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I know it's early, but I recently started playing with Fanspeak's On the Clock draft mocker. This has us drafting 7th, and of course there is a lot of time between now and the actual Draft. But here is my 4 round draft.

7: R1P7 QB CONNOR COOK MICHIGAN STATE
38: R2P7 OLB MYLES JACK UCLA
70: R3P7 WR MICHAEL THOMAS OHIO STATE
102: R4P7 DE JONATHAN ALLEN ALABAMA

Unlikely!

IMO, these simulator results should go in the fantasy / gaming forum.

They are clickbait... on par with buzzfeed.

I have no problem with that...mod?

In anticipation of thread being moved...

Picking 4th, Lynch already gone...

1) Robert Nkemdiche, DE Ole Miss
1b) Josh Doctson, WR TCU
3) Travin Dural, WR LSU
4) traded to move back into 1st
4c) Yannick Ngakoue, OLB Maryland
5) Tyler Marz, OT Wisconsin
5c) Trevon Stewart, FS/Nickel Houston
5c) Cody Kessler, QB USC
6) Joe Schoebert, ILB Wisconsin
6c) Jake McGee, TE Virginia
7) DeAndre Washington, RB Texas Tech



1) Robert Nkemdiche, DE Ole Miss
2) Vonn Bell, S Ohio State
3) Travin Dural, WR LSU
4) Bear Wilson, WR Miss St
4c) Yannick Ngakoue, OLB Maryland
5) Tyler Marz, OT Wisconsin
5c) Trevon Stewart, FS/Nickel Houston
5c) Cody Kessler, QB USC
6) Joe Schoebert, ILB Wisconsin
6c) Jake McGee, TE Virginia
7) DeAndre Washington, RB Texas Tech



Nkemdiche is just BPA, and despite our investment we are still not getting it done on the DL.

Trying to add two legit receivers. In the first scenario, moving up to the bottom of round 1 (maybe Denver?) to grab Doctson. Dural I've liked for a couple years as well... the guy is fast and long and makes good grabs. De'Runnya Wilson is a huge man. He is a little more of a "potential" type. He makes eye popping plays at time but does not make the consistent impact that a guy of his traits could. It's not for effort, though, and my Miss St co-worker says he hasn't been playing wideout a real long time.

Bell and Stewart are playmakers in the defensive backfield. Stewart has played all over Houston's backfield like Gunter did last year, but they are very different players. Stewart is small but the guy has tremendous instincts and playmaking ability. He is a good tackler and gets to the ball. Saw him pick off Bortles on the goal line a couple years ago when I was watching Bortles, Carr, Bridgewater (Houston played all three that season IIRC). He had three sacks last week. I just love this kid. Last year, he had maybe the worst defensive play and then best defensive play in college football in the same game.

Yannick really caught my eye last year as an OLB in Maryland's 3-4 (they actually started two guys named Yannick at OLB... the one on the other side was not good.) This year he's second in the nation in sacks and has been consistent producing them throughout the year.

I like Kessler. I might prefer Brisset, but both are not sure things to make the roster and I had other players I wanted to take earlier. I think he's a really smart QB.

Schoebert is to provide more interior pass rush.

McGee is a guy I don't know a lot about but was productive at Virginia then got injured early this year. Flyer type.

Washington is fast. I think he's a good back to pick up as a 3rd guy.

Kessler is a John David Booty clone (that is not a good thing). He looks pretty good in college because he has talent all around him, but he's not really that talented.

I would love to have a guy like Nkemdiche, but it's QB or bust at this point. Especially if we are trading back into the first round.

From now until late April I better not see ONE freaking person/site suggest we trade up or back to pick #22

lol, at least not for a QB.

From the 7th spot (where Fanspeak has Cle drafting), Nkemdiche has never been there for me so far. I have landed Bosa a few times. From my point of view those are the 2 blue chippers in this draft, and if either is on the board, take them and run for the hills.

Yeah it's really tough to get a top-flight pass rusher in this draft.

My pick placements were an amalgamation of my own opinion and CBS' big board (both of which have been proven pretty unreliable, lol.)

Just looking at the teams currently at or worse than us...
I'll leave out Baltimore because they'll most likely finish better than us.

Tenn - Not drafting a QB
Dallas - Not drafting a QB
San Diego - hmmm...maybe groom a replacement?
Detroit - not drafting a QB
Jacksonville - not drafting a QB

I'd say no matter how this plays out, the Browns should have the top pick of QBs in this draft.

I say Bosa goes #1. Too many JJ Watt comparisons for any GM to pass up. Of course, unless we have the #1 pick. We'll draft a bust QB and Bosa will be a sure fire HOFer. We know how this movie plays out.

I thought " Jake McGee, TE Virginia played " for Florida ?

Unless there is a trade up, this should hold true.

Although the 49ers are pretty bad and will need a quarterback.

Most recently, yes... but he mostly played at Virginia.

http://espn.go.com/college-football/player/stats/_/id/501194/jake-mcgee

*Making the sign of the cross* flee from us Satan

There was a post/report on this board not that long ago that Stafford could very well be gone from Detroit after this year. If so, they're going QB

As I play with mocking the draft, I find myself with a dilemma. In my mind Bosa and Nkemdiche the two prospects with the most potential to be impact NFL players. On the other hand, QB is the one position having the most impact on a team (and, as always, a position of need for the Browns.) With an early pick, there is a high likelihood of Bosa or Nkemdiche being on the board for the Browns first pick, but taking one of them almost surely means none of the best QB options (Lynch, Goff, and Cook in whatever order you rank them) will be available by the Browns second round pick. So the dilemma is, do you take the most impactful player available? or the best available player at the most impactful position?

(Of course, an obvious solution is to trade up from the 2nd round back into the 1st to get a QB, but let's assume this isn't possible.)

They could take one even if Stafford is staying. I don't buy that you-HAVE-to-start-a-first-round-QB talk . . .

That would be a poor use of resources.

Also, the NFL has changed. First round QBs start (except ours). Even Mariota, who people said was not ready for the NFL, started from day one (he is completing 65% of his passes, has 13 TDs, and 5 INTs).

Most of these guys play football year round and consume playbooks pretty easily. They are all capable of starting early on and having success.

I think every QB in this draft would be much better served to sit & learn a-la Aaron Rodgers but I hear what you're saying. How many times does that situation present itself.

I'm not sure I agree. There is a lot of pressure to start first round picks, especially for teams hungry for wins. Perennially good teams can get away with, and often do, park their draft picks on the sideline for a year (or 2), especially at 'thinking' positions, while they learn to play at the highest level. So while many highly drafted QBs start right away, I think it's more because of the nature of the teams that draft them than because that's the best or right way to go about it.

I've mentioned this before. Outside of consensus #1 picks and running-type QBs, most of the best QBs are ones that sat for a year or more to pick up the game before starting.

Name the top QBs in the league and most will fit into one of those categories:
- Brady: Sat for a year before getting plugged in for Drew Bledsoe
- Rodgers: Sat for years behind Favre before starting
- Brees: Sat behind Flutie for one year, and was also benched for a bit, before coming back strong in his 4th year.
- Rivers: Sat behind Brees for a few seasons before taking over.

- P Manning, Eli manning, Luck, Newton: Consensus #1 draft picks

The exceptions are usually guys that are plugged into great defensive teams, and asked not to screw things up. Guys like Rothlisberger (who also sat for a few games), Wilson, Flacco and Dalton.

Guys like Vick, RG3 and Kaepernick succeed because they can rely on the run and bail themselves out of tough situations. If they don't grasp the passing portion of the game before their legs give out on them, they fizzle out pretty quickly.

Pretty much all of our QBs fall into one category: Consensus non-#1 picks that are asked to perform immediately. And the track record is pretty consistent on how THAT kind of QB pans out too. Yet, we still keep attempting it.

We haven't picked a QB in the top five since Tim Couch. We are picking guys that no one else wants (Quinn, Weeden, and Manziel).

Lately guys that play early on have some pretty good success. Sanchez, Cam, Luck, RGIII, and now Jameis and Mariota were/are successful early. If you are taking a QB in the top five, he better be able to play early. If he can't, you shouldn't be taking him that high.

Fanspeak updated the Draftek big board, so I ran a 5 round. I'm using the names that come up to research and learn. It worked pretty well for me last year, that and reading up on the players other members recommended...but I digress.

Here are the my latest results

2: R1P2 DE JOEY BOSA OHIO STATE
33: R2P2 QB PAXTON LYNCH MEMPHIS
65: R3P2 OLB SU'A CRAVENS USC
97: R4P2 WR TRAVIN DURAL LSU
129: R5P2 WR BRAXTON MILLER OHIO STATE

I still can't pass on Bosa if he's there, and this time I got a top 3 QB as well. Cravens is hybrid LB/S who is good in pass defense and even better against the run. I read up on Dural after CleveSteve talked about him and I picked him based on that. I'll do more thorough research as time goes on. Miller is an exceptional athlete who I think would be an outstanding slot receiver, and a steal in the fifth round.

If we got Bosa and Lynch that's a great draft (as of right now)

Bosa Lynch and probably Cravens are all 1st rounders, but Cravens might have a tough time in an NFL 3-4 because of his size. He will have to play LB I think in the NFL. I do really like him as a player, though he'd probably be wasted here IMO.

From everything I've seen and read we should expect three 5th round picks and one 7th. I can easily see us drafting a QB over Bosa for our first pick though. This team is so bad, I'm ok with drafting 11 rookies.

1. Joey Bosa, DE, Ohio State
2. Josh Doctson, WR, TCU
3. Cassanova McKinzy, ILB, Auburn
4. Ricky Seals-Jones, WR, Texas A&M
5. Deatrich Wise Jr, DE, Arkansas
5. Noah Spence, DE, Eastern Kentucky
5. Joshua Garnett, OG, Stanford
5. Halapoulivaati Vaitai, OT, TCU
6. Nick Vannett, TE, Ohio State
7. Jake McGee, TE, Florida
7. Byron Marshall, WR, Oregon

We should be doing one mock draft with Farmer still in charge and one without Farmer in charge. The one with Farmer in charge is not allowed to have any WRs selected before the fourth round.

Not that I am against receivers, but some may be a little fixed on the position. I don't think the receivers have been the big problem with this team.

I will admit I haven't done much looking in to the prospects....are there even any receivers worth a high first round pick? My general impression is that this year will be a fairly weak class at the position. Again, I haven't given it much thought, but my impression is that D is where the strength of this draft resides.

JMO

j/c

Fr fun last night I did the first-pick.com draft for the Browns. We're at #2 behind Tennessee. Here's what I did.

Browns trade #2 to St Louis for Round 1 Pick 10 (10), 2017 Round 1 Pick, Round 2 Pick 9 (40)

Round 1 Pick 10 (10) Laquon Treadwell, WR, Ole Miss

Raiders trade #15 to Cleveland for Round 2 Pick 2 (33), Round 2 Pick 9 (40) (STL), Round 7 Pick 2 (191)


Round 1 Pick 15 (15) Connor Cook, QB, Michigan State
Round 3 Pick 1 (64) Sheldon Rankins, DT, Louisville (34 DE)
Round 4 Pick 2 (97) Tyler Matakevich, OLB, Temple (34 MLB)
Round 5 Pick 2 (129) Denver Kirkland, OT/OG, Arkansas
Round 6 Pick 2 (159) Tajae Sharpe, WR, Massachusetts
Round 7 Pick 1 (190) Kevin Hogan, QB, Stanford


I'd be happy with this draft. QB and WR covered early. A run-stopper early in Rankins. Tatakevich I personally think could be a beast. A massive, massive man in Kirkland that has played OG and OT. And the last 2 picks were value picks. We'd still have holes, but there wasn't anyone I liked at those spots that were available. And, of course, we pick up an extra 1st rounder for the next year.

Of course, things will change 100s of times between now and the draft.

So now that we're probably going to end up with the first pick in the draft, I'm re-doing my mock.

First, I have to say we are a mess. Terrible run D, terrible pass rush, nobody to rely on who will make a play on defense. Our DC is so bad it's impossible to tell if anyone on the team is any good or not. Barnidge, Benjamin, and Duke are the only guys who have been reliable in the passing game. We have no running game. Our FB is barely better than Marecic. Our best QB is older than me and has just about fallen apart. Our QB with the most potential is alienating himself to the decision makers, who are in turn shutting him out of the organization. Our other QB is already showing signs of conflict with the fans (see his reaction after throwing the TD Monday night.) It has gotten to the point where most of us actually see continuity of the current path as a *bad* thing. That being said, here's what I would do.


2016 Free Agent Re-signings:

Craig Robertson, 3 years $12 million (similar to Bruce Carter, Riley, Woodyard. Dansby isn't getting younger, Kirksey is still unproven.)
Mitchell Schwartz, 4 years $18 million (Free, Breno Giacomini, Vollmer)
Gary Barnidge, 4 years $20 million (less than Pitta, more than Bennett, Walker)
Travis Benjamin, 4 years $26 million (less than Andre Johnson, Eric Decker, more than Tate, Desean Jackson)
Jamie Meder league minimum (ERFA)
Darrian Miller, league minimum (ERFA)
Travis Coons, league minimum (ERFA)


Let FAs walk:

Tashaun Gipson (bad blood, diminished play this year, likely command more money than his worth.)
Johnson Bademosi
Scott Solomon
Austin Pasztor
Tank Carder


Notable Cuts:

Dwayne Bowe (Dead $4.6 million, cap savings $3.4 million)
Paul Kruger ($2.4 dead, $5.3 savings -- Kruger can comlpain about dropping all he wants, but fact is he's in on almost all 3 & medium+ and is not pressuring the QB)


FA Signings:

Darrell Young, FB (3 years, $8 million) -- Excellent lead blocker and capable receiver as well. Unrestricted free agent.


Now, onto the draft. This draft focuses on gathering playmakers all over the field. I am not looking for "solid players." I'm looking for guys who will make a difference between winning and losing. I'm looking for guys who will step up when we need a tide-turning play. Guys who will blow up the lineman and sack the QB. Who will make the key interception. Who will get open 4 or 5 times on a drive to move the ball when we need it.

I'm assuming Pettine is gone. I think Jon Gruden is the next coach of the Browns. His recent comments leading up to and during the Monday night game makes me think he already sees this as his team. Jon Gruden loves Manziel's abilities. I think hiring Gruden would do a lot to repair any ill-will Manziel might feel (deserved or not) towards the organization over the handling of playing time / promotion / demotion this season. I'm expecting that Manziel will be our QB next season.

I'm not sure Joey Bosa is worth the number 1 overall pick. I want him to be. I wish he was. I just see too many plays where he's a non-factor to take him number one overall and project him to outside linebacker. He's not JJ Watt as a 3-4 DE either. So in that case, here's my draft:


1) The Browns trade down around 6 or 7... maybe to St. Louis, maybe to San Francisco, maybe to Dallas who need a QB to have their choice of Goff or Lynch. Maybe to Miami or Philly or even Baltimore who need a pass rusher and take Bosa. We get a 2016 1st, a 2016 3rd, and a 2017 1st.

1td) Jaylon Smith, ILB Notre Dame -- Our ILBs have been a huge problem against the run. Part of that is scheme for sure, but we need a guy who can shut down the run inside and Smith is the best candidate in this year's draft IMO. (Insert Vontae Mack joke here.)

1tu) Yannick Ngakoue, OLB Maryland -- Ngakoue is a very athletic pass rusher who caught my eye last year watching Maryland DL prospects. He's already experienced and highly productive in a 3-4 on an otherwise bad defense. This year his production cranked up even higher and he's second in the nation in sacks. For this move, we move back into the mid/late 1st round. Right now, his "projections" are much, much lower, but I think those rankings are ridiculous. I don't think he's been evaluated by people who are ranking him so low. He will be described as a "late riser" by people who rank players without watching them play.

2) used in trade-up to 1tu pick.

2tu) Vonn Bell, Safety Ohio State -- Another guy who can be counted on to make a big play when you need it on defense, Bell was an impact player for the Buckeyes from the minute he stepped onto the field. He's a terrific man coverage safety and is a good tackler as well.

3) used in trade up to 2tu pick

3td) Travin Dural, WR LSU -- Dural is one of the "easiest" WR prospects in the draft. He's a smooth runner and gets open frequently. I think he'd be ranked higher if he didn't have terrible quarterback play the past couple years. He's a 6'2" big-play wideout who has always averaged a high yards-per catch. He's not as good as Doctson, but he's still an impact guy.

4) used in trade-up to 1tu pick

5) Chris Jones, DL Mississippi State -- Jones is a big penetrating defender. Can play NT or DE.

5c1) used in trade-up to 2tu pick

5c2) Trevon Stewart, DB Houston -- This is the third year I've been talking up Stewart. He's the best player on the Houston defense and one of the most instinctual defenders in college football. Unfortunately, many right remember him as having one of the worst plays of the college season last year in a nationally-televised game, but then he followed it up with perhaps the best defensive play of the college football season in the same game. He makes game-changing plays so often. From intercepting Blake Bortles on the goal line in 2013 to his incredible INT vs. BYU in 2014 to shooting into the backfield on a pitch vs. Memphis causing the RB to fumble on a key turnaround, he consistently has delivered plays when his team needs it. He has experience at FS and at nickel. He only lasts this long because of his size. CBS is showing they are clueless again by ranking him around #900 overall.

5c3) used in trade-up to 2tu pick

6) Nelson Spruce, WR Colorado -- Another player who can be relied on to go to time after time. Spruce is incredibly productive as the leading receiver of Colorado's offense, with double the number of receptions and yards as the next guy on the team. Spruce is fast and gets open frequently and has good size.

7) Tyrone Holmes, OLB Montana -- I have only seen Holmes play in one game... the season kickoff game vs. perennial powerhouse North Dakota State. He DOMINATED the vaunted NDSU OL showing power and good hands in rushing the passer. Putting him in rotation with Armonty at LOLB would wear down a RT and put the team in position to consistently get after the passer in the 4th quarter.

7c) Steven Daniels, ILB Boston College -- The leading tackler on the top run defense in college football. 16 TFLs this season. In the mix for early downs to help create 3rd and longs.



Early Initial 53 Depth Chart:


Offense (24)
QB: Manziel, McCown, Davis
RB: D. Johnson, Crowell, Winston (or UDFA or UFA signing)
FB: Young
WR: Benjamin, Dural, Hawkins, Spruce, Hartline, Moore, (Gordon?)
TE: Barnidge, Telfer, Bibbs
LT: Thomas, Miller
LG: Bitonio
C: Mack, Erving
RG: Greco
RT: Schwartz, Bowie

Defense (26)
LDE: D. Bryant, Cooper
NT: Shelton, Meder
RDE: Hughes, Jones
LOLB: A. Bryant, Holmes
SILB: Dansby, Daniels
WILB: Smith, Robertson
ROLB: Ngakoue, Orchard
Nickel LB: Mingo, Kirksey
LCB: Haden, IEO
RCB: T. Williams, Gilbert
Nickel: K. Williams, Gaines
FS: Bell, Stewart
SS: Whitner, Campbell

Specialists (3)
K: Coons
P: Lee
LS: Hughlett

Alternatively, as much as I hate to say it, we could end up going to a 4-3 next year after our coaching change. In that case, I would have to change this draft:

1) Joey Bosa, DE Ohio State -- I feel much better about him at number one if he's not changing positions.
2) Josh Doctson, WR TCU
2tu) Vonn Bell, S Ohio State
3) used to trade up to 2tu pick
4) Eric Striker, WLB Oklahoma -- he plays OLB in OK's 3-4, but I think his future in the NFL is a Lavonte David-like role.
5) Cassanova McKinzy, MLB Auburn -- strong tackler and run plugger. He's been a standout as long as I can remember.
5c1) used to trade up to 2tu pick
5c2) Trevon Stewart, DB Houston
5c3) used to trade up to 2tu pick
6) Nelson Spruce, WR Colorado
7) Tyrone Holmes, DE Montana
7c) Steven Daniels, SLB Boston College

If Barnidge ends up walking, swap the McKinzy pick for Tyler Higbee from WKU. That guy is really impressive.

Offense (24)
QB: Manziel, McCown, Davis
RB: D. Johnson, Crowell, Winston (or UDFA or UFA signing)
FB: Young
WR: Doctson, Benjamin, Hawkins, Spruce, Hartline, Moore, (Gordon?)
TE: Barnidge, Telfer, Bibbs
LT: Thomas, Miller
LG: Bitonio
C: Mack, Erving
RG: Greco
RT: Schwartz, Bowie

Defense (25)
LE: A. Bryant, Holmes
NT: Hughes, Shelton
UT: D. Bryant, Cooper
RE: Bosa, Orchard
SLB: Mingo, Kirksey, Daniels
MLB: Dansby, McKinzy
WLB: Striker, Robertson
LCB: Haden, IEO
RCB: T. Williams, Gilbert
Nickel: K. Williams, Gaines
FS: Bell, Stewart
SS: Whitner, Campbell

Specialists (3)
K: Coons
P: Lee
LS: Hughlett

One more spot available assuming Gordon is not back. Maybe Pryor?

Steve, I have been thinking of the impact players I most want, and I keep coming back to Jaylon Smith. I am totally on board with trading back in the first and drafting him with our new first.

Cardale Jones = Jamarcus Russell.

Oh, did Jamarcus crush 'Bama, too?

Cardale isn't addicted to lean tho

Don't be silly. JaMarcus Russell was waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay better than Cardale Jones is now.

If we switched to 4-3, then the thought of having a stalwart like Smith at middle linebacker is very appealing. If in a 3-4 his skills are not as useful.

In the end, it all comes down to the QB.

Spot on my man. I agree. I think Grudens comments were a clear indication he wants the job if it opens up.

I'd like to see Johnny play with a coach who likes his skill set and will allow him to play to his strength. Telling Manziel to stick in the pocket or else is like telling a Peyton Manning he needs to roll out 80% of the time. You know, square peg, round hole. A QB has to know his coach is behind him. I don't think Pet has ever been behind the kid.

To pull out a quote from years gone by.....Mike Pettine allows his ego to interfere with making sound football decisions.

Good thing Gruden doesn't have a system that he forces QBs to conform to. . .



Your ego is not your amigo.

Poor Ohio State will be on the outside looking in AGAIN.

Roll Tide Roll!!!!!!!!!!!!!!