it to the NFL. That’s impressive

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5 hours ago, Canton Dawg said:

The Sooners did play against some pitiful Big 12 defenses.

Don’t forget, Mayfield and company hung 48 points on Georgia and 31 on the Buckeyes.

Good point. The both the buckeyes and Georgia had top-quality defense of players a number of whom were taken in this draft

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19 hours ago, thenew23 said:

Overall, I thought the Browns did well addressing areas of need. I'm disappointed they didn't really add any pass rush, but otherwise did a good job position-wise.

I'm not overly impressed with WHO they drafted at those positions.  They seemed to go for character and work ethic (for the most part) over explosiveness and play making.

 

 

You listed Antonio Callaway right after typing this.   Did you even proof read, bruh?

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