DawgTalkers.net Forums The Archives 2013 NFL Season NFL Draft (2013) Pick-by-Pick Summary / Reaction

I tried to let myself digest this draft before I posted this. Here is what I think about our picks and what I would have done at each pick. (Yes, I know that Heckert, Holmgren, and Shurmur don't give a double-bird about my grades of their picks, but this is a message board, right?) The "Who I would have taken" and "Also considered" are all assuming I had previously picked the "Who I would have taken" player. If you like, please do the same in this thread!

First off, I probably wouldn't have traded down, but I understand why it was done... so I'll assume that trade.

#27 (#21) Actual Pick - Phil Taylor: I was very happy we went D-Line with our first pick. DT was obviously a huge need for us and Taylor has a big body and a lot of ability. He was extremely costly, though, taking our 1st and 3rd to draft. I am happy with the player, but it cost a lot to get him. I understand that the Jets would have moved up to take him, but let them burn the value of their picks. Kenrick Ellis is a very similar player with better pass-rushing skills who could have been had later.
My Grade: C+ (would have been an A- if he was gotten at 27)
Who I would have taken: Cameron Heyward, LDE also considered: Da'Quan Bowers, DE; Derrick Sherrod, OT; Muhammad Wilkerson, DT

#37 Actual Pick - Jabaal Sheard: I had been saying all leading up to the draft that I wanted us to take DL with the first two picks. After taking Taylor with the first pick, DE was definitely our biggest need. Heckert and Shurmur addressed this with a guy popular on this board that I hadn't seen much of. I tried watching everything I could on him on YouTube and I wish I could have found something showing him making an impact. I'm glad they addressed the need, but I don't think he was the best guy on the board for the position. I am hopeful that he can be good, but I am disappointed we passed on the guys that we did.
My Grade: B- (liked the position but not the player choice)
Who I would have taken: Brooks Reed, RDE also considered: Da'Quan Bowers, DE; Randall Cobb, WR; Marvin Austin, DT

#59 Actual Pick - Greg Little: This is definitely my favorite pick of the draft. He really plays angry. He's definitely got some TO to him physically. That chip on his shoulder really seems to drive him to dominate his matchup. This looks like it will probably be a home run. It's not who I would have picked, but he definitely has potential to be dominant (and better than the guy I would have taken.)
My Grade: A
Who I would have taken: Randall Cobb, WR also considered: Greg Little, WR; Kenrick Ellis, DT; Marcus Gilbert, OT

#70 Actual Pick - NONE
My Grade: N/A (rolled into #27 grade)
Who I would have taken: Kenrick Ellis, DT also considered: none. slam dunk.

#102 Actual Pick - Jordan Cameron: This was a major head-scratcher for me. I don't get why you take a 4th-round TE project when you've already got Watson and Moore, there are a ton of TEs left, and this is a great value round for linebackers. TE was one of the few positions I felt we were pretty set at. You still don't have a starting RT and you take a TE who (in the sentiments of the NFLN analysts) needs to learn how to block? In the fourth round?
My Grade: C- (could be a decent player but there were great need/value matches on the board here!)
Who I would have taken: James Brewer, OT also considered: Colin McCarthy, MLB; Casey Matthews, MLB; Greg Salas, WR; Marcus Cannon, OT

#124 Actual Pick - Owen Marecic: I knew we were going to have to take a FB. I didn't want to, because I love Vickers. I know he's not an ideal fit in the WCO, but I'm not happy about it. It's hard for me to imagine how we're a better team with a guy like that not on it. Marecic was a good player to add, but a 4th is still pretty pricey given our needs. This guy is definitely a better blocker than Havili, but he's nowhere near the receiver Havili is. If he's a blocker, though, why replace Vickers with him, who is the best blocking FB in the NFL and an outstanding ST player? So what if he was a 2-way player in college? Shurmur specifically said they were only looking at him as a FB and St player. The MLBs were off the board at this point, so it wasn't a total loss. It's sad that a FB in the 4th round wasn't one of my three least-favorite picks.
My Grade: C+
Who I would have taken: Jaquizz Rodgers, RB also considered: Rashad Carmichael, CB; Taiwan Jones, RB; Dion Lewis, RB; Tyler Sash, S; Robert Sands, S; DJ Williams, TE

#137 Actual Pick - Buster Skrine: Seriously? We take a CB in the fifth who basically every scouting report reads: "Fast as heck, extremely undersized, can't tackle at all." Didn't we try this with Tim Wansley? Why? Why do we want to run off Eric Wright and draft a corner from a small school who's too short and can't tackle? I don't get this at all. I usually don't care if they want to take a project in the fifth round or later, but this was just a total waste.
My Grade: D (because I won't give a lower grade for a 5th rounder on)
Who I would have taken: Tyler Sash, S also considered: Shiloh Keo, S; DJ Williams, TE; Tyrod Taylor, QB; Pernell McPhee DE

#168 (#150) Actual Pick - Jason Pinkston: No, I didn't like this one either. I really trust the senior bowl week for OL and DL, and this guy was getting beaten time after time around the edge. Even Mayock was saying he would probably have to move inside to guard. I understand that they were probably like "Oh crap! We forgot to draft a RT! We'd better get Pinkston he's the last guy left!" so they moved up to get him. I still don't like it though. He's got short arms and he's not strong? Sounds good.
My Grade: D (two picks for a G when we drafted a guard in Rd 3 last year and have Steiny on the other side)
Who I would have taken: Chris White, MLB also considered: Quan Sturdivant, MLB; Byron Maxwell, CB; Tyrod Taylor, QB

#170 Actual Pick - NONE
My Grade: N/A (rolled into #168 grade)
Who I would have taken: Byron Maxwell, CB also considered: Tyrod Taylor, QB; Stanley Havili, FB; Brian Rolle, OLB; Dane Sanzenbacher, WR; Mark Herzlich, OLB

#248 Actual Pick - Eric Hagg: I would have taken Johnsonor McDaniel here going for safety or Locke at RB given the Browns' previous picks, but it's a player who was rated significantly higher at a position of need, so I don't want to complain about this one.
My Grade: B
Who I would have taken: Mark Herzlich, OLB also considered: Dane Sanzenbacher, WR; Vidal Hazelton, WR; Kai Forbath, K

Best Pick: #59 Greg Little
Worst Pick: #137 Buster Skrine
Overall Grade: C // The Browns got players to fill positions where they had holes, but didn't get who I thought were the best players available to them at those positions. I feel like a machine pre-loaded with needs and internet lists of players could have done at least as good a job. I'm pretty dissappointed after the show they put on last year, but I hope they prove me wrong.

Summary of players I'd have drafted after trade-down:
#27 Cameron Heyward, LDE
#37 Brooks Reed RDE
#59 Randall Cobb WR
#70 Kenrick Ellis DT
#102 James Brewer OT
#124 Jaquizz Rodgers, RB
#137 Tyler Sash, S
#168 Chris White, MLB
#170 Byron Maxwell, CB
#248 Mark Herzlich, OLB

So what are your grades and what would you have done differently?

I am very happy with this draft. We got picks for next year, we got talented players at positions of need, and we got raw players that hopefully can developed into starters.

I can understand why people would be upset with the Cameron pick, but he has unlimited potential. There are only a couple of TE's in the league that have the athletic ability Cameron has.

I don't understand how anyone can hate on the Skrine pick. The guy is a raw athelete who hopefully can develop into something more. He should be able to contribute on special teams immediately and we got him in the 5th round.

Obviously you can look back and say you would have taken a different player, but in the end you have to trust our front office's abilities and wait to see these guys on the field.

I am overall happy because I knew that it wasn't going to be a "sexy" draft from the moment that we traded down. While I didn't know what we are doing, we are going to build the foundation of a team and not just try to add in a few stars to a bunch of cast offs...

One thing I wanted to point out was that while some players from this draft won't stick (could be gone in a year or by camp who knows?) ...I did find it interesting seeing how the results of this draft and the guys who are still around from the last draft fit together.

Offense:
LT: none
LG: none
C: none
RG: Lauvao
RT: Pinkston
TE: Cameron
WR: Mitchell
WR: Little
FB: Marecic
RB: Hardesty
QB: McCoy

Defense: (Which might be a little more difficult considering the switch)
DE: Sheard
DT: Taylor
DT: None
DE: None
OLB: None
MLB: None
OLB: None
CB: Haden
CB: Skrine
FS: Hagg
SS: Ward

... We are still trying to build this team with players that will be effective in the long term. This list doesn't even include trades or free agent signings ... but I know that even if a few of these guys don't pan out, that's not a bad haul for only being with the new regime for two years. Plus, we have 9 picks for next year, and two in the first really can't hurt.

Quote:

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Obviously you can look back and say you would have taken a different player,

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No, these are really the players I wanted us to take. Obviously with the trades that was thrown off a bit, but these are all guys I've talked about wanting leading up to the draft, as well as what rounds I talked about them going in.

Quote:

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but in the end you have to trust our front office's abilities and wait to see these guys on the field.

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This is absolutely correct and I hope they prove me wrong. Go Browns.

I posted this in the other thread but copied it over here since it fits.

For the record, as much as I disliked our first round, I really liked the rest of our draft for the most part.

Phil Taylor - starter at DT from day 1. Disappointing knowing we had the #6 pick and had to burn a 3rd to end up with this guy, but I do think he'll be a good player for us at 43DT. Good player, just not a great value pick.

Grade C+

Jabaal Sheard - starter at DE from day 1 opposite Jayme Mitchell. He was the best pass rushing 43 end on the board when we picked and it was a huge need for us. He may not ever be elite but he was on my short list at 37 from the start. Our starting DLine is now set : Mitchell/Rubin/Taylor/Sheard.

Grade : B+

Greg Little - good God do I hate this pick. First the guy is an idiot for accepting $$ from an agent. Second, he has only played the WR position for 2 years. He's a freaking RB/wildcat QB. Third, he has questionable route running skills...aka the 2nd most important thing for an NFL WR right behind hands. Sure he has eye-popping athleticism but that usually gets you drafted for Oakland not real teams. Personally I think Baltimore rat-effed us by taking Torrey Smith one spot ahead of us at 58. I HOPE he was our actual target and then once he was gone we panicked and took Little. But, even if we were hell-bent on a WR here Randall Cobb or Leonard Hankerson were still on the board. Hello?

Grade : D

Jordan Cameron - Well this is a head scratcher but he is very athletic and a good catcher. Good fit for a WCO TE. This pick makes a LOT of sense IF IF IF we're trading/getting rid of one of Watson or Moore. If not, I'm not too sold on taking a 3rd string TE in the 4th round. I'm grading this assuming we're getting rid of one of the other two and he'll be in the TE rotation this year.

Grade : C+

Owen Marecic - probably my favorite pick of our entire draft. No not probably it IS my favorite pick of the draft. He's athletic enough to run the football, but he really excels as a pass-catcher which is the most important skill-set for a WCO FB. Vickers is gone. He was gone the day we hired Shurmur and switched to the WCO. I'm sad to see him go but Marecic will be a S-T-U-D for us at FB, you wait. Not to mention he's plain mean. Marecic and Hillis in the same backfield? Look out. He's an iron-man who played FB AND MLB AND special teams at Stanford. He was a fan favorite and more importantly Harbaugh's favorite player on their team. Not only will he be our starting FB day 1 but he will bring his LB skills to special teams and will be a ST DEMON. Cleveland fans will learn to love Owen Marecic.

Grade : A

Buster Skrine - A fast corner from a small school. Flew under a lot of people's radar. Definitely worth a flyer late in the draft where we got him. Sometimes these under the radar guys turn into gems. Sometimes they don't. Worth the gamble.

Grade : C+

Jason Pinkston - Just terrific fantastic value this late in the draft. I had him at #90 on my board and we got him at #150. I think he's too small to play tackle in the NFL so he kicks inside to guard but you never know. Could be Steiny's future replacement at LG or (more than likely) he's the future starter at RG or maybe even our RT. I was hugely disappointed in Lauvao last year so this is a young guy to develop on the right side of our line IMO.

Grade : B

Eric Hagg - Meh. Another safety from Nebraska. He's more of a hitter than a coverage guy IMO and we already have Ward for that role. I doubt he makes the team but being the 6th from the last pick in the whole draft I'm not too worried about it.

Grade : C

1: I am actually surprised that the Chiefs didn't stand pat and take him with the 21st pick, they could use an NT like that.

I keep reading the word SOME when describing off field incidents he has been involved in but they only produce one. Where is the SOME they keep printing? SOME implies more than one by definition. I think SOME scouts/sites all read the same report and fans think by the number of sources that a player is a concern when it is not necessarily the case.


2. Sheard scares me. He looks mean, allegedly kept punching a guy after the cops told him to stop. Which I guess was AFTER he threw the guy through a plate glass door. Later, he saves an old lady from a burning building, becomes team captain and saves the day.

So our first two picks have temper issues. That can be a good thing if properly controlled.


3. Little looks like a playmaker in the making. He needs to learn routes but I like the fact that he can catch and has size and was a running back. That skill set translates extremely well to the WCO I think.

As for his diva attitude, just make him roommates with Sheard. That'll cure that.

Just a thought, but you didn't address the value of the picks we got for next season.. Adding them in, I don't see how you can make the first round pick only a C+.

Otherwise,your opinion is as good as anyones...

Shurmur and Heckert said that Pinkston would be playing guard with the ability to slide out to tackle in emergencies.

As the draft first started and the rumbles of a trade with Atlanta began to surface, I quickly did the value chart look-up and saw there was no way to pull off an Atlanta trade without venturing into next years picks. In my predisposed selfish fandom nature, realizing I've already seen more sunsets than I will ever see again, didn't cotton too much to the idea. I want to win now. I want an impact player, a star at the top. After all, it worked out quite well with Haden last year.

Logic being what it is, kind of difficult to argue with, caused me to rethink that position after realizing even with a star, we aren't going to win now. Too many pieces to our puzzle need to be in place and we just don't have that many adequate puzzle pieces to play with. The trade with Atlanta was after all the best scenario for our Browns. We may not win now but we may win a lot sooner by making the trade. Cheers to our leadership for steering this team on the correct path to give us the best opportunity to turn this around sooner rather than later.

Not being the draft guru that some of your are or profess to be, I don't have enough time in my life to watch all the college games and really have a clue what this player has to offer over that player. I acquiesce to our leadership which I've already surmised knows much better than I how to steer this ship, has chosen wisely and am happy with this draft.

I can't give it a grade, as what makes up the differences be an A, B or C is speculative at best and I would just be high-lighting my ignorance of the many facets that go into the decision making behind a real NFL draft.

So I'll settle for happy and look forward to football in the fall if the powers that be pull their heads out of their collective asses and provide it to us. If not, I'll play golf and fish more.

Overall I'm happy with this draft....remember: you have to add ATL's 1st and 4th next year to the haul.

Taylor: Good, solid pick. Only player I'd have taken over him was Jordan. K.Jenkins, Ngata upside? I'm in. He'll be ok and help day1. Grade: B+

Sheard: He was my #1 target here at the time of the pick, so I'm very happy. Guy can really rush the passer. Value and need. Great pick. Grade: A

Little: He was 1 of the players I wanted to avoid on day 2. Too much projection, too little actual production due to dumb behaviour, position conversion etc...hyped prospect, who we bought very high, too high imho, much better value at WR later but what makes this pick worse: he wasn't even my #1 WR here, that was Cobb, who also is a perfect WCO fit...Cobb will be the much better player in the first 2 years, you better don't compare the two the next seasons or you'll cry and slam your head over why we took a project like Little...that may explain why teams like the Packers are perennial PO teams and we suck, they don't outsmart themself as often as we do, we did here 100%, sorry to say that. I said the same thing in 09 when the Colts took WR Collie in the 4th and we took our 2 toothless stooges in round 2..bad value, bad picks, wasted picks. Heckert gets project/HR-happy too early, gotta correct that and uake better/safer production in the top 75 over pure projection.
That said: he does have a higher ceiling and was probably Heckert's last chance at an elite outside WR...longshot though and way too early at #59 to take a project. Grade: C-/D+

Cameron: I wanted Cameron Jordan, we got Jordan Cameron Well, another pure projection, little production kind of pick. I do have some very positive film reviews on this guy though, so that's something. Obv he's very athletic but what I also like is that he seems to be a willing and decent open field blocker. WR/TE hybrid ala Moore...he's raw, but in the 4th I can live better with a pick like that. Would have drafted CB House, DE Acho, CB Burton or LB McCarthy over him but we didn't completely waste this pick. I also think that TE was a much bigger need than people realize...Watson is 30+ and coming off a career year, Moore simply can't be trusted...we had nothing else. I'm ok with the position but probably would have decided for DJ Williams gun to my head. Again Heckert went with the higher ceiling guy over proven, better actual production....the problem with high-ceiling guys is simply that they seldomly reach that high ceiling, after all they had years in college to reach that ceiling. Sometimes NFL GM's outsmart themselves on stuff like that and undervalue guys who are better but have "lower ceilings"...of course they have lower ceilings, they ARE already better than most higher ceiling projects..I digress...Grade: C+

Marecic: This one will be tough to understand for most, since it's all about value. I love Marecic the player, he's a low ceiling, very high floor prospect = a safe bet to make the roster and see the field instantly and constantly. After week 1 I'm sure all Browns fans will love the guy. He played in a WCO in college, he's as pro ready as anybody in the draft.
That said: he wasn't a good pick with what was left on the board. FB simply isn't of high value of a position, in fact it rates lowest next to K and P. I honestly can't believe we left prospects like CB House, CB Burton or RB Quizz Rodgers on the board...probably Heckert still liked some of the CBs and had them rated equally and FB he/they only loved Marecic and thought: let's go get him? I dunno, they must have had a 3rd round grade on the guy to take him here. Funny thing is, this pick, after 2 very boom or bust selections, was as safe as it gets...in fact part of my criticism is that it is TOO safe, low ceiling at a low value position normally doesnt equate to a 4th...he will be a ST and on the field leader on Offense though, I'm starting to see a pattern here...we took some high energy guys. Otoh, he replaces Vickers, who was a 6th rounder btw...looks somewhat a lateral move on paper but I like and am sold on the player, so that's something. Grade: C+

Skrine: Folks, this was a very, very good pick. I would have probably taken Burton over him but Skrine is a perfect (and better than Burton) Nickel-CB. Speed, speed and speed. Not only straight line, sick sub 6.5 3cone. He fits what Jauron wants: Speed and gangtackling beyond the DL...so his tackling issues won't weigh in too much as there should be 2-3 Ewok/anklebiters on the ball carrier every time. Really like the value and the player here. Grade: A-

Pinkston: Outstanding uptrade and pick. This guy could be a day 1 starter and probably got downgraded because he was owned at LT by Cam Jordan in Mobile. He won't play LT for us, in fact I've read he looked much better at RT in the SR Bowl practices. He's versatile, can play 3 positions (both Gs and RT), is very experienced. I love the value but I love the player even more...I would have been very happy had we selected him at 102, in fact I'll just pretend we picked him there, Cameron at 124 and Marecic at 150 and that 3rd day looks much better from a value standpoint. He's a better prospect than Lauvao was last year imho. Like Lauvao, he projects to G but he has much better RT upside, that's the kicker. I expect him to be our 6th/7th OL as a rookie and fight for a starting spot from the get go and eventually start somewhere along the OL. Just a great pick this late. Grade: A+

Hagg: Well, our Mr.Irrelevant could have been much, much worse. He probably would have been in my top 10 left and is a decent guy to fill the roster at a position of need but man RB Locke and NT Neild were still available, who I would have selected over him, probably Neild because I figure I can get a Locke or Devine as a 3rd RB in UDFA...can you imagine a rotation of Rubin, Taylor and Neild at DT...damn. Still a very solid pick and a guy that has a decent chance to make the roster and contribute on ST but his upside is probably Elam, so our FS hole still isn't adressed properly...but this late. Grade: B-

Day 1: B
Day 2: A-/B+
Overall Grade: B to B+

Hindsight Mock:

21 DE C.Jordan
37 DT Paea
59 WR Cobb
102 DE Acho or LB McCarthy
124 CB House
150 OL Pinkston
248 NT Neild

This would have been just wow but Heckert did a good job too

What's that site that u initially put up that real long breakdown of Gabbert awhile back?

Does it have our guys on it also?

I'd like to scan it.

Phil Taylor - Solid B+ grade.

Needs to improve his hand usage to make this an A but man this kid was better than a lot of folks that went ahead of him. That first round probably goes down as the biggest bust round in the history of the NFL. Reminds me of Vince Wilfork..


Sheard - A

No way should this kid have fallen into our lap in the 2nd round. First round talent that slid through the cracks. Late bloomer talent wise that just takes to coaching. Reminds me of Jevon Kearse.

Little B+

Only reason it wasn't an A is because I liked Cobb better. He plays the game at full speed. Catches everything thrown his way. He has crazy feet when he has the ball in his hands. Fights for the ball. Raw route runner, raw as a receiver very coachable prospect. Reminds me of TO with better hands.

Cameron D

I understand the pick. I see the amazing upside. Huge kid with blazing speed and good hands. Beyond raw as a TE. Very coachable prospect. Major risk of bust. Reminds me of Jimmy Graham.

Marecic A

I'll take a kid like this any day of the week. Plays hard. plays violent. He is a throwback football player about to be paired with a throwback football player. Loved this pick as he fits Shurmur's idea of a fullback.

Skrine incomplete

never seen the kid play but he is fast. Sounds like a Jauron type of DB and Jauron loves to coach these kids.

Pinkston B+

3rd round talent in the 5th. He has that big ole bubble butt that you look for in a guard. Good leg drive and hand usage. short arms but that wont be an issue with the move to guard. Major steal here. Reminds me Lauvao lol

Hagg incomplete

I know he comes from one of the best secondaries in all of college football but I dont remember anything about the kid.

There is a pattern with the way we drafted this year. All these kids have already earned the rep for wanting to learn. All of these kids have a bit of a violent mean streak on the football field and some off the field. These are all kids with a very high ceiling as far as potential.

It was also a pattern we saw with most of our picks last year.

First off, for those who think we should have drafted LB or S or CB, in the 4th rd. The more I think about it, the more I thiink we drafted for the player to stick w/the team. Between FA LB's & DB's there's a good chance that whoever we did draft would have to be put back on the burner & let develop, which is not a bad thing, BUT, I think we have other pos. that we would keep ahead of these guys for further development. I mean, we have what? 53 man roster, chances are very good that we keep guys who we think can come in NOW & get some playing time now, rather than having to wait a yr. or two.

A few yrs. ago our first pick started in rd. #4. We took a LB, & I don't think he lasted more than a yr. If we had picked the BPA regardless of pos. I think he might have made the grade. I like the fact that we did not force a pick just because we had a need, but seemed to take a player who has a much better chance of making the Team.

Mour: Based on your ratings, where would our first three draft picks been taken?

I don't know anything about Haag, but I saw this little snippet on FoxSports and thought it was interesting .....

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/2011-NFL-draft-grades-for-each-team-043011

Cleveland Browns: B

Draft picks: DT Phil Taylor (first round), DE Jabaal Sheard (second round), WR Greg Little (second round), TE Jordan Cameron (fourth round), FB Owen Marecic (fourth round), CB Buster Skrine (fifth round), RT Jason Pinkston (fifth round), DB Eric Hagg (seventh round).

Analysis: The first three draftees should challenge for a starting job this season, so the Browns got nice value. Hagg is well-respected by the scouting community and could start down the road.

I had Taylor as the 12th best player and 3rd defensive tackle but honestly i didnt see a lot of difference between Dareus and Taylor. I didnt have a QB until 15 that being gabbert and I only had 2 offensive tackles in the top 30. I took Cannon out due to his cancer. I hate the tall lean tackles.

Little was 28th but my 4th receiver behind Green, Young and Cobb. Julio Jones didnt even make my top 40.

Sheard was my 4th DE behind Quinn, Watt, Aldon Smith and 20th on my overall list.

I'll play... not going to put grades and I'm going to start this by saying I'm no where NEAR an expert so I'll trust H&H... I listened to all their press conferences and they ound really confident and unless they are flat out lying really sound like these are the guys they really wanted and feel that they didn't reach...

so here we go

Phil. Taylor DT

ok - so this is the only one I think we might have reached on, but if he was rated as high on the Browns board as they said and they felt like they had to trade up then so be it... from what I've seen (which isn't much) he's a huge kid who really eats up blocks. I saw highlights from the OU game last night (one in which Heckert talked about) and I was fairly impressed. He seemed to take up double teams and even got to the QB a few times. I read a bunch of stuff about him being better suited for the 3-4 but Baylor played the 4-3.... I'm not that worried about his 'off the field' stuff as it seems he's grown up... he seems to be conscious of his weight and would like to keep it down... hopefully he continues to stay around 330lbs.... I do wonder about the MRI results... Browns say it's crap... a lot of talking heads say that's why he fell

Jabaal. Sheard DE

Love this pick... I think he was really coveted by a lot of teams. We really need DL help and with our first two picks I think we really helped our line out... at least it should make the change to the 4-3 smoother... he's another pick with off the field issues, but I did read in high school he won a bravery medal for helping an elderly lady out of a burning house... also from what I've read he was defending a friend when he got hit with assault... who knows... part of me likes a d-line with a mean streak

Greg. Little WR

Never heard of this kid until we drafted him. Like his size, don't like his speed or his experience... H&H said that they like his route running and think he can break a lot of tackles... Shurmur said he thinks he can be our #1 (which might not be saying much). I read something that said he has the potential to be the 2nd best WR in the draft behind AJ Green with some coaching.... we'll see... with the WCO we needed more weapons

Jordan. Cameron TE

Another guy I never heard of until this weekend... he has a youtube video with Blake Griffin pimping him... gotta love that Dude does look like he has some hops... I don't think TE was a huge need for us, but again we need more weapons in the WCO and he looks like he has at least decent hands... he should do well on special teams as well - loved the highlight of him covering an on-side kick against VA.

Owen. Marecic FB

This one intrigues me... I REALLY like this kid for his heart and toughness... but I really like Vickers as well... with that said I think Owen is more of a WCO FB than Vickers is. So it doesn't surprise me all that much that we would draft a FB. Vickers is one of the best blockers in the NFL but I'm not sure how much he'd be used in Shurmur's offense. We need a FB that can catch out of the back field. Owen also looks to be a pretty good blocker and as some have said we also got younger at that position.

Buster. Skrine CB

When we picked this one I thought to myself? Who is this and what college did he go to? haha Looks a bit undersized for a CB but may does he have some wheels... I really hope he does well

Jason. Pinkston T

Seems to be a good pick... I can see him at guard and maybe eventually moving to tackle... I liked this pick

Eric. Hagg S
Well... for a 7th round pick this isn't that bad of a pick... we get a guy coming out of a great defensive team... looks like he's not the best run stopper and sometimes bites on play action (from what I've read) but again for a 7th rounder I think this is a solid pick up.

Overall I thought besides the trade at #6 our draft was not flashy and not really that exciting... but the more I think about what we picked up and the more I listen to our management the more excited I get... we still have holes and I really hope we can get FA going soon...

I hope I'm not just drinking the cool-aid... but I know that this year we're at best winning 6-7 games... no way we win too many more than that with a new regime and no off-season.

Sounds like you did your homework! I don't follow college ball, so I have to count on people like yourself to keep me informed. Thanks.

I love this draft. IMO, it's the best draft the Browns have had since the return.

21. Phil Taylor DT Baylor
Analysis: 21. Cleveland Browns (from KC) – Phil Taylor DT Baylor
Analysis: After passing on Julio Jones and Nick Fairley to trade back with Atlanta, the Browns trade up with Kansas City to nab Phil Taylor. Taylor is a big, strong defensive tackle with a ton of potential as a run stuffer. He is also surprisingly athletic for his size, and is capable of rushing the passer. Ahtyba Rubin is the team’s only incumbent starter along the defensive line as they transition to a 4-3 defense, and the two should combine for a great run stopping duo. Defensive coordinator Dick Jauron’s defensive scheme requires the defensive tackles to stop the run and take up blockers, so the pick does make sense. However, Cleveland passed on the opportunity to add a dynamic player and needs to add skill players.

Grade: B (only because the 3rd, otherwise A-)

37. Jabaal Sheard DE Pittsburgh
Analysis: Sheard is a great pass rusher with a plethora of moves. He can use speed off the edge or even bull rush. He played left end in college and has schematic versatility, and though his size suggests otherwise, he is actually quite good against the run. Sheard fits a huge need and is the best defensive end left on the board.

Grade: A+

59. Greg Little WR North Carolina
Analysis: Little is an extremely talented wide receiver who is a perfect fit for the West Coast Offense. A former running back, Little does a great job of getting yards after the catch. At 6'2 1/2" 230, he is a physical specimen and should become a force on the outside. He is raw as a route runner, but considering he has only played one full season at wide receiver, he should improve significantly with coaching.

Grade: A

102. Jordan Cameron TE USC
Analysis: Cameron is a physical freak at 6'5" 255 and has huge potential as a vertical threat. Benjamin Watson is aging, and Evan Moore is hurt too often to be seen as a good weapon. Cameron has big, strong hands and if he can continue to develop, could become one of the elite receiving tight ends in the NFL. However, there were bigger needs to address here and Cameron is unlikely to contribute immediately.

Grade: B-

124. Owen Marecic FB Stanford
Analysis: Marecic is a punishing fullback who always gives incredible effort. Though he doesn't offer much versatility on offense, he played linebacker at Stanford and should be a great special teamer as well. In the fourth round, there are more important positions to address than fullback, especially for a team with as many holes as the Browns. The biggest downside of this pick is that it means Lawrence Vickers won't be back in Cleveland.

Grade: C+

137. Buster Skrine CB Chattanooga
Analysis: Skrine is incredibly fast and quick with excellent strength (20 reps of 225) and physicality for his size. He projects as a nickel corner and has the quickness to hang with the best of slot receivers.

Grade: A-

150. Jason Pinkston OT Pittsburgh
Analysis: Pinkston projects as an OT/OG swing man, and at the very least, should be a quality backup. He adds much needed depth along the offensive line, and could even end up starting at right tackle this season.

Grade: A

248. Eric Hagg S Nebraska
Analysis: Hagg is a smart, high motor player who is somewhat similar to Jim Leonhard. He doesn't have a ton of upside, but he should be at least a good depth player and special teamer, and that isn't a bad thing at the end of the 7th round.

Grade: B

Overall: This was an excellent draft. Multiple instant starters were selected, and all of them have high upside as well. All of the team's major needs were addressed, and they managed to avoid reaching at any one spot. If the 1st rounder picked up from Atlanta is added into the equation, the Browns' class is even better. While this draft may not make the Browns a good team immediately, it will pay dividends in the future. A good team nucleus is developing, with quality players on both sides of the ball.

Grade: A

I have been listening to ESPN Bruschi loves Jabaal Sheard.

He cant believe the Pats didnt take him with their pick.
Thats good enough for me

Back to Teddy .... he just said we had the best draft in the AFC.
I always did like teddy

I don't mind saying that I was pretty disappointed with this draft. I fealt like we were replacing players we lost or walked.

Sorry but
Phil Taylor<Sean Rogers. I understand getting a big body but we have a slow lumbering D as it is. We weren't particularly good at stopping the run with Rogers, dont know why we're going to be great at it now by swapping in this kid. And let's not fool our selves thinking this kid is more than 2 o3 sacks a year.

Owen Marecic<Vickers. You can't say Vickers doesn't fit in a WCO and this kid magically does. He appears to catch passes about as well as vickers. In fact, his skill set looks very similar to Vickers. You're telling me his "passion and fire" is better?

Jabaal Sheard. Love what I'm reading. But then I watch tape and I see a pedestrian rotation guy. Probably pretty decent but what I'm seeing does not look like doubt-digit sacks in NFL.

Greg Little. Looks like good size but again, this team lacked speed before the draft. It still does.

Jordon Cameron... I get that you need lots of big smart pass catchersWRs & TEs in a proper WCO. He could be used as WR in the JJ model but again, Speed? Both receivers I'm willing to wait and see.

Jason Pinkston... Not excited. As someone said and ive read elsewhere he got abused at times this year. backup depth I guess, we do need that.

Buster Skrine... You don't take WR noatter the numbers if the knock is he has bad hands. And you don't take CB no matter the numbers if the knock is he can't tackle. Whatever, late rounder, not going to think about it.

Concerning Cameron...he has pretty good speed and size. I am wondering if we aren't looking at him as a wideout or big slot receiver akin to Joe J.??

The word is he has great hands and catches everything.

With the quick hitters we will probably run, a big target who catches the ball is appealing.


Little.....I like the pick. Someone mentioned TO...and that is what I thought.

I think that guy is going to be a serious weapon....he's on my keeper league radar.


On Marecic...am I just thinking crazy....it's been a crazy last few days around here...could we be looking at him as a MLB???

He's not real fast, but a big MLB in a 4-3 doesn't have to be all that fast.

So you didn't like every pick.

Watch what I can do...

Phil Taylor > Sean Rogers. Getting a young big body who actually cares about playing football and is not constantly injured should be good. We weren't good at stopping the run last year with Rogers, but he didn't really give a crap and was always hurt (not to mention the fact that he didn't even play that much). Taylor could get three sacks a year, which would be pretty good for a run stuffing defensive tackle.

Owen Marecic > Vickers. Vickers doesn't fit in a WCO and this kid does. He appears to catch passes better than Vickers. In fact, his skill set looks very similar to Vickers. And his passion and fire are just about the same as Vickers. So we got a younger version of Vickers and a guy who played our offense in college.

Jabaal Sheard. Love what I'm reading. Then I watch tape and I see guy with a never ending motor. He's at least a decent rotation guy but what I'm seeing looks like doubt-digit sacks in NFL. (Where'd you get Pittsburgh game film anyway?)

Greg Little. Looks like he has good size, which makes up for his lack of speed. Good thing West Coast receivers don't need to be burners (just look at the 2010 Green Bay Packers).

Jordan Cameron...You need lots of big smart pass catchers wide receivers and tight ends in a proper West Coast Offense. This guy has both size and speed. A 6'5" 250 pound tight end that runs a 4.59 forty yard dash. He could take a little time to develop, but he has the potential to be a monster.

Jason Pinkston... Pretty excited. As someone said and I've read elsewhere he got abused at times this year. But he's a three year starter at left tackle and is at least good depth, which we need.

Buster Skrine... He's got really good combine numbers and can cover pretty well. And he's a corner, not a linebacker, so it's not he's got to be a great tackler.







Anyone can just say a bunch of negative (or positive) things about a bunch of players. Most of whom they have never seen play before. There is no way we can tell what any of these players will be in the future. But why be so negative?

Quote:

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On Marecic...am I just thinking crazy....it's been a crazy last few days around here...could we be looking at him as a MLB???

He's not real fast, but a big MLB in a 4-3 doesn't have to be all that fast.

---

From Marecic's conference call:

Quote:

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(On what position he will play in NFL)- “I’ve been training as a fullback. I always tried to train to be a football player but fullback may be the place I feel at home best.”

(On if the Browns consider him a fullback)- “Yes, I believe so.”

---

From Tom Heckert

Quote:

---

Tom Heckert

(On fullback Owen Marecic)- “Obviously, Owen you know the whole story about him playing both ways. He’s going to be a fullback for us. But he’s a great kid. Super-hard worker. I don’t know if you guys got a chance to talk to him, but he’s a legit fullback. I mean he can lead block, he can catch the ball, he can run the football, but obviously his strength is blocking and catching. We think he’s going to be a great special teams player. And I think Jordan Cameron will be a really special teams player too. He played a lot for Southern California. We think both of those guys will help us on offense and on special teams as well.”

---

Thing is, Buster is a pretty good tackler.



His nickname is easy....Buster Brown.

Taylor - Huge, mean and athletic. From watching the videos, he doesn't hold back, he likes to hit. Just what the doctor ordered.

Sheard - Big, mean and athletic. After watching the videos, he doesn't look like he's got NFL sack talent, but others who have more expertise than I do seem to think so.

Little - Big, mean and athletic. Braylon with better hands? Don't like the showboating.

Cameron - Given our offense, you can't have too many of these types. I think he'll see a lot of action this year.

Marecic - This is a head scratcher. I think most here underestimate Vickers' pass catching skills. Was this just to save money?

Skrine? WTF. He's a smurf. We don't need Ice Cube II.

Pinkston - We needed OL, and hopefully he was the best available at that spot we traded for.

Hagg - last pick crapshoot.

For those speculating on position for some of these guys.... if you watch the press conference on the main page the powers that be have already stated that Pinkston will start learning at guard, and Owen will be a FB.

I personally don't think they brought Cameron in here to convert to wideout. I think he is our answer to the current TE trend in the league.

Skrine will hopefully keep our nickle package from getting burned all the time. I have my fingers crossed for him.

I am obviously homering here, but the Steelers had just selected Cortez Allen from The Citadel,....and Buster was the next BPA available (?).

We took a TE before the Steelers got Allen,....do we need a TE ?

Did we not still need a corner at THAT point in time ?

I do not like BPA in the late rounds, I guess is my point,....

Maybe I'm seeing this wrong. Doesn't matter,...In H&H we trust,....!!

Brandon Flowers is a top 5 cornerback in the NFL at only 5'9".

If he averages 60 tackles and 3 interceptions a year like Flowers, I'll gladly eat my words.

I really don't think a 5'8" corner is going to keep any qb from throwing to his 6'2 receivers.

Darrell Green.

He's our nickel-CB with #2 spot start upside (think Devon Holly with more speed)...and since the nickel-CB is on the field on 60% of the snaps, he's seen as a starter by most FO people...we haven't had a decent (and quick/fast enough) nickel-CB like forever..it was a big need. Burton was still on the board, who is a prospect for the outside....we went Skrine because of speed and because we targeted the nickel-CB pool....and btw: I think Skrine is a better prospect than Cortez Allen, who, like Burton was an outside prospect, who teams value more of course...but we are set at outside with Haden, Brown and Wright. We wanted someone who can stay close to and cover the Welkers, McClusters, Amendolas of the NFL...enter Skrine

We wanted someone who can stay close to and cover the Welkers, McClusters, Amendolas of the NFL...enter Skrine

Thank-you