Browns Building Scary Front Seven - 05/01/13 06:49 PM
Draft Fallout: Cleveland Browns
By Marc Sessler
The 2013 NFL Draft transformed 32 NFL rosters. Around The League will examine the aftershocks in our Draft Fallout series. Next up: The Cleveland Browns.
The Big Question: Have the Browns assembled a scary front seven?
Cleveland Browns CEO Joe Banner intimated post-draft that coach Rob Chudzinski was hired partly because of his philosophy of attacking the opponent. This year's Browns are being molded to go after teams on offense with a vertical passing game and, on defense, with a new cast of pass rushers hired to disrupt the enemy.
Cleveland's draft haul generated some curiosity, but there's little mystery behind what the Browns did at No. 6 overall. Selecting LSU's Barkevious Mingo to pair across from free-agent addition Paul Kruger gives Cleveland an intriguing pair of edge rushers in defensive coordinator Ray Horton's 3-4 scheme. Ben Roethlisberger and Joe Flacco have had their way with Cleveland for years in the AFC North, but the Browns under Banner and general manager Mike Lombardi have put together an intimidating front seven.
"On defense, we felt it was clear to identify what talent was out there, what talent we had, match it up with the philosophy we've been talking about and make some moves that will make the team better," said Banner, who also shopped fourth- and fifth-round picks for a third- and fourth-rounder in 2014.
The 2014 NFL Draft class widely is expected to be a talent-packed bunch, and the Browns -- a team under construction -- are very much looking toward the horizon.
Three takeaways
1. Banner said he couldn't pass up trading that fourth-rounder -- No. 111 -- for the Pittsburgh Steelers' third-rounder next April (the first swap between the teams since 1968). "I prefer to trade within the division. You don't make a trade that you don't think you're winning," Banner said, with a dose of moxie utterly foreign to Browns fans.
2. Cleveland won little praise for adding defensive end Armonty Bryant and offensive tackle Garrett Gilkey in Round 7. We'll find out down the line if this pair of NCAA Div. II prospects amount to much, but check the tape: Bryant's dislike for quarterbacks and Gilkey's obsession with mauling human life forms obviously caught the Browns' attention.
3. Besides serving as a vote of confidence for quarterback Brandon Weeden, this year's haul includes, in theory, supplemental pick Josh Gordon and slot receiver Davone Bess. Bess, acquired from the Miami Dolphins, has ranked second in the NFL in third-down receptions over the past five seasons and gives the Browns' young offense a reliable veteran presence.
NFL.com
By Marc Sessler
The 2013 NFL Draft transformed 32 NFL rosters. Around The League will examine the aftershocks in our Draft Fallout series. Next up: The Cleveland Browns.
The Big Question: Have the Browns assembled a scary front seven?
Cleveland Browns CEO Joe Banner intimated post-draft that coach Rob Chudzinski was hired partly because of his philosophy of attacking the opponent. This year's Browns are being molded to go after teams on offense with a vertical passing game and, on defense, with a new cast of pass rushers hired to disrupt the enemy.
Cleveland's draft haul generated some curiosity, but there's little mystery behind what the Browns did at No. 6 overall. Selecting LSU's Barkevious Mingo to pair across from free-agent addition Paul Kruger gives Cleveland an intriguing pair of edge rushers in defensive coordinator Ray Horton's 3-4 scheme. Ben Roethlisberger and Joe Flacco have had their way with Cleveland for years in the AFC North, but the Browns under Banner and general manager Mike Lombardi have put together an intimidating front seven.
"On defense, we felt it was clear to identify what talent was out there, what talent we had, match it up with the philosophy we've been talking about and make some moves that will make the team better," said Banner, who also shopped fourth- and fifth-round picks for a third- and fourth-rounder in 2014.
The 2014 NFL Draft class widely is expected to be a talent-packed bunch, and the Browns -- a team under construction -- are very much looking toward the horizon.
Three takeaways
1. Banner said he couldn't pass up trading that fourth-rounder -- No. 111 -- for the Pittsburgh Steelers' third-rounder next April (the first swap between the teams since 1968). "I prefer to trade within the division. You don't make a trade that you don't think you're winning," Banner said, with a dose of moxie utterly foreign to Browns fans.
2. Cleveland won little praise for adding defensive end Armonty Bryant and offensive tackle Garrett Gilkey in Round 7. We'll find out down the line if this pair of NCAA Div. II prospects amount to much, but check the tape: Bryant's dislike for quarterbacks and Gilkey's obsession with mauling human life forms obviously caught the Browns' attention.
3. Besides serving as a vote of confidence for quarterback Brandon Weeden, this year's haul includes, in theory, supplemental pick Josh Gordon and slot receiver Davone Bess. Bess, acquired from the Miami Dolphins, has ranked second in the NFL in third-down receptions over the past five seasons and gives the Browns' young offense a reliable veteran presence.
NFL.com