Free agency takes place first and once that takes place; the draft is easier to follow.
IMO as things stand today before free agency it probably comes down to two positions WR and DE.
Jermaine Johnson put an exclamation point on his name at the Senior Bowl. He really looks like a great player and would be a great add to Myles.
The playoffs and Super Bowl shows the importance of pass rushing. The playoff teams all had good quarterbacks and dynamic passing attacks. It is imperative to rush the quarterback in waves of pressure. I believe that is what Berry believes.
I actually would not have a problem with signing Clowney and drafting J. Johnson.
On the other the hand the wide receiver room needs new blood. Jarvis returning is a real question mark. Free agency will be explored to bring in a veteran with a track record. Like DE we could bring in a guy or two in FA and still draft a WR at 13.
I would be happy with Wilson, London or Burks. I favor London by a little bit.
I don't see us drafting any other positions with pick 13. Because of the way the draft Board looks and how at 13 BPA should look.
I agree that free agency is important in determining the draft strategy - but the reverse can also be true. I forget what year it was for the Browns, maybe when we signed Conklin? Maybe it's longer ago and my memory is just bad - but there was a year when a position of need for the Browns was a bad year for players coming out of college. We were very aggressive in free agency targeting the player(s) we couldn't or were less likely to find in the draft. That might also be a factor for our solution at kicker ... if there is not a kicker that might step in ALA Evan McPherson then we might have to be more aggressive in free agency ...
I need to watch me some tape on London and Burks as I have only really seen Wilson. I really love what Wilson brings ... I don't think there is a bad choice to be made, but will be fun to analyze like 2 years ago with the LT class.
* Chris Olave is no slouch either. A probable first rounder himself.
Last edited by mgh888; 02/20/2212:27 PM.
The more things change the more they stay the same.
For receivers....Wan Dale Robinson out of Kentucky is a key target for me. I'd probably take him in the 3rd. The kid is going to be a very good NFL receiver. When looking back, he will be considered a steal.
If everybody had like minds, we would never learn.
John 3:16 Jesus said "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."
If he had played the full 12 game schedule his numbers would have been bonkers.
He is expected to run a 4.46 at 6'5". When you watch this guy it is surprising how fluid he is. He is really good after the catch. He has wiggle to get past guys. He plays all over the field.
I really hope we get him.
The best thing would be coming out of the first round with London and a pass rusher. We might be able to get a shot at Karlaftis at around 27 or so. He would worth trading up for.
We could make that trade with a third and fourth. We have extra picks in those rounds.
Christian Watson WR North Dakota St, will be a guy I will be looking at. He’s 6’5” 208lbs, and is expected ro run a 4.4 or less in the 40. They say he also stood out at the Senior.Bowl vs some of the nations top defenders. Will he be at the combine?
The Athletic have Jermaine going #8 overall ... They have the Browns taking Travon Walker at #13, who is a player they state as being much higher on than most. They like Karlaftis - have him going #17 to the Chargers. He is the last Edge guy they have taken in the first round and they have 3 edge guys going before Jermaine.
The more things change the more they stay the same.
The Athletic have Jermaine going #8 overall ... They have the Browns taking Travon Walker at #13, who is a player they state as being much higher on than most. They like Karlaftis - have him going #17 to the Chargers. He is the last Edge guy they have taken in the first round and they have 3 edge guys going before Jermaine.
It's like any rankings..they can be all over the board...at least inside a reasonable range. Once in a grouping of players, someone is going to end up being the best NFL player, others aren't.
If everybody had like minds, we would never learn.
For those who don't know, in years past I would say NO to drafting WR early. My montra was we need 5 good one who have great hands and run great routes and you can get one anywhere in the draft. Unfortunately we never got a guy like Kupp in the 3rd round. But what I did say the time to invest high in the draft on WR is when we pretty much had everything and we should go for a stud WR then. Well now is "THEN" now is the time to invest in a high impact WR as we see the teams we have to compete against for championships and they all have a GO TO STUD some teams have 2 of them but almost all have 1.
We got none - we got some OK guys but no studs. If this kid Drake has Good Hands and doesn't catch with the body as a habit...I say GO FOR IT!!!...Covid is getting to the stages where our QB Baker can spend a lot of time with his rookie WR and work together like a hand and glove so to say. He needs that guy where we go no huddle as in a 2 minute drill and march down the field and score a quick TD. Right now we got to get Baker's confidence level back up and once he does he is so so accurate combined with our running game and we continue to build that stud Defense. We are there Browns fans "DYNASTY"
jmho
Defense wins championships. Watson play your butt off! Go Browns! CHRIST HAS RISEN! GM Strong! & Stay safe everyone!
Bleacher Report Brent Sobliski : Number One receiver in the Draft?
Buying.
Drake London is a 6'5", 210-pound wide receiver. Naturally, detractors automatically say he's just another contested-catch marvel who lacks speed and struggles to create separation.
Neither could be further from the truth.
"The 20-year-old already shows polish with his route-running," Bleacher Report scout Nate Tice said. "He also has the athleticism to sink and come out of his breaks, which is even more impressive given his size. London's natural hands and large catch radius allow him to consistently snatch throws that are away from his body. Plus, his ability to genuinely create yards after the catch on underneath routes and screens is another asset."
Is the former college basketball player adept at using his body and length to go up and pluck the ball out of the air? Absolutely. In fact, he led the nation with 19 contested catches even though he didn't play in USC's final four games because of a broken ankle.
But that's not all he is.
The points about his polish and sink are important. London is very fluid for a bigger target. He can drop his hips in and out of his break so that he runs routes like a much smaller receiver. At the time of his injury, the eventual Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year ranked second overall in yards after the catch, per Pro Football Focus. He was also consistently able to beat man coverage (h/t Feeling Dangerous Podcast's Tyler Johnson). London is effective working either inside or outside the numbers.
On top of the impressive skill set and traits he's already shown, London, who will be 21 through the entirety of his rookie season, will continue to grow and mature. His upside exceeds everyone else's in his position group and places him among the class' best overall prospects.
As long as he's fully healthy by the time of the draft—there's currently no indication he won't be, since the injury didn't involve ligament damage—there's nothing holding London back from being a top-10 draft pick and the first wide receiver off the board.
Really interesting podcast with Qunicy and the scout ... Not sure I entirely buy the lack of faith in the top 3-4 WR's (London, Burks, Wilson). Will be an interesting ride.
The more things change the more they stay the same.
So we have a lot of ammunition to move up between #44 and #78 as well.
Edit to add: Whether we use ammo to move back into 2nd or not, we'll likely be trading a 3rd for a 2nd in 2023 or a 4th for a 3rd in 2023. 2023 already has us with at least one comp pick in the 3rd (Adofo-Mensah sigining).
I like staying "locked and loaded", I'm glad our FO does as well.
Clearly a lot to happen regards free agency - but at this point I would not be surprised to see a trade down from 13 - followed by a trade up from 44. At 13 there is likely to be multiple choices and if we are lucky teams will think about mid teens as a place to go get a QB in this draft.
The more things change the more they stay the same.
Clearly a lot to happen regards free agency - but at this point I would not be surprised to see a trade down from 13 - followed by a trade up from 44. At 13 there is likely to be multiple choices and if we are lucky teams will think about mid teens as a place to go get a QB in this draft.
I'm looking at the teams that draft later and the only real possibilities I see are New Orleans (18) and Pittsburgh (20)
No way were trading with Pittsburgh and not sure the premium would be there with New Orleans. Saints pick would also drop us below the Eagles (two consecutive picks) who may be eyeing a top WR as well. Titans and Dolphins are a long-shot. I guess there's a possibility the teams before us will want to move back in, but usually you just draft the QB in the first place.
Traded down to 18 and got London (in reality I don't think he will be there) - traded up to 22 to get Jermaine (again, doubt he will be there.). Also picked up the North Dakota WR that the Qunicy podcast talked about
If someone would have told me he would be available in the second round. I would have laughed in their face. Even now I have a hard seeing how he got passed up on by so many??
It is so strange how different teams will look at the same player and see something different?
I have watched London and he was unstoppable at USC. They threw it to him over 30% of the time and he caught everything.
Watching Jermaine I see a guy it does it all. He sets the edge. He plays the run. He plays to the whistle. He uses different moves in pass rush. He steers guys with strong hands. Really like him. You can see his quickness and strength when he engages.
In the end I am confident we will get a good pass rusher and a good receiver. This draft is deep at both.
I hope we get London. I see him as a great fit in our offense. We can use him at slot and X. He is diverse. Big, athletic, young (only 20), great hands, and gets YAC yards. He was second in that category. He has a huge catch radius. High points the ball. Had the most contested catches (19). He had 88 catches in 8 games. What else is there to do?
However, I think they will get a pass rusher first. Then pick a receiver. So, most likely it will not go the way I would like.
For sure. Players will rise players will fall - hopefully we get lucky with how it all breaks. In addition to the athletic freaks who will no doubt rocket up boards after/during the combine ... we are at a spot that I think a QB needy team might just feel is the right place to move up for one of these guys who generally aren't considered Top Tier. Hopefully a GM will decide they see something special that others don't and will be willing to give up just a bit more than normal for the 13th pick. . . . stroll on April !! LOL
The more things change the more they stay the same.
Sadly, there's no way I'm considering London at this point. There's no way to know how well, or even if, the ankle will hold up. He could end up being a great player, but it's a lot of risk to use a first round pick without seeing him plant and cut in pads or take a hit post injury. If the medical appears to check out and he looks great at a pro day, I'd put him in the mix, but he'd still have an asterisk. With our injury luck and the longer season, it'd be tough for me to pick a guy that never played more than 8 games a year in his 3 seasons at USC in the 1st round.
You mess with the "Bull," you get the horns. Fiercely Independent.
I have read there was no ligament damage and he will be ready to go. It happened early and he is expected to be ready.
I have not read anywhere that his ankle is a problem.
You've read. Of course that's the message his representation would be spreading. Millions of dollars are at stake. It could even be true. But, it isn't necessarily. Until he shows that he is ready in a football-like environment, He's off my board as far as the first round.
There's also the longevity aspect. He plays hard and fights for every yard, and I love that. But he also takes a lot of hits, and, with respect to his length, there are advantages to durability in compactness. I'll regretfully repeat- He never played more than 8 games a season at USC (per sports-reference, but his USC bio says differently [and the PAC-12s COVID response was the reason for his 6 game 2nd year,] so I'll do some digging,) and availability might be the most important, yet frequently overlooked, ability. To an extent, his build just looks injury prone to me. Some of that might just be youth. There's also the sense that he tends to always have bodies around planted long legs.
I also wish he had more tape against corners that are likely to be drafted before day 3. It's unfortunate that it looks like USC and Washington never played during his collegiate career. I also can't quite figure out how I feel about his production. Yes, the numbers are great. But how do I account for/weight the 5 million bubble screens?
You mess with the "Bull," you get the horns. Fiercely Independent.
correct me if I'm wrong but aren't the Buccaneers looking for a QB possibly in this draft??? If not what did I miss?
Hmmm, maybe.
The drafted Kyle Trask in the second last year.
They have a lot of FAs on offense and likely a lot of holes. I'd think they would "see what they have in the kid" in an obvious year of flux. Maybe sign a veteran mentor type QB and see if that bridge leads to Trask?
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