DawgTalkers.net Forums The Archives 2013 NFL Season NFL Draft (2013) Mitchell Schwartz - Browns - #37 Overall Pick

Wow.

Wisconsin had a pretty decent defense last year, and he was burying guys. Gotta love that!

I had visions of Richardson running off a Schwartz block ....... for an 80 yard TD ..... The video gave me chills.

Watching the senior bowl... Schwartz absolutely crushed Coples on a run. Just put him on his back. Glad he's on our team.

Exactly what I have wanted....a road grader on the right side. Get on someone, and flatten them.

Schwartz owned everyone who lined up across from him in the Senior Bowl from what I have read.

He looked pretty decent in the practices. He's been terrific in the game.

Doug Martin has been awesome in this game. So has Antonio Allen.

I have seen a lot of draft grades saying they downgraded us because we didn't get one of the WR's available at 37.... then they go on to say how good this kid is and how he will be a solid force at RT for a long time.. well we couldn't get both and if the choice was between this kid and a potential reach at WR, I think we made the right choice.

Man, if we had DeCastro at 22 and left QB for next year, I would be sooo much happier about this draft.

I doubt it.

I think that our defense will be improved a fair amount. We'll be able to run the ball. I think that we have a couple of new pass catchers in Richardson and Smelley who will help. I think that Weeden will improve our passing game tremendously.

Again, he's not the guy I originally wanted, obviously ..... but I think that he'll be a plus pro QB. He shows great accuracy, arm strength, and anticipation on his throws .... all things that were missing last year.

I think that this team will improve a great deal next year from last. I'm not worried that we'll score 13.6 freakin points/game again. I think that we will steal some wins that we shouldn't, and be better than most people expect. I do not believe that we have caught the rest of our division, but I do believe that we closed ground on them.

Honestly, I haven't felt this positive about the start of a Browns season in years and years.

I don't doubt that we'll improve (it will be hard not to), but we're most likely looking at another 4-6 win season, which would certainly put us in the running for a top five pick.

Taking Weeden was a massive, massive risk, and one that has low odds of paying off. H&H staked themselves on it, and if he doesn't pan out, they're gone, and we're starting over again.

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Honestly, I haven't felt this positive about the start of a Browns season in years and years.

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Coming from the guy who adored Mangini, thought Daboll did a 'great' job in Miami, thought the Tea Party was going to enact change, thought Herman Cain displayed presidential leadership skills and thought the Iraq War was a good idea .... that doesn't leave me warm and fuzzy.

(Just messing with you ... no hard feelings. I don't really have the strongest convictions about Weeden ... he's just a huge risk and one that I don't think we were ready to take.)

I think that Weeden is a pretty low risk guy, actually.

We used an extra 1st round pick, and when I look at Weeden I see a guy with good size, arm strength, accuracy, and anticipation. He also seems to make decisions quickly. It's hard to go wrong when a guy has those attributes.

He does have that gunslinger mentality, where he will take some chances he shouldn't ..... but I have said all along that it is easier to rein in a guy who takes chances than it is to get a guy to expand his game who plays an overly cautious game.

We can still take a QB next year if we feel we should. Hell, we can take a QB high even if Weeden lights it up for us. QBs have value, and I would love to see us with a couple of really valuable pieces, and real depth at the single most important position on the football field.

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Taking Weeden was a massive, massive risk, and one that has low odds of paying off. H&H staked themselves on it, and if he doesn't pan out, they're gone, and we're starting over again.

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You are right about that.

What you don't seem to admit is those guys knew they had to make a change at QB because Dolt was going to get them fired.

Heckert and Holmgren have staked themselves more on Schurmur than on Weeden. If Weeden doesn't pan out, it would be easier to start over with a new quarterback, than to start over with a whole new organizational structure.

Like it or not, Holmgren has put in place a group of scouts, and positional coaches, and coordinators, all of the changes from a year or two ago, they happened closely together; that are paying off in good decisions.
They will have a hard time trying to rebuild the top again if they clean house again, with anything that is not obviously of a lesser standard.

I think Decastro is the most overrated OL prospect in this draft. He was not a "top 10 talent" like has been claimed by so many. If OG was one of your primary needs, then you can take him in the first round, but it's not like he's some automatic All-Pro.

Probably one reason that I am hopeful about Weeden is that everyone is so high on him ...... and Heckert obviously was super high on him even before the draft.

Watching their press conference where they addressed day 1 of the draft and Shurmur was positively exuberant about getting Weeden. He was probably about as happy as I have seen him look since he arrived in Cleveland.

Now I don't know if he'll be the next great QB or not, but one thing I do know is that he is the "anti" McCoy in so many ways. He has a stronger arm, he will attack a defense, he shows remarkably quick decision making ability in college, he has accuracy and excellent ball placement, as well as the ability to throw with touch or zip depending on the situation.

I honestly do believe that he would have gone 3 in this draft if he was 24 or 25 instead of 28.

I still would prefer RG3 ... but man, when I look at us getting Weeden PLUS Richardson, (who became my main target once RG3 was gone) and Schwartz .... we have done an offense overhaul in one off-season. It wasn't complete, as we didn;t grab a top WR, but there are only so many holes you can plug in one draft. I think that Heckert did a marvelous job of both getting huge value and filling enormous holes with the 1st 3 picks on this draft.

I am happier with this draft that any I can remember in quite a long time ..... and I really saw no way I would feel that way once my preferred QB was out of reach for the Browns. It's almost scary. lol

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I think Decastro is the most overrated OL prospect in this draft. He was not a "top 10 talent" like has been claimed by so many. If OG was one of your primary needs, then you can take him in the first round, but it's not like he's some automatic

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I agree now that he's a steeler

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Probably one reason that I am hopeful about Weeden is that everyone is so high on him ...... and Heckert obviously was super high on him even before the draft.

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I am sure Heckert was super high on Weeden before, during, and after the draft.

Honestly... signing an OT named Cleveland? a DE named William Green?

"Hey Mike... know what would be funny? let's sign this guy!"

jc..

A reminder...regardless of how high or confident we are with the players drafted, we need to keep it real...they will play like "rookies" and the veteran teams they will be playing against this season will take advantage of their youth.

Don't expect miracles from these rookies...there is no substitute for experience. For the rookies, this will be a season for gaining experience and learning the Browns offense and defense.

I believe we have drafted a good foundation that should only get better with each season.

If they aren't dominant by week 4 they are busts.. ALL OF THEM.

Browns’ second-round pick Mitchell Schwartz continues family’s NFL dream

By Nate Ulrich
Beacon Journal sports writer

Long before Mitchell Schwartz enhanced his family’s NFL legacy last week, his older brother, Geoff, had to convince him to play football.

When Mitchell was a freshman at Palisades Charter High School in suburban Los Angeles, he didn’t have much interest in stepping onto the gridiron, let alone becoming an offensive lineman like Geoff, who was a senior at the time. However, another position — and Geoff’s urging — eventually lured Mitchell.

“He actually never really wanted to play football,” Geoff said Monday in a phone interview. “We had to trick him into playing quarterback on [junior varsity]. He came out on the football field, and once he did that, he liked it. It didn’t take him very long to move to offensive line. Ever since then, we’ve been the Schwartz brothers playing football.”

Mitchell played for the University of California. Geoff continued his career at the University of Oregon. Now both of them are in the NFL.

The Browns drafted Mitchell in the second round (37th overall) Friday night, filling their dire need for a starting right tackle. Geoff signed with the Minnesota Vikings in March after spending the previous four seasons with the Carolina Panthers, who drafted him in the seventh round (241st overall) in 2008.

Their parents, Lee Schwartz and Olivia Goodkin, already have the schedules of the Browns and Vikings mapped out on a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet, so they can organize travel plans and attend as many games as possible.

“It’s rather surreal,” Lee said Tuesday by phone. “A lot of parents would love to just have one son in the NFL, and fortunately now I have two.”

Considering the size of his children, he must have realized awhile ago this could happen. Although Lee is about 6-foot-1 and Olivia is 5-9, Mitchell is 6-5 and 318 pounds and Geoff is 6-6 and 331 pounds.

“I joke I think they’re just genetically mutated,” Lee said. “They’re just naturally that big.”

The family’s grocery bills were substantial as a result.

“We had a service that we were bringing in that was intended to last for six months,” Lee said. “They’d bring in our poultry and beef and fish and some other foods, and there was an industrial-size freezer in the garage to handle this six-month delivery. For us, it was three months.”

The Schwartz brothers have developed big appetites for success, too. When the Browns picked Mitchell, another dream became a reality for the family.

“The look on his face, the way he reacted, my wife and I were saying is a [moment] that will be seared into our memories for the rest of our lives,” Lee said. “He was just so absolutely genuinely happy.”

After Mitchell was drafted, he spoke to local reporters via conference call and credited Geoff’s advice for helping him throughout his career. He’ll certainly continue to receive guidance as he transitions to the next level.

“He’s coming into a good situation where he basically has been told he’s the starter, so he needs to kind of embrace that right away and mentally prepare,” Geoff said. “I told him it’s a long season, and you have to mentally prepare yourself for that, especially in your first year. You’re going to be all jacked up when you get to rookie minicamp, and then you realize you’ve got five practices in three days, [so] make sure that you get your rest. But he’s a smart kid, and he’ll find his own way and his own path and succeed in whatever he does.”

Lee is thankful his sons have such a good relationship. When Mitchell was still in high school, Geoff began touting his younger brother as a future first- or second-round pick.

“We’ve had questions since this all took place, ‘How does Geoffrey feel about this?’ ” Lee said. “Geoffrey is absolutely thrilled. He’s never been jealous, has always said that Mitchell’s a better athlete than he is, has always suggested that Mitchell would be a first- or second-rounder, has always been supportive of Mitchell through the entire process. So it’s just wonderful to see.”

Geoff is definitely proud, and he believes the Browns made the right choice at No. 37.

“He’s tough,” Geoff said of Mitchell. “He’s going to work hard. He studies his film. He’s a complete player. You might not think he’s the best athlete, but he’s a sneaky athlete. The thing about him is he gets the job done no matter what it takes.”

Just clicking.

All right, having never watched the guy in college, I went and watched every possible online video of him I could find. Here are my notes good or bad:

He is very, very strong. When he locks on and pushes in the run game, he wins.
The scouting reports were correct, he does win ugly sometimes. I think this comes from his tendency to lean way too far forward or almost lunge forward with his blocks. This often causes him to end up on the ground. Fortunately for him, he often does it in a way that still stymies the defender, but it also disables his ability to make it to the second level.

He plays very mean. Relentless in his efforts and he is that guy who will always end with one final push after the whistle blows.

Like Thomas, he squares very quickly to the pass rusher and rarely got beaten around the edge right off the snap. However, he is nowhere near the technician Thomas is. Rather, once he squares up, he relies more on his strength and his leaning tendency causes some rushers to get around him.

When he does make it to the second level, he puts his head on a swivel and decidedly dominates linebackers.

He and Lauvao should make a very strong right side, but their reliance on their brute strength may also cause them problems.

He will do anything he can to block his man. I worry that he might have issues with penalties in his first season.

If I missed anything, I'll add it later.

I like re-reading these old threads to see what people thought before and what they think now.

By the way, Django...

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DeCastro is so overrated everywhere it's laughable

I'm pretty happy with the Steelers draft....overrated RG 1st then they scramble to fix their real problem at OT with inconsistent, lazy undeachiever in Adams....as long as Roethli holds the ball for 5+ sec it won't make a difference if DeCastro is blocking or Doug Legursky...as long as the Steelers keep drafting C and G in round 1 I'm happy

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...nailed it.

I'm not a big college football guy so I normally don't contribute to these threads.

I do find that you and Django seem to be the most knowledgable on this board when it comes to college players and the draft and are right more than wrong.

Appreciate the insight. I nominate one of you to be the new Browns GM instead of the guy we hired.

+1

I agree you guys get it right pretty darn often. Nice work.

And I will say Schwartz had a very nice 2012. If he works diligently on his athleticism this offseason he's a good long term answer at RT for the foreseeable future.