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In today's creatively fabricated story because nothing is happening due to the coronavirus....

Guys named Louis in St. Louis? Guys named Bill on the Bills?

When does the story about Trump's trump card run?


Does anyone know what the basis of all the stories linking us to Ezra actually is?

We interviewed him, he's a tackle, we share a name, and he has a high SPARQ score or is there more to it?

I hope it's a story we planted to get someone else to overdraft him. Or at least just to disguise our real plans.

"Does anyone know what the basis of all the stories linking us to Ezra actually is?"

Back when NFL front offices were meeting prospects face-to-face, the Browns talked to Cleveland 2-3 times.

My read on that is A) if they don't take a LT in the 1st, who do they like in the 2nd, and B) throw a curve ball to anyone trying to guess their plans.

That depends on weather they go with Plan A, B, C, D, or E. They have a lot of plans in place depending on how the draft goes.

j/c:

I think it’s telling that Schefter tweeted this. The original guy who started this rumor seems like he pulled it straight out of his butt.

And in the post above yours you've got Florio and Simms propelling the rumor because Simms sources didn't text him back.

LOL

I'm definitely going to get a "new" Cleveland jersey if he gets drafted...

Schefter





Everyone


(Obviously.)

I agree. That doesn't change my point.

So to curb the bias one way or another, I researched and found the New England scouting report on Ezra Cleveland. The thought process here is what a perennial playoff team scouts think about a possible draft pick. The Patriots Pre-draft video conference call meeting had this report on Ezra Cleveland:

Boise State’s Ezra Cleveland might be an intriguing mid-round player to keep an eye on as a potential fourth option this year with considerable developmental upside.

Expected round: 3rd-4th

Strengths:
Cleveland’s athleticism and movement skills are his most impressive trait and the reason why he can be seen as a high-ceiling prospect. Measured at 6-foot-6 and 311 pounds, the Boise State product ran the fastest three-cone drill (7.26 seconds) and short shuttle (4.46 seconds) among all offensive linemen participating at the scouting combine. Furthermore, he was one of only three linemen to finish the 40-yard dash in under five seconds.

His athletic profile can also be found on tape: Cleveland is a light-footed player, whose movement in space and flexibility are superb. He is therefore projected to function well in a zone-blocking scheme, while also offering the necessary agility to engage defenders in man-blocking concepts. Cleveland has also shown that he is capable of holding his blocks in both running and passing situations, and when asked to mirror pass-rushers, and that he has little problem identifying his assignments when moving to the second level.

Weaknesses:
While Cleveland’s athletic foundation is impressive, he very much enters the draft as a work in progress in every other aspect of playing offensive tackle and needs to improve across the board from a technical perspective. In short: he is a really raw player that needs time — and around 15 additional pounds on his frame — before he can be trusted on a down-to-down basis against NFL-level competition.

His hands are too inactive and not violent enough, and he often fails to stay in position or to keep his leverage against quicker defenders. Despite his agility, Cleveland is susceptible to inside moves and tends to oversell his position when trying to make edge rushers run the loop around the pocket. Furthermore, his balance is questionable and he needs to get stronger both in his upper and his lower half to get better in this area. At the moment he is too inconsistent at the point of attack despite having played against some middling competition in the Mountain West Conference.

What would be his role?
Unless Yodny Cajuste’s recovery goes awry — he is expected to be fully available again by the time training camp gets kicked off — or Marcus Cannon gets traded to reduce his salary cap impact, Cleveland would likely serve as the team’s fourth option at the position in 2020. This might actually be the best-case scenario for him, though: Cleveland needs some serious development before becoming a backup/swing option let alone a starting-caliber player. Time would be a resource he would receive in New England.

How many downs can he play?
A three-year starter at Boise State, Cleveland should be able to contribute on all four downs at the next level. As noted above, however, his career might start in reserve capacity which in turn would likely limit his actual impact during his rookie campaign to specific situations and special teams work. That said, he does offer starter-upside and therefore potential to play more downs than just the occasional one.

What is his special teams value?
New England likes to use its offensive tackles in the kicking game, with both Marcus Cannon and third option/Isaiah Wynn stand-in Marshall Newhouse seeing regular snaps on field goal and extra point protection units in 2019. A similar role appears to be realistic for Cleveland as well — both during his rookie season and beyond.

Does he have positional versatility?
Cleveland played exclusively at left tackle for the Broncos during the 2019 season, but should be able to function on the right side of the line and in a backup/swing tackle role as well. While he should not be expected to be used elsewhere along the offensive line, his intriguing athleticism might make him a candidate to see regular action as a tackle eligible and potential blocking tight end (think: Nate Solder during his 2011 rookie year).

Will his role change from Year One to Year Two?
Two factors will determine whether or not his role increases between the 2020 and 2021 seasons: 1.) His overall development and technical growth; 2.) The other offensive tackles on the roster and how the team sees them. Realistically, Cleveland will be a much more complete player by Year Two and could find himself in a competition for the starting role opposite Wynn.

Which current Patriots will he have to beat out?
New England currently has four offensive tackles under contract: Isaiah Wynn and Marcus Cannon are the one-two at the position, with Yodny Cajuste expected to enter the season as the third option, and Korey Cunningham a depth option behind them. Cleveland would be guaranteed a roster spot as a possible third-round selection, with his playing time dependent on whether or not he can successfully challenge Cajuste’s standing on the depth chart. This seems unlikely given Cleveland’s rawness, though, meaning that he would probably spend the 2020 season as the team’s fourth tackle.

Why the Patriots?
As noted above, New England appears to be well set at the offensive tackle position but the outlook could be a bit murky due to the various uncertainties surrounding the current top three options. Cleveland would likely not help with those when it comes to the 2020 season, but he would give the team a developmental option with considerable upside and the potential to one day earn a starting role. Investing a third- or fourth-round selection might be worth it from the Patriots’ perspective.

Why not the Patriots? Despite the questions surrounding Wynn, Cannon and Cajuste, New England might opt to not address the offensive tackle spot before later on Day Three. After all, the team has bigger needs at other positions in all three phases. The Patriots might therefore simply not be willing to invest in a developmental player like Cleveland relatively early in the draft, even though his ceiling certainly is an intriguing one. Furthermore, the Patriots may opt to shy away from a player that needs to add strength and mass and might lose some of his elite mobility in the process.

Verdict:
In case New England opts to spend a mid-round selection on an offensive tackle in this year’s draft, Ezra Cleveland might be the most attractive option: he could be a starter in two or three years due to a combination of size and athletic profile that simply cannot be taught. If the Patriots are willing to grant the 21-year-old some time to develop, and feel good about his growth if he adds more mass to his frame and core strength, he certainly should be a player to watch in the late third or early fourth round.

OMG, really, this is the guy that reports have us trading back into the 1st round to draft as our starting LT? I have more faith in the Patriots scouting report that I do in some sports writer. Hmmm, Pats say late 3rd to 4th round major project and people expect me to believe the Browns have him as a 1st round pick. Now this actually would be a horrible pick for the Browns.

Shocker! I didn't know, even as a rumor, that this guy was being considered for a first. This is the kind of guy that I would more expect to see as a part of a picks/player deal perhaps, a 'sweetener' without enough established and demonstrated value. This is just scary. Are we going to treat fans to a dumb draft? I certainly hope not.

Thanks for posting that. Can you link? I'd be interested to know what they think of the other tackles, especially Josh Jones.

He sounds like a good player to draft in say a round 3 and let him develop into a starter in 2 or 3 years. Unfortunately, we need a LT right now and have real needs at LB and SS. If he did last until rd. 3 we could snag him with our other 3rd pick but it doesn't sound like he will still be there.

Eli Apple in NY?

The better value is keeping OBJ considering the cost. But and 2 and a 5 is not too far off considering his injuries, what we paid for him, and the 2019 production.

Yup. Reading that scouting report, if it is to be taken as gospel, then there is no way he should go in the 2nd, much less trading back for him in the 1st.

That would be a colossal waste..... and this also goes to highlight the massive disconnect between "draft gurus" and NFL scouting departments.

A Healthy OBJ with a coach that can read vs. a couple picks...?

I like your posts. You put thought in to them, but I doubt we select a receiver at #10, over even in a trade back.

I see it this way, if Landry and OBJ are really running behind, it might not matter all that muc.


Hooper is a good player. Just like Ozzie, there is a good chance a TE ends up our #1 receiver. To me the #1 is the guy who gets the most first reads. Bang! Throw it to him and take your 8 yards. Do it all the way down the field.

I like long strikes like anybody else, but a 5 yard pass and 3 yard run, I am good with that.
.
Never punt. Just go for it unless it was 4th and impossible

As a offensive aligned team, go for it. Punt when it is late in the game and you want to put yards between the opponent and the goal line.

I watched the week 17 game in 2018 in Baltimore. Perriman and Higgins were both very good.
I hope we can get Higgins back, as a key part of our O.

As good as OBJ is, I don’t feel it was a big need - and I said it then - to give up what we gave for him.

He is still unsigned by any team, so if we want him, he's there to grab.

More likely than not, however, we will roll with the guys on the roster and grab a few UDFA.

Its not gospel ... just more fake news.

Care to expound on that generalized statement mac...

j/c:

A few comments on some of the other comments since I last posted this morning.

--I know what the plan was w/the Sashi group. I am not ignorant. My point is that even though they were trying to accumulate a lot of ammunition, they still made a ton of terrible decisions. They either let--or were unable to re-sign--quality players. They drafted poorly. They made confounding roster decisions. Yes, they did accumulate a lot of draft capital and that is a good thing. However, they were awful in other areas. My biggest point in all of this is that there is no factual proof that SAT scores are directly tied to one's ability to build a football team and all I know is that the talent increased dramatically after they lost power and Dorsey took over. I am not going to debate it. It's beyond debate. With that said, I have an open mind about Berry. I am rooting for him because I like how he has excelled in life. He comes from a great family and he has worked hard. He is extremely intelligent and comes across as a real nice guy. I think he has a shot to do well. I just can't buy into the SAT scores thing.

--So, someone stopped counting once OBJ didn't line up properly after the 30th time? Does that mean you started counting the first time because you knew it was going to be an issue? LMAO...........and do you have video evidence that it was more than 30 times?

--I think the lining up improperly thing is being drastically overstated by folks w/an agenda. I see QBs give hand signals to receivers all the time in the NFL.

--No keith, I don't care if others agree w/me or not about Baker. I stand on my own and don't need to fight as part of a group in order to feel "safe."

--It was funny to see Depo come out and say the rumors of trading OBJ were false and this was after the Minni guy said the same thing, only to see a poster post some dumb video of speculation on trading OBJ.


--I hope the Browns don't trade down. We still have core guys on their rookie deal. The time to win is NOW! Once we have to start paying those guys, it will be harder to build a strong team. I am not saying to go crazy and waste assets. I'm saying to draft BPA and try and win w/in the next two years.

You do realize that that report comes from someone on the site "Pats Pulpit," right? I see nothing that says this comes from an actual Patriots scout...why do you think the Patriots would just have their scouting reports available to everyone on the internet?

Pats Pulpit

I hate to think what Belichick would do to a scout that leaked an actual Patriot's scouting report.

It's purely agenda driven.

Smokescreen by the Pats. Misinformation scouting report. Right up BB's alley - LOL.

Watch them draft him with their 1st rounder - LOL.

*L* If so it an armature attempt at a smoke screen.

Fans of the Vikings and the Packes would very much like to draft EC if falls to them in the first round too.

This is simply a false statement from that fan site.

Ezra Cleveland has outstanding balance, and rarely does he end the play on turf unless he is rolled up on.

I like the guy and think we will move back in to round 1 to get him. I am think the Philly pick at #21.

That is a bit of a reach but no sense trying to squeeze bold out of a turnip. Go ahead and get him in a safe spot rather than misjudge and go a pick later.

So, I sign Jason Peters to a 2 year deal and let Cleveland learn from one of the best for a year or two.

I don't know if players bunk 2 to a room anymore. I would be sure to have them in adjoining rooms. "Ezra, come on over, we are going to watch film for a hour or so and maybe go through some slow motion hand drills."

Coaches are great, but when a player is teaching you it hits a different level. There can be some honesty in the deal. The player isn't looking to cut you. He's just wanting to help, but to be fair, so is the coach. If his teaching leads to poor play by whatever unit he coaches, he gets cut, even if his "students/players" suck.

I wonder if Joe Thomas would work w/our new LT? Let's say we do draft Cleveland. Joe could really help him w/his technique and also show how to overcome a lack of brute strength.

It's not me that seems to be forgetting. I remember well that he was held back from practicing due to his ongoing injury.

It's those who wish to label him as lazy who either forgot or just don't like him having the memory issues.

And people wonder why we can't have nice things.

I think that #21 is probably a good spot with the Vikings @22 showing interst.

I think a lot of people are of the mindset that injury wouldn't prevent him from learning the playbook. We were still wondering how he didn't know where to line-up late in the season.

Not that it's a huge deal, but I wonder if the Browns were aware of the injury before the trade?

I'm not sure if the injury happened before or after the trade.

Pointing to someone's education as proof of competence is extremely flawed logic. Some of the most incompetent people I've come across and worked with have come from some of the best colleges known for taking only "smart" people. Berry's, Stefanski's, and Depo's education literally means next to nothing for the jobs they were hired to do. The only exception could be Depo who's supposed job is to churn data. But we all know he's so much more than that. If yesterday's conference call didn't confirm that for those who have doubts, nothing ever will.



The video was extremely dumb but I'm thinking the poster posted it for additional information on a trade that was being speculated in a thread dedicated to trades. Nothing more, nothing less. I also think it was posted before Depo spoke.

I think there will be a trade down.

Your guessing on weather we’ll trade up or down also ... its no more or less of a guess than trying to figure out who we’ll daft at ten other than theres only 2 options to the trade up or down guess ... its a yes or no .... *L* ...