2020 Draft Mid Year Grades

[Ibleedbrown]

I thought this might be a fun bye week exercise. Not sure if anyone noticed amongst the bitching about OBJ, Baker and the defense, but one thing we are not bitching about is our last draft class. I figured l’d give my own half cocked assessment and everyone is free to join in with theirs. The participants, shamelessly copied from elsewhere:

• 1st Round (#10): OT Jedrick Wills
• 2nd Round (#44): S Grant Delpit
• 3rd Round (#88): DT Jordan Elliott
• 3rd Round (#97): ILB Jacob Phillips
• 4th Round (#115): TE Harrison Bryant
• 5th Round (#160): C Nick Harris
• 6th Round (#187): WR Donovan Peoples-Jones

Wills: C+. Overall l think he’s doing well, but he’s got some wrinkles to iron out in his game. He’s got some issues with speed off the edge and getting that big frame of his in the right place at the right time. I’m inclined to cut him some slack for being a rookie and the whole learning curve of working a new side of the line, but not too much slack since he was a 1st rounder and buys gaudy diamond encrusted necklaces. Also, with the emergence of Teller, Wills is the weak link of the line.

Delpit: TBD. Not much to grade until we see him in action.

Elliott: C. With all the pre-draft PFF praise l really thought we’d see him pop from time to time, but mostly getting snaps and crackles instead. That’s not so bad for a rookie as long as he’s developing and getting better. I know this is a contract year for ‘jobi, and maybe Richardson(?), so the questions are coming if he’s starter material, and so far l’m not seeing it. 
 

Phillips: B. I actually like this guy but l don’t have a large sample size to grade. There’s one play in particular where a team’s runner was going wide and Phillips hit the jets in pursuit and snared him for a short gain. I don’t think many of our LBs coulda made that play. I can’t help but wonder if those fleet feet come at the expense of less than ideal upper body oomph, which l think he needs to stay healthy.

Bryant: A. I think we’re all pleasantly surprised by this guy. He basically demanded Njoku’s TE2 spot with his play. He’s got plus hands in the passing game and really knows his way around the blocking game too. I’m pretty impressed by the guy.

Harris: TBD. Not much to grade here since it seems apparent he’s being groomed to be Tretter’s back up, but Tretter’s such a tough cookie that we’ve yet to see him. I long for the day when this is the typical story for most Browns rookies, where we don’t know what to think of them halfway through the season because they’re on the bench getting hungrier and hungrier. 
 

Peoples-Jones: B-. I don’t think too highly of him as a returner. He just strikes me as a guy who is never going to break one all the way, but as long as he makes good decisions and doesn’t fumble, that’s good enough for now. He showed real promise as a receiver in the 2nd Bengals game though, not only making tough catches but keeping his feet in bounds too, and for a 6th rounder that’s cause for optimism. 
 

Draft overall: A. Usually by now we are grumbling that one of our top 3 picks might be a bust, but no one’s really doing that this year, so l consider that a smashing success by our standards.