There is no draft thread. I don't know where to put this so I am putting this here now. Maybe it will get moved when a draft thread is started.

I was looking at second round mocks and I saw this receiver. This draft is supposed to be deep at receiver. I see Troy Franklin as a first round receiver, but you never know how the draft will lay out.

This guy has that long stride like Josh Gordon. He looks really good to me. Speed, size, hands, YAC, 50/50 winner, high points, quickness to separate.



Troy Franklin

The draft forum doesn't usually start until some time after the SB.

I guess I am early.

The playoffs don't mean much to me.

I have not gotten into the draft so far. This was my first look. I don't know about the first rounders at all. I was looking at the second round.

Receiver is a need. I saw receiver rankings. Troy Franklin on one mock was a Browns pick. His tape screams first round talent.

But this is really early in a long process.

Oh, I wasn't meaning to criticize you. I was just explaining why you had a problem figuring out where to post it and when the board usually opens the draft forum.

I'm an NFL fan and have both teams and players I like outside of the Browns. So I always enjoy the playoffs and SB. But I understand it's not that way for everyone.

I haven't bothered looking at the draft much as of yet. But I certainly agree that WR is an area of need. At the same time I must say the track record of Browns WR's that have been drafted do concern me.

I am going to ask this question now because the longer I wait the more likely it will skewed by bias toward specific players.


Let's say we get to our pick in the 2nd round and our top rated Wr, Rb, OT, DT, LB all have exactly the same draft grade.
Which do you pick?

That's a question which is far too early to answer at this point in time. We have no way of knowing who will be gone from the team nor which FA's will be signed to the team before the draft. As such we have no way to know where the greatest need will be come draft time.

I've watched people try to make such predictions in years past only to watch the team address those positions in the FA market before the draft. As such the very positions they thought needed addressed in the draft had already been handled. I mean it's a fun thing to guess about I suppose but the current picture in terms of need will most likely look quite different than it does now come draft day.

That is a really hard question.

There is a ranking for positions. I am not that sophisticated. Some GMs believe in the big man approach.

I look at the impact on the game. That favors skill positions and pass rushers.

When I watch tape I keep a couple things in mind. Will the player grow and improve? I probably will not know about his personality. I can only see his field work.

What jumps off the screen? Two examples come to mind Aaron Donald and JOK. I saw Donald at the Senior Bowl. His quickness and power jumped off the screen.
I watched the tape of JOK at Notre Dame. His ability to read and react blew me away.

Pass rushers like Parsons are "rush linebackers." They are different than true DE's like Myles. Pass rushers impact games.

It is easier to find receivers and running backs. Great ones have to be really exceptional. Good ones can be found in later rounds.

I look at the individual for how can his talent impact a game?

Probably OT. Maybe DT if he's more of an interior pass rusher/disruptor.

Not sure how skewed I'll get this year. Honestly not feeling the usual draft fever.

In that scenario I would go either OT or DL build from the line out. Then LB if he can rush the passer. We can get a RB or WR later. Who we sign in FA will have a big effect on what player we take in the 2nd round.

Free agency IMO has to be looked at separately.

It may have an impact on the draft. However, when your selection comes up in most cases it is BPA.

If players from different positions are ranked the same as far as ranking all players. Depth of position comes into play.

Every year a team may have a higher priority of position. The round itself plays a part.

I can only handle two rounds. After that it gets to be too much and confusing.

As I watch the draft process I look for guys who attract my attention no matter where they play.

When we were looking at quarterbacks in the draft. I looked hard. I got some right and some wrong. The one guy who has really proved me wrong was Lamar.

I would have never drafted him. I admire the guy now because he is the most improved player I can remember. That is why I said you have to bear in mind some guys will improve a lot. They are not finished products in college.

Some positions I enjoy scouting. Quarterbacks, running backs, receivers, and pass rushers.

The draft can be frustrating because most of the time the guys you want are not available to draft. The only player the Browns drafted that I really wanted was JOK.

In 2017 Myles was the consensus number one pick. I agreed with the pick. However, the guy I liked was Mahomes.

The draft is really crazy because there is always the guy who got away. Looking at last year. Dawand Jones would be a first rounder today.

BPA certainly plays a part in which player you draft. But need is valued almost as importantly when the rankings are close. By the mid to late second round the grades are usually pretty close meaning that in most cases, the BPA involved is virtually indistinguishable.

While I'm not sure how NFL talent evaluators had him ranked, I think you and I were both in shock when JOK was still sitting on the board in the second round for the Browns to select. So I'm certainly not trying to indicate that there aren't exceptions to that rule on occasion. But once you get past the mid second round, for the most part players are in groups as to BPA and not separated by a large margin within those groups.

And while you may say that FA and the draft are separate, it's plain to see how the signings teams make in the FA market impact their draft choices. Once positions are addressed it makes that position much lower on the list of priorities for a team to draft high in the draft. Once a position is filled it gives you the liberty of drafting that position later in the draft on a player you hope to develop which will be ready to fill that role when the need at that position is once again a priority.

While this is a rather obvious example it does show the point I'm trying to make. Last year everyone knew the Jets needed a QB. The Jets had the #15 pick in the draft. Some felt the Jets would try to trade up by either packaging picks or trading their pick and a player to move up in order to draft a QB. Then they addressed the QB position by signing Aaron Rodgers. Now let me ask you, once the Jets signed Rodgers, did anyone think they would trade up or draft a QB with their first round pick? Addressing the position by signing Rodgers changed everything.

Just a couple of quick ones from the Browns. After signing Clowney for the 2022 season how much priority did the Browns place on drafting another pass rusher in 2022? How about after signing Za'Darius Smith for the 2023 season?

I agree.

I saw a redraft now from the last draft.

Dawand Jones went 10th.

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/...-31-selections-three-months-into-season/

What a steal in the fourth.

No doubt about that one. But I think this FO believed we didn't really need an OT that they would need to start immediately. Had they have believed that I think they wouldn't have waited until the fourth round to draft one. As it turns out I think everyone with maybe the exception of Dawand Jones was surprised with how that turned out. If the other 31 NFL FO's would have known how that would turn out I believe he would have been gone in the 10 to 15 range.

His weight and commitment were questioned. I remember reading something.

I am not an expert on OT. I listened to Joe Thomas talk technique. And listened to draft guys who do know the position and rank players.

When Jones started playing. He looked good right away on pass blocking. You could see for a huge guy that he had fast feet and good balance.

Big score for AB.

For now I am looking at receivers.

I am looking at guys who may be available when we pick in the second round. From what has been published this draft is supposed to be deep in receivers.

This guy looks really good. I love the way he adjusts to the ball, good body control. Really good body control and hands. I favor big receivers. This guy is big and fast.

Another Xavier although they are not alike. This guy is quick. Zay Flowers type who has return ability. He is no Anthony Schwartz. This guy is a football player.

Tale of two Xaviers.

Legette? Yes please. 6'3" 225 bully with great hands and elite speed for his size.

Worthy? NOT Worthy. No thanks forever on drafting the 170lb WRs. If you want one, overpay in a trade after he shows he belongs.

Yeah, I'm not in favor of going the Smurf route.

Receivers come in all sizes.

Most are around the size of Cooper. 6' to 6'3".

The large guys 6'3" to 6' 6".

Then you have the 5'8" to 5'11"

Little guys like Zay Flowers and Tyreek Hill are guys who are quick and can separate fast.

The bigger guys like Mike Evans rely on size to post up and win one on one.

Freaks like Calvin Johnson are generational types.

I usually favor big guys who will win one on one. There are great corners in the NFL. I like guys who can come down with the ball when covered.

That does not mean I would not take a guy like Hill. Some guys you just cannot cover. I keep an open mind.

There looks like a number of good prospects who we should get a shot at. I am going to keep looking.

I agree. We have plenty of smaller guys. Unless the guy has shown glue hands and runs like the wind I want to be looking at wideouts 6'1"+ and have some meat on their bones.

We have run the gauntlet with diminutive in stature receivers. Lets get some bigger guys with sprinter type bodies rather than long distance bodies.

Like Pit said, if I had to pick by need, I really need to know what the needs might be. You really need to get through the bulk of free agency to know that. Much would depend on who we lose and who we sign.

Righ now I might say QB. Questions surround Watson and DTR doesn't look like any sort of answer at this point. We probably need to get a QB. It could be very important we get several rookie deal QBs in wait if Watson never fills the bill.

I don't think that will happen, but it could. Having 2 young QBs with actual talent couldn't hurt anything.

But...to play the game, maybe a RB. I am not convinced Chubb will be ready to go or if he is even on the team come fall. I don't like to say it, but if he isn't ready, we may have to cut him.

We have been waiting a long time for a talented roster. A problem we haven't had to face in a long time is cutting good players for health or money reasons. Hard roster decisions coupled with hard business decisions is a slippery rope to navigate.

So, I have been looking at receivers. And there appears on the right side of the laptop a guy named
Luther Burden.

I put on his highlights. At first I thought he was a running back. Then I was "no he is a receiver."

This guy has moves as a runner after the catch that you do not often see. The first guy I thought of was Eric Metcalf.



The problem is that he cannot come out till 2025

We need to improve the WR room, I’d also consider an RB, not because I think Chubb is done - and maybe he is - but we need one anyway. I’d also take an OL or two if we really like them. As peen stated, free agency will dictate in part on what we do in the draft.

We’ll know more by early April.

After receivers I am going to look at running backs and then pass rushing DT's.

While I appreciate that, and realize things will change down the road, this is just a mental exercise to get us started.
Look at it as if the draft was tomorrow and who we have is who we have.

The question isn't intended to be about specific players or about going forward but rather:
If we would have had one more player on the team last season, which position would have made us better (the most better)

I would rally like a Wr who can take the top off the defense. Not too concerned about size. What this Wr needs is elite speed who can run sharpe routes and has good hands. Schwartz had elite speed but wasn't a good route runner and had hands made out of butter. Cooper has good hands and is an excellent route runner but his speed is "just okay".

We need production.

Bell has not done much. Tillman needs to know the routes and adjustments to routes. Moore was a disappointment overall.

In the end get open and catch the ball.

We may trade or sign a free agent. We could draft a guy as well. What we need is a deep productive receiver room.

Damn this guy reminds me of Nick.

I was kind of surprised by Leggette's measurements at the Senior Bowl.



Ricky Pearsall from Florida is a WR that looks interesting to me. Not sure how much digging I'll do this year, though.

The Browns brass are all over the Senior Bowl.

Have not watched any of it yet. Curious about who showed what.

There are a couple receivers I like but I have not zeroed in on any single player.

I like Trey Benson the RB.

This is a big man.

Nothing fancy but he can control an area. Powerful interior guy.

If I had my wish, we'd get the best WR possible and then get depth at DL and OL

There is lots of hype around possible FA Tee Higgins. He is a solid receiver.

However, he will be expensive. Looking at this draft receiver class. It is deep in receivers. There will be a number of really good prospects available when we pick.

I would rather spend FA money on other positions

Xavier Leggett, Brenden Rice (Jerry's son), Troy Franklin, Xavier Worthy, Tez Walker, Keon Coleman all these guys and more. When a draft is this deep, it does not make a lot of sense spending for FA's.

In FA, Laviska Shenault is a potential buy low candidate that I think might bring something a bit different to our WR room. He was in Carolina with Staley, so we should have pretty good insight on him.

I agree that I don't really want to chase the big names at WR.

Anybody who has an interest in the draft. Look at the ranking of PFF. Look at mock drafts.

One thing of interest is where running backs are listed.

PFF has the top two running prospects listed as Jonathon Brooks and Trey Benson. Brooks is ranked by PFF 64 and Benson 84.

That blows my mind. The top running backs are basically third rounders.

I really like Benson. If he is the 84th best player in this draft. I will eat my Browns hat.

Benson is 6'1" 221 lbs. with burning speed and big time power. If you watch him he will remind you of Nick in that he is efficient. Always takes the right cut to get the most out of the run.

Getting him in the third IMO would be the steal of the draft.

I think those rankings reflect the devaluation of the RB position more than anything.

Yes. And I don't know how they "weight" these rankings in respect to player position, but I know and RB has to generally be thought of as possible HOF material before they crack the top 25.

It really shocked me.

I know the prevailing thoughts surrounding drafting running backs are "you can get them in later rounds." Is the norm now.

But when you look at the impact on a team that a Nick Chubb has. It makes little sense.

I posted the Trey Benson highlights video. I cannot see how that guy would be the 84th pick in a draft.

He looks to me like a really good football player. I watch Christian McCaffrey and I see a total stud both as a runner and pass catcher.

We need another back I would love to get Benson.

I think the train of thought, and is true for many teams, is that the NFL has changed. Very few teams depend on the running game as the central part of their offense. It's become a passing league for the most part. In the past it was far more traditional for the run game to open up the passing game. Thus you needed a very highly talented RB in order to establish that game plan. Now the opposite is true. With the passing game opening up the running game you get the defense on its heels and dropping back in coverage which makes it much easier to run the ball. If the Browns need to pay a QB like watson that kind of contract, they should be able to follow the strategy of using the passing game to open up the running game which is what the NFL is becoming more and more of. Welcome to the 21st century.

A FO that is using a sound financial strategy will lean towards drafting positions that cost the most on the FA market with the first few picks in the draft. Top end QB's, LT's, pass rushers and CB's as early as possible. What that accomplishes is that they can fill their needs in the FA market with positions that should be much cheaper to fill. RB is one such position. At the time Chubb was drafted the Browns were using the running game to open up the passing game. That made the RB position a higher priority for them at the time. If they still find themselves in that same position it means that they don't believe that watson can fulfill a part of the reason he was brought to Cleveland.

Speaking for myself it seems like the NFL moves in cycles.

The Niners run the ball. The Ravens IMO would have beaten KC if they would have run the ball like they did all year. That includes designed runs for Lamar. Instead they threw the ball from shotgun into the teeth of what KC does best dime and heavy nickle defenses.

Play action teams need a strong run game. The Steelers are returning to the run game.

If you have an impact runner like Nick. It opens up many options for an offense.

I am an old school guy. I became a football fan watching Jim Brown. I love the run game. Nick Chubb is one of my favorite players in all football.

As much as I hate it if he does not restructure his deal. He may get cut. I think he will restructure but who knows?

Getting Trey Benson in the third round would be grand theft IMO.

I love the run game too. And the Steelers are one of those teams that don't have a legitimate QB. That's why they not only depend on the run but just hired an OC that is heavily experienced in the running game. Let me know how much they depend on the run if they decide to spend 230 million on a QB. Each case is different. And if you take Lamarss rushing stats out of Baltimore's rushing yardage you would find they're really not that dependent on their RB. While Gus Edwards did score 13 td's he only had 812 rushing yards. Lamar had 821. So the idea that they depended on their star RB to power their O doesn't really add up.

I certainly don't think that Benson will be there in the third round at the Browns selection. There are enough teams that still don't have a QB his value will be high enough based on their current situation at QB he will of more value to "them" than to allow him to sit there that long IMO.

Lamar numbers count because they used him in designed runs as well. The Ravens have been until this year a run based team.

What the league does or individual teams matters not to me.

I believe in the run game. When you can average 4 + yards per carry. You put the defense into the position of having to cover both the run and pass.

That is precisely what the Niners do. Third and 2 opens up the entire field.

PFF has Benson ranked 84th. I have no clue when he will be drafted. I have read some of the scouting reports. I find them conflicting. Like some are just copying others.

What I noticed about Benson. When he scores he hands the ball to the ref. Body language as a player reminds me of Nick. You can see he is a team player with how he relates to teammates.

He had a major knee injury ACL, MCL, Meniscus. He was redshirted as a freshman.

He is powerful. He has big play speed. He catches the ball really well. What really stands out to me. He is efficient. He seems to always take the shortest route no waste.

He will be a guy I will track.

Berry like most GM's give their draft guys a full chance. At first I thought Ford maybe ok. Now I am not high on him.

I don't know what we are going to do at running back. All I know is I like Benson.

So then it's not about having a premiere RB since Lamar is their leading rusher. Thanks.

The topic is about the draft.

I made an observation about where running backs are now ranked overall by PFF.

I like Trey Benson.

Is it possible to have a draft discussion about players and such?

No, it isn't


As for our 2nd pick, I see a few options from what I have read:
Note: All specific evaluations sre from reviews of scouting reports - not my own
Most of these players I haven't seen

WR:
Troy Franklin Oregon
Tall and fast
Take the top off kinda receiver
Excellent with the contested catch

Xavier Worthy Texas
Fast, take the top off kinda receiver
Not good with the contested catch
Excellent kick return man


RB/Lb:
Troy Benson - FSU
Jonathan Brooks - Texas

These are the top 2 guys
I think both have had knee injuries in their college careers

Talent wise, there are a fair number of Lb's that would go here but not much difference from the Lb's you could get 2-3 rounds later

DT/OT
DT and OT could come into play but I haven't looked at them at all yet

I am beginning to think Franklin goes in the first.

There are two Xavier's. Worthy and Leggett two different types both interesting.

I watched both Brooks and Benson. I prefer Benson. The reason he is a thicker guy. He shows more power and his frame may hold up better.

I had no idea that discussing which positions should be addressed with the Browns earlier picks wasn't discussing the draft. I guess you learn something new every day.

So that is what this is about? My mistake.

"So then it's not about having a premiere RB since Lamar is their leading rusher. Thanks."

Try to keep up. Your argument has been all along that even after signing watson to a 230 million dollar contract we need a premiere RB. You used Baltimore as one of your examples. Their starting RB is Gus Edwards who was an undrafted FA. So yes, your argument fell flat. Lamar IS in fact their leading rusher. They did NOT invest anything into Edwards and he isn't even a 1000 yard rusher. So bottom line is with a good QB you don't need to invest much in a RB to have a very productive running game as Baltimore has proven. So no, it's not about having a premiere RB and yes Lamar is their leading rusher. I didn't know this was that complicated.

It's been proven over and over in the NFL.

And I'll couple that with something else. RB's are cheap on the FA market. Signing a RB won't break your bank. Other positions will. If you can draft a CB, a OT, a edge rusher or other high salary positions you have ranked similarly on your draft board that is the best method of helping your salary cap. Just one more reason RB's continue to slide down draft boards.

I know, I know, you don't think any of that is about the draft.

I will try to keep up with what I wrote.

First off I am not making an argument. I started a draft thread to "discuss" draft prospects.

I never mentioned DW. I never said we need a premier running back. I said I liked the run game.

I mentioned the Niners and the Ravens as running teams. Lamar runs the ball. He is a premier runner. The Ravens led the NFL in 2023 in rushing. The Niners were third.

You don't need to add a thing. I am not here to argue.

My intent to discuss the draft.

You wish to carry on an argument do it on another thread. Por favor.

Whatever you say. I'll leave it for everyone else to read.

At this point it is unclear who the Browns will bring back at DT.

Tomlinson is signed. Hurst and Harris were on one year deals. My guess is Hurst will get a deal.

Leonard Taylor is probably a top fifty guy. I like his tape. He is quick. More of DT pass rusher type than NT type. Looks like a guy that would fit in rotation as an interior rusher.

Teams that are winning run more. It's not so much that they are running in order to win. It's more that once they are ahead, they run more. I don't remember the exact statistic, but the Ravens were behind a ridiculously low amount. It was something like they hadn't been behind at the end of any quarter the entire season until they played us. (Probably not quite that extreme)

I like the running game, too, but bell cows have a tendency to get beat up, and they are hard to replace. When a receiver gets hurt, he is somewhat easier to replace because other guys are playing a lot of snaps most of the time. Also, pass blocking isn't really WR dependant. Run blocking timing and strategy can vary a lot between the RBs it is being done for. I.e, what worked with Chubb won't necessarily work with other guys.

It'll be interesting to see which direction we go if we do draft a RB. It could say a lot about the intended direction of the offense (or not.) I wonder how much input Staley will have and what that impact will be (Dorsey as well.)

You know if this Benson is any relation to Cedric? I'll have to take a look at him.

I do not think they are related. Cedric is not a brother or parent.

I have doubts that Hunt will return. Ford is average at best. He is not a feature back.

It is uncertain when Nick will be ready and if he will be the same.

Given the drop in the draft for all running backs. IMO if we could get Benson in the third; it would be a wise choice.

This video has me interested in Jermaine Burton Alabama and Xavier Legette South Carolina
In round 3

Down on Xavier Worthy Texas

"You know if this Benson is any relation to Cedric? I'll have to take a look at him."



Maybe he is an extension of Guillaume family?


Some in here may understand.

We all have our opinions on draft picks and this guy put his out there.

This draft appears to have depth at the receiver position.

What do the Browns need from the receiver unit? Cooper returns. Moore returns. Tillman was a disappointment when Flacco was playing. He did not run the routes correctly.

Tillman was expected to be better than what he showed.

Bell has not done much to distinguish himself.

IMO with the depth at receiver in this draft class. Spending on a free agent unless it is a bargain and a difference maker. Makes little sense.

I really like Troy Franklin, however he most likely will be gone when we pick. Leggett looks interesting. I am sure there others who as time goes on may catch my eye.

For eye candy watch Luther Burden III.

He cannot come out this year he is a sophomore. His tape is a major WOW.

I have not seen someone like him in a long, long, time.

I'm liking Ray Davis as "my" RB so far. Benson has a bit too much Trent Richardson to him for me. Some of that might just be that the scars make me look for T-Rich "warning signs" when I'm scouting RBs, and one has a tendency to "find" what they are looking for. Benson is talented and can hit a hole and do good things, it just seemed that when he was doing good things a giant hole was right where it was supposed to be most of the time. Stylistically, Benson reminded me of Adrian Peterson, but I don't think he's nearly that talented, maybe end of career AP. Davis seems better at setting up things to "create" space. I think I might also bake "value" into my choices. Davis is a bit of an older prospect, which might lead to him sliding later in the draft. I don't mind age so much with high floor prospects at positions with historically short shelf lifes. I also feel like RBs that seem to see the game better age more gracefully. Of course, "value" goes out the window when guys start climbing big boards. I think Davis' penchant for making himself available for his QB would pair well with Watson.


Here are some other guys that I'm liking so far:
Javon Bullard, DB, Georgia
Kaimon Rucker, Edge, UNC
Malachi Corley, WR, WKU

Still pretty early, though.

I like Ray Davis's ability to plant and cut. He shows that quickness in a small space.

He does not have the top end speed that Benson has.

It is early and it is important to really look at pass catching and blocking as a running back.

At this stage I am looking for guys who attract my attention. The second round pick we have should be BPA at OL, DL, WR, RB, or TE.

Long way to go before the draft. Free agency will possibly narrow the position scope.

What happens for me is. I see all these guys I want and know that we will never get.

I'd draft him just to have one of the badassed named WRs lol.

I do not follow much college football. I was looking at the receivers. His name and that video came up on the side. I thought "I gotta watch this."

I am going to track that guy this season. He is expected to go top five next year.

jc...

https://www.brownsnation.com/browns-reportedly-met-with-2-players-during-senior-bowl/

Browns have two picks in the top 100 and seven total.

No. 54 overall (second round)
No. 85 overall (third round)
No. 134 (fifth round)
No. 154 (fifth round)
No. 204 (sixth round)
No. 207 (sixth round)
No. 227 (seventh round)

Hard to get jacked up about the draft. I only hope Berry can find a few hidden gems like Dawand Jones.

I like this guy. He projects as a late second.

I like his tape. He shows quickness and power. He has good size.

Clemson always has had good big men.

Don't know a lot about the player, but it would be weird to have 2 guys names Okoronkwo and Orhorhoro on the same DL.

A mouthful for sure.

Have to come up with nick names.

Braden Fiske has been outstanding at the Combine.

Is this the year the Browns can DRAFT a potential 1000
Td WR? I can't think of another team other than the Bears
Who simply cannot draft WRs
The Browns need a WR that can threaten the defense at
All 3 levels and us a game changer. When was the last
Time this team could claim it had the best WR in the North ?

I really like Fiske but if Troy Franklin is there when we pick.

I would have to take him.

I don't know man. Since the most TD passes ever caught by a WR being Jerry Rice with 197 my money is no they can't. And I would feel pretty good about such a wager.

Imagine if we drafted that guy and OBJ was still on the team. He would be sooo pissed!

I don't know. He played in a pretty good group of WR's in Baltimore and his teammates not only liked him but he fit in quite well. Sometimes the narrative isn't based in facts.

It has been reported that the Browns have met with both Braden Fiske and Troy Franklin.

Both these guys look like studs.

Franklin was one of the first receivers I looked at. He is all over the place in mock drafts. Myself I cannot see him getting out of the first round.

He has speed, length, gets open and catches the ball. He was very productive while at Oregon.

I expect him to blow up at the Combine. Most likely getting Franklin would mean trading up. I do not think the Browns will do that.

Berry IMO is not a believer in trading up. I think he leans more toward trading down to acquire more picks. He likes the odds of having more picks.

I never buy into a single philosophy. IMO each situation needs to be looked at as unique. If you have a high grade on a guy and he is in a position of need.

Let's say you have a low first round grade on the guy. It is now pick 42 and the guy is still there and you pick 54th. IMO you have to consider moving up.

Each case is different. IMO you have to remain open and flexible.

Hopefully Berry is the type of person who will trade up or trade down depending on the opportunity and situation. Like yourself I hope he's open minded enough to be willing to consider both scenarios at any given time. I'm not speaking of this situation per say. I haven't studied the draft that closely. It's just so hard to know who is going to be left on the Board by the time the Browns pick I feel I would waste a lot of time looking at several players who won't even be there. As for myself I find that to be an exercise in futility.

To each their own. I'm not trying to dissuade anyone one or belittle anyone who sees it differently than I do. That's just my personal take on it.

The draft is so tricky. So, many factors to consider.

It has always astounded me at how inaccurate GM's are when it comes to the draft.

I am no expert by any means. I look at players and go by my gut. I don't get to interview. I don't follow college ball too much.

I look at tape mostly. Maybe watch highlights of the Senior bowl practices and Combine. I just look for guys that stand out to me. I pick a couple guys I like and see what happens to them.

I like Franklin, Fiske, and Benson. They stand out in my eyes. I would like to get any of them. If we don't get them I keep track of them for a year or so.

I have had hits and missses.

I know the Combine can be misleading. However, you can see a lot if you look closely. Some of the drills are really good at imitating on field football actions.

Watching Fiske at the Combine it's hard to miss that he is a big, fast, strong, coordinated, athletic guy. I think he will be a real challenge for O-linemen.

I see him as one or two gap player who could really get upfield and pressure. Benson looks really good. An all around back with speed and power.

Franklin has that Josh Gordon stride where he covers ground deceptively. He has the tool set that translates to the NFL.

I appreciate your take.

Going to watch the Combine today.

Interested to see some guys. I know others will stand out as well.

Benson just ran a 4.39 - 6' 1/4" 216 lbs.

Ladd McConkey Looks really good. He stuck out at the Senior Bowl practices. Very smooth guy who is precise in everything he does.

Adonai Mitchell is another guy who was impressive.

This receiver class is loaded.

What? Maybe I am reading things wrong? Berry has proven in spades he is willing to wheel and deal. He has moved up and down the draft board many times. He has made trades for players.

Xavier Worthy - Wow

Dude was flying 4.25.

He was way different like light speed.

Schwartz ran near that fast.


Don't get drunk on speed.


Receiver is a need, but drafting a Quincy Morgan isn't the best use of your pick....IMO.

j/c:

Apparently, this a good year to draft a WR or two.

He is not my choice. Him setting a record was news.

There are a bunch of good receivers in this class. All kinds. Worthy is a receiver and is a real return guy. He has good tape.

Xavier Leggett is another good looking guy. I have not yet picked a guy who could be there when we pick. Has to be guys considered second round.

Troy Franklin is borderline. I like him. Worthy could go top to mid second. Ladd McConkey I thought he looked great.

j/c.

A name to watch is WR Jermaine Burton out of Alabama who figures to come off of the board around our 2nd round selection. The Tommy Reese connection in the evaluation process might just be enough to persuade the team to take him even tho he will be 23 at the end of Jun.

When asked ... who did he model his game after his answer was ... Davante Adams and OBJ.

According to PFF it is........

The 2024 NFL Draft wide receiver class is one of the deepest talent groups we have this draft season. Whether teams need an outside “X” receiver on the line of scrimmage, a moving flanker or a slot stud, they can find one.

https://www.pff.com/news/draft-2024-nfl-draft-strengths-weaknesses-wide-receiver-prospects

There is a lot more to the article including a breakdown of the top 10 WR's but this is the portion of the article which states how strong this draft class is at WR.

I understand why you posted it because it is "news" as far as the media goes. And I don't want you to think I'm intending this for you at all. I'm just trying to put into perspective how much speed has to do with making a great NFL player and just how valuable or not record breaking speed itself actually means. To give some perspective here are the top 10, 40 times ever at the combine....

1. Xavier Worthy, 4.21 seconds in 2024
2. John Ross, 4.22 seconds in 2017
3. Kalon Barnes, CB, 4.23 seconds in 2022
T4. Chris Johnson, RB, 4.24 seconds in 2008
T4. Rondel Melendez, WR, 4.24 seconds in 1999
T6. DJ Turner, CB, 4:26 seconds in 2023
T6. Dri Archer, RB, 4.26 seconds in 2014
T6. Tariq Woolen, CB, 4.26 seconds in 2022
T6. Jerome Mathis, WR, 4.26 seconds in 2005
T10. Marquise Goodwin, WR, 4.27 seconds in 2013
T10. Stanford Routt, CB, 4.27 seconds in 2005
T10. Henry Ruggs III, WR, 4.27 seconds in 2020

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft...H8MTAJfnzdU5OMTFsilRLkgcQMptt6g6wkqixtj4

Not saying there aren't any success stories on that list but by and large it doesn't seem that having top rated speed is an indicator of success in the NFL. Being fast is important. But the media seems to focus on being the fastest actually has great value. History dictates that in most cases that simply isn't true and I don't think actual NFL GM's give it the attention that the media does.

A decent one at least.


A name to remember. A gem to pluck on day two....Ricky Pearsall, Fla.


Not just pimping a Gator here. I don't do that when it comes to the Browns.



You guys can look him up. I don't know if I would take him in the 2nd, but might depending on the receives selected before him.

Ladd's going 1st round for sure.

I like this guy.

I am beginning to get on the Xavier Leggett band wagon.

He is big, strong, fast, and can catch the ball.

I have to say Xavier Leggett looks really good. I didn't have a problem the last 2 drafts with us not having a #1 pick but this year I miss not having one and wish we did. Having a #1 definitely makes the draft more interesting.

While I'm not one who tries to predict what players will be left at #55 nor even what position we will draft based on the players left on the board, I did see something I thought you may want to see. PFF listed their projection for teams that didn't have a first round pick and had the Browns selecting Legette at #55.

https://www.pff.com/news/draft-post...hicago-bears-caleb-williams-brock-bowers

Then here's a nice factoid.....

IMO you can find good players in the draft after the first round.

No single position group will be exhausted of talent in the first round. There is always a run at quarterbacks, edge rushers, corners, receivers, and LT's.

Teams put a lot of resources into the draft. Obviously the draft is risky. But great scouting will find players.

Berry has had mixed results.

I hope we can find some gems in this draft.

Hopefully Berry has learned his lesson drafting WRs. Don't draft
A track star trying to play football. Actually watch film and
See how WRs coming out did against upper tier competition
And draft WRs that don't have mental issues.

I wouldn't say McConkey is going 1st round for sure. For his sake I hope he does.

When looking at top prospect on various sites it looks like he is the 45th best prospect. That puts him in striking distance of our pick ... 54 I believe. He would have to jump 20 plus spots to make the 1st round, and drop 10 to our pick.

Overall it looks like the receiver class is on the weak side. That may Help ladd, or it might hurt. If the receivers don't get much of a run in the 1sr round, he might be there for us. If there is a run, then he might be picked in the 1st or early 2nd.

I am no draft expert.

But I heard Daniel Jeremiah say he thought it was a very deep receiver class.

I have scanned mock drafts and seen players all over the place from the bottom of the first to our pick at 54.

In the end we never know till the guy plays and shows what he can do.

Here is an article referencing Daniel Jeremiah.

https://www.yardbarker.com/nfl/arti...e_receivers_for_browns/s1_16697_40056141

I like Leggett, Mitchell, McConkey, Franklin.

There are others but I believe that he is right about getting a good receiver at our pick.

I would love to get RB Trey Benson in the third.

"Fast" is an interesting term. Browns thus far have drafted hands/possession guys. They need someone to stretch the field vertically. Schwartz's skill set fit that requirement. Sadly it did not work.

I think Berry gets a lot of grief with drafted receivers. In the third or fourth round, you are getting situational players. Guys who have a single strength with the hope of developing more. With so many gimmicky college offenses, I think it is difficult to find overall quality receivers. There are reasons these guys fall to the later rounds.

I still beat the drum for having a receiver group built on players who excel in one or two strengths. You can play match-ups each week. It is easier to draft. The downside is it takes longer to assemble.

If you are paying Watson, you need him to be the conductor.

Berry is a young smart man. He now has a few years behind him as a GM.

Hopefully the gained experience will help him.

This season will be interesting to see how this 2024 roster will take shape.

Free agency is coming soon. Who do we keep? Who will we sign?

The draft follows in April. The last year of no first round picks. How will Berry navigate the draft?

In May we will for the most part have our roster.

The coaching staff has changed. The roster will be different. The one fact that remains is DW is the starter. How he plays will decide the season.

No matter the roster and coaches changes. We still need DW to remain healthy and play well if we are to have success.

Actually I posted where even PFF says this is a strong draft class at WR. I don't know where people are getting that stuff from.

Really liked McConkey, in our range he is the guy I like. I know a few love Legette, but I think his hands are questionable, just my $.02. As late round guys or udfa I like both of these guys.

Jha’Quan Jackson WR/Return specialist 7th or udfa Tulane
Luke McCaffrry WR 7th or udfa

When I was watching the Senior Bowl practices.

Ladd stood out. He was so clean and precise in everything. I was surprised his 40 was so good.

I would have no problem if we landed him.

I think the consensus is that there is a substantial dropoff between the top tier (first five or so) and the others. I too read several people say this is a strong class, but I think that is the case every year.

Every college team is built around throwing the football! Honestly, it amazes me how colleges find enough good kids to play the receiver position.

Jaden Shirden, RB, Monmouth has some fun tape.

With the addition of Jeudy, I think it increases the odds that we will trade back a few slots.

The draft is so fluid it is hard to predict.

Ya never know who could fall to your pick.

The Browns do not have to draft guys to be starters which is a good thing. They restructured Wills so he is staying.

They may look at future guards. IMO value is the goal no matter the position. I think drafting a running back is a must. Nick's return will happen but when and how well is a question mark. I am not a Ford fan. I do not think he is a starter.

Not sure if they will sign Taki. They might be able to find some value at linebacker.

Berry is a planner. He will work his plan.

I agree.

I don't think there is any doubt we will draft a back.


Like you said, you never know how it is going to work out. I think Berry is high on our current receivers. I don't think he is ready to bail on any except maybe Bell. I don't think drafting a receiver is a top priority for Berry unless someone really good is sitting there.

Berry seems to use some picks for next years team. I think OL is going to be fairly high on the priority list because we are bound to lose/cut 1 or 2 of the current starters for various reasons.

I think this is the lowest amount of interest in the Draft that we've seen on this board, ever.

Weird right?

Not having a first round pick for three years I guess will dull interest.

The draft used to be a giant topic on here. Probably because we were always drafting near the top.

With the Jeudy trade in place.

This draft is about development for the future.

Running back and OL are going to be a focus.

Receiver is still in question because Moore, Cooper and Jeudy will be free agents next year. They may resign all three if that is not the plan then receiver is in play.

I was listening to NFL radio on the way to work Friday and they were talking about the Browns, one of the guys (don't remember his name) on the show was an ex GM or an ex asst. GM and he was saying that the Browns were looking at DL and LB and that they wanted to upgrade the speed of the defense. Also mentioned that we were looking at possibly trading one of our CBs, preferably Newsome, as they don't want to pay 3 CBs big money and with Newsome being the Nickle CB he's the one they would like to move, plus they think they have his replacement in Carlton Mitchell.

I can understand the lack of enthusiasm for the draft but good solid picks will be important to the team's future and we may still get a solid starter or a rotational guy with the round 2 pick. We still have FA and the possibility of more trades. We may be able to get a 3rd round pick for Newsome. I'm sure AB has a plan in place.

Add in it is a relatively weak draft class. NIL money is keeping players in college. Drafts used to be fairly deep in to the 5th round. Now it is 2 or 3 rounds.

We can also add in that our team is better and the draft doesn't have the same gleam of hope as it did in the past. We aren't drafting players who we are going to count on for immediate help. Even requiring them to start. Some might, but for the most part we are drafting players who might be required to start next year or the year after.

We are finally at the point where it should be. We sign FA players to fill immediate needs and are drafting players on a BPA basis and any needs are directed at potential needs in 1-2 years. Berry and staff can look at the spreadsheets and see when various positions are going to be thin in future seasons.

I just feel the task at hand makes it very difficult to even come close to nailing down a pick when you don't have a selection until #54. For me it's not so much about not being interested, it's more about I have no idea who will be remaining on the draft board that late along with the fact that the talent on the Browns roster has greatly improved.

In many past drafts it was "Hey, we have a dire need for a QB" or a LT or at CB. The glaring holes we blatantly obvious. While upgrades could certainly be made at some positions the Browns aren't so bereft of talent at 1 or 2 positions that one can accurately say for sure which 1 or 2 positions they may be targeting. So I'm still quite interested in the draft. But with FA yet to go and drafting at #54 that interest is more of a wait and see mode than a prediction mode.

J/C

It's too easy for me to "fall in love" with guys we have no shot at. Mix that with a bit of its difficult to know who will be available and its hard to get too invested. Having 20 guys you like you can feel pretty confident one will be there with a first round pick. Not picking until 54 there's a decent chance none of "your guys" are there.

Plus, some of the people that tended to carry the conversations aren't around any more.

Exactly.

Buy mid or later 2nd round,WE HAVE NOBODY TO PIMP OR PROJRCT. We are just guessing.

WR and Linemen.... that's what I'm hoping for in the early rounds...

This is the third year in a row that the Browns don’t have a first round draft choice. Nothing of real value to speculate on…

Hope they find another Dwand Jones. Sigh.

You answered your own question..

It looks like we are near done if free agency.

Now attention will shift to the draft. IMO we should draft the best running back we can.

It is the one position where the first round will most likely not come into play. I have not seen a mock draft where a running back goes in the first round.

That is where the NFL is at the position. "Wait and you can get a runner in the later rounds."

Nick has questions about when and how well he comes back.

Ford has not impressed me. He is not an answer as a second string back.

I like Trey Benson. I hope we draft him.

I don't believe they're done in the FA market at all. A lot of the signings were more for depth and even projects. Which is a very important part of the process. But there is a lot of time between now and the draft and if you look back, you'll see a lot of FA's get signed later in the process. Clowney didn't sign with the Browns in 2022 until May 22nd as an example.

I'm not trying to indicate the Browns will sign a splash player like Clowney by any means. What I'm saying is free agency is far from over after the first few days.

They seem pretty set at the positions that needed to be addressed.

They might sign Devin Bush or someone another linebacker. They signed the DL guys and they traded for Jeudy.

They brought back Bojorquez. Added a TE, and special teams guy. Added a third down running back. Signed another OT and Dunn. Signed Winston.

They have signed eleven guys.

Not much room left. I doubt they will sign another receiver. Mike Williams or other vet receivers; I don't see it.

Some of those they signed will most likely be practice squad players or are an experiment. What you seem to be referring to is the final 53 man roster. There's still a ton of room for players going into camp. At this point I guess we'll just have to sit back and see. But if I were abetting man I would wager there are still more signings to come.

I read a rumor somewhere that they were "discussing" Hunter Renfrow after his release, but I don't really see it, either.

After the Bush signing I really feel that now AB has set things up where he can take BPA with our picks.

Hmmmm... Minnesota gearing up to move up even more?

not sure anyone in the top 3will let them take one of the top QB's.
Wash and NE don't have a QB.


1) Chicago Bears (from Carolina)
2) Washington Commanders
3) New England Patriots
4) Arizona Cardinals
5) Los Angeles Chargers
6) New York Giants
7) Tennessee Titans
8) Atlanta Falcons
9) Chicago Bears
10) New York Jets

J.J. McCarthy come on down...

I get where you are coming from. It's just a weird time to make a move unless it's to make another move. Hard to know who will be available at 23 right now.

I suppose they could think that this draft is very top heavy and falls off fast, but giving up the future 2 along with the QB situation in Minnesota makes me think they want to make sure they come away with one of the top 4 QBs and they don't think one will drop to where they are now.

I wouldn't be entirely surprised if QBs went 1 through 4. Or maybe 1, 2, 3, 5. Not sure how far back Arizona would be willing to go and risk missing out on one of the top 3 WRs. They could likely be convinced though.

I am trying to remember when the Browns were not looking to the draft for immediate solutions.

We do not have an immediate need.

I guess the only position that I am not sure of is running back. I have not heard a thing about Nick's rehab process other than on schedule which is what is always said.

If Nick will be 100% at the start of the season. I would be good.

So right now given the unknown. I want the best running back we can find.

I would feel damn about getting Trey Benson.

Curtis Jacobs, LB, Penn State is a guy that I think could fit.

Also think Johnny Wilson, WR, Florida State could be an interesting TE convert fit.

It's kind of hard to find guys that I think could actually make the roster with where we are picking (and where they're projected.) Hopefully that speaks to the quality depth we are starting to build.

6'7" 240 does seem like a TE... but then again he does "WR things" pretty well. 😲

I just see more of a path at TE this year. Particularly if they want to stretch the field up the seams as Alabama appeared to while Rees was there. Akins was underwhelming and we could release him with only ~300k in dead cap, plus he's already 32 so upside isn't really there. Wilson would have to beat him out, but it looks doable from my perspective.


WR room is getting a little crowded. Versatility to fill in there is a bonus.

I very much like your idea of putting him in the TE role. Having a double threat at the TE position would be a very advantageous situation to be in.

Also like the mammoth wing span. Would be a big change from Bryant. Nice to have a target that is effectively "open" even when he's covered as there are more places you can put the ball that only he can get it.

I like Allen. There is still room in the Browns offense for some smashmouth.

Good looking back.

Unless we have a high ranked player fall to our pick.

After free agency and what has been done.

I hope we draft Trey Benson.

I have seen nothing about Nick's rehab. Given the extent of the injury and the fact that it is the same knee. I do not think it is wise to expect him back in time at 100%.

I would like nothing more but depending upon that is not a sound approach.

BPA is something I believe in. However, because of the current status of how teams view running backs. Trey Benson should be there at 54 maybe even in the third.

In my opinion there is no way from the tape I have seen on him that he is 54th best player in this draft.

If I were Berry I would bring him in for a work out and if they like him. Draft him.

There are other players I would consider for sure. I see Benson as a starter. If someone else could help us more so be it.

I agree. I am hoping for Trey Benson also. A back with 4.39 speed. The Browns can lean on him while Chubb heals. Then when Chubb comes back the duo could be a dynamic 1,2 punch.

The earliest Berry has drafted a running back is the 5th round. That may be coincidence, but it might not be. He's drafted a kicker earlier.

With RB contracts in FA being rather deflated in comparison to other positions, I'm not sure he'll use high draft capital on one.

I wouldn't hate it, I just don't expect it. Maybe the unique circumstances of Chubb's status make this year an exception. I wouldn't be surprised if we go OL early instead, though. WR also a possibility with lots of guys there being on their last year. This draft might be more about next year as it looks like it will be hard for a rookie to have a ton of impact this year.

Positional scarcity is one of the considerations on the "guard rails," and solid backs are usually fairly easy to find, though perhaps that is changing with even teams like Wisconsin, Georgia Tech, and Army/Navy going more pass heavy.

I am speaking solely for myself.

When a team has a runner like Chubb it changes the way a team must play you. The Niners are a running play action team. It all begins with having a great back.

Ford was picked in the 5th and that is what he is and nothing more. We could not run the ball last year with any consistency.

The way I look at players is how much they contribute to team success.

Where we pick we may be able to select the first running back taken. We will not get a chance at the top linemen on either side of the ball.

Unless a prospect that is highly ranked falls into your lap at a position of need. I am taking the best back all day long.

I don't necessarily disagree with anything you are saying here.

I'm more speculating on what I think Berry will do. I don't think Berry puts enough of a premium on RB to trade up for one, and I think Benson goes before 54. I also think Berry is still higher on Ford than most fans. I don't think he'll see an obvious upgrade.

There are multiple ways to look at the idea of "We could not run the ball last year with any consistency." Some might put more or less of that inability on the OL. We brought in the Yale OT for a top 30 visit, which makes me think that's the spot that's on AB's mind. There are a lot of interesting OL prospects this draft. A good one might slip to 54.

Kingsley Suamataia, BYU, might be a name to watch, though he's been climbing some big boards recently.

If Benson is there at 54, I'm on board with running the card in.

So weird I saw a recent mock draft by Chad Reuter.

https://www.nfl.com/news/three-roun...snag-michigan-wr-roman-wilson-in-round-3

I have a hard time seeing Benson as the 85th pick.

It is so strange to me to see a guy with his talent, size, speed (4.39), last till the bottom of the third round.

The other guy I like in this draft is Braden Fiske. We need a one gap 3 tech guy. I really like what I saw of him at the Combine.

His tape is very good. He is really athletic for his size.

I think Benson might have some injury/medical concerns. I think he had a rather major non-contact knee and hamstring injury (tore the 3 big knee ligaments, his meniscus, and the hammy) before he transferred to FSU. link

Some have Jonathan Brooks over Benson.

However, I have not seen either as first round picks. Benson recovered and I don't think at this stage it affected his draft status.

The four guys I like in this draft that may be there when we pick are:

Trey Benson - RB

Braden Fiske - DT

Xavier Leggett - WR

Troy Franklin - WR

I am beginning to think we do not draft a receiver high. We have traded for Cooper, Moore, and Jeudy. We did draft Bell and Tillman.

Berry IMO will look for value so BPA will probably be his method.

I like Benson but there are a fair number of solid Rb's - corum UM, brooks texas, estime ND, wright Tenn, allen wisc, guerendo louisville

I think fiske and franklin are gone before our pick.

Love leggette - he reminds me of terrell owens

I also like jeremiah trotter clem and junior colson UM at ILB,
edgerin cooper Texas a&m and payton wilson ncst at OLB

Love Lb Tommy Eichenberg Ohio State but he seems a little fragile

When you look at mocks from numerous sources.

After the first round players are all over the place. It's very hard to predict who will be there when we pick.

Trades happen. The draft is fascinating because of the way teams and their scouts look at players versus other teams.

With the signing of Foreman, I have doubts RB is ABs' thoughts with either of our day 2 picks. Would love Fiske - have a feeling it is the OT from Yale, however.

Foreman IMO does not move the needle.

He is short term add to replace Kareem.

I would still draft Benson.

There are other options that I would be good with but in the end I trust AB.

I agree with hammer. I get the feeling that once we go past Chubb, Berry is a back by committee type guy.

If somebody studs out, great, but if the line is good enough, almost anybody can be productive enough.

Maybe a Depo influence. Thinking back to the movie Money Ball, the though was you can't replace 30 HR's with 1 player, but you can with 2 players.

Also, where is Benson projected? I don' t see Berry going with a 2nd round back. Is Benson a 3rd round guy?

If he is there at our pick, then it could be. As explained above, I don't see Berry as a very RB centered GM. He will always take value. I just don't see him a placing any great value on a RB. Too many teams do just fine without a stud back, especially in a pass centered league. Way more rules that favor wide receivers and QB's than RB's.

I have seen mocks where Benson goes to the Browns in the third round.

I have seen others where he goes in the second round.

Myself I would bring him in and work him out. Really dig into his tape and grade the guy. I like what I see.

He would be a first rounder in days past. Now I think he will go in the second. There is a chance he goes in the third round but where is hard to say.

Benson looks like a fine RB but if I had to wager, I would say we're going DL or LB first and then OL. JMO.

When I look at our DL the one thing I do not see is a one gap 3 tech guy.

That role is the guy who can rush the passer from the inside. We have Tomlinson and Harris. Hurst and Ika and we signed Quinton Jefferson.

Jefferson can play that role but he is not a standout and is on a short deal.

I really like Braden Fiske. He is an athletic guy who has a real mean streak. I love his effort. He goes all out all the time.

I would have no problem with him being selected in the second round. I think he will be a damn good NFL player.

What do you think of Mike Hall? Supposedly the Browns have shown a lot of interest. Hard to figure out how much of that is just because he's local (and won't count against the 30 prospect limit? I think that's still a thing), though.

He is projected to be a third rounder.

I watched a little of his tape. He looks pretty good.

But I have not done a deep dive.

I am concentrating on guys projected in the second round.

I'm guessing he'll rise into that 2nd round discussion (if not higher) due to skill set. Interior pass rush is hard to find. I'm not sure where I'd put Hall, I haven't done enough digging at the top with our lack of a 1st rounder. It could also be a case where teams don't have 32 1st round grades or 2nd round grades, so a guy with a "3rd round grade" will end up going higher.

When we were drafting at the top or near the top. I was really into the draft.

I would go about three rounds deep. I would know the top five of every position. Basically come up with my own three round draft.

I have done very little study after the DW trade because we no longer had first round picks for three years.

This year I have looked at second and some third.

Leggett, Franklin, Fiske and Benson are players who have stood out to me.

We probably won't get any of them.

When the draft is over and we have our picks. I will really dig into the guys selected.

Which is where I've gotten to myself. It's so hard to predict not having any picks until that late on not only who they have targeted but if they'll still even be on the board at that point in the draft.

And while it is somewhat frustrating at draft time, it a great situation to be in that Berry has addressed all the glaring needs in the FA market to the point we have no glaring needs to guide us as to which positions he may or may not be targeting to address. All I can do is venture a guess. But with Wills being on the last year of his contract and Conklin becoming more and more injury prone, I would tend to think he may be leaning on the OT department. Getting Dewand Jones at pick #111 gives me hope he can do so with the picks they have.

I'm with you. That's kind of why I'm thinking looking at the guys Berry is bringing in for visits and trying to decide whether or not I like them is as good a method of draft prep as any this go around.

I just listened to Brent Sobleski who is a knowledgeable draft guy.

He believes the Browns will go after developmental OT's .

He stated this draft is deep with those types. He mentioned that Wills 5th year was picked up more from necessity than anything else.

Wills has not been a bust but more of a disappointment for when he was drafted. Conklin and Wills are not long term solutions.

Bitonio is aging. They may trade back and look for more picks in the top 100 to develop.

I am unsure about that approach. Basically it is the more picks the more chances. Increase your odds to find someone.

I understand that but I am not so sure about doing that. I am more about hitting on a target. Look for guys who may drop for various reasons that you have a high grade on. If they are within reach. Go after them if you have to trade up to do so. The key with that is you have to really believe in the guy.

It is value hunting. Like going to a garage sale.

Bone, you can't see it as getting more picks trading down. The person(s) on their board will be available later in the draft, so they can trade down and get two players off their board instead of one.

The thing is I think we believe in everybody we draft. It not what's the point?

I do agree we will probably look at some O linemen. It's a strong OL draft and we have some current and future needs. It all adds up.



This isn't the best draft. I don't know that we really gain anything by adding late round picks this year. I think it is why we have traded some away. I don't think we need a large draft class. Everybody we draft either gets cut of takes a spot from someone else.

Just a thought, we bring in more DT's. I am not sure we are very high on Ika.

Not sure about Ika either.

He is like a nose tackle. If he can become a role player that is good enough.

You believe in who you pick at where you pick them.

I do not know about the OL prospects in this draft. I am going by what others have stated.

Value is key for me. Dawand Jones was a huge score for us last year.

I really do not care about the position as much as I do about the player. There is talent in this draft. It is all about finding it.

j/c,

I have seen a lot of talk about us taking an OT with our 54th Draft selection. The probable prospects to be avaliable are...

-- OT Kiran Amegadjie, Yale
I have watched his tape vs lower level competition and he really didn't stand out to me for a player taken with such a high selection playing in said lower level competition.
He does have nice measurables tho.

-- OT Blake Fisher, Notre Dame
Has the physical tools for the position, but his technique shows that he will need a lot of work and is probably a reach at pick #54.

-- OT Roger Rosengarten, Washington
He might need to slide inside to OG, but again probably a reach at pick #54

We have brought back or signed 3 DTs'
But I would personally still take
DT Ruke Orhorhoro over any of the aforementioned OT prospects we need some infusion of youth to develop for the near future, and if he is off the board then we should have a pick of some good CBs' prospects still on the board.

I'm not one advocating moving on from Greg Newsome just yet, at least not until we gave another CB option in that room.

[Edit] Yes, I am not high on Ika. He did show me anything to think that he belongs in our system.

Possible targets:

https://www.yardbarker.com/nfl/arti...y_moves_that_were_made/s1_17313_40146855

Might have to dig into Dorlus. Didn't have great numbers for a DE, but if he's gonna grow into more of an interior guy, I should probably give him a look. I think of more zoom zoom on the edge with Schwartz, so kind of passed over him.

I didn't really come away a fan of Colson in my limited viewing so far.

Thanks, I see those players as being a reach at 54 and moreso valued with our 85th selection.

Just a word on "reach" picks. If you have the player high on your board and you feel he won't be available the next time you select, I don't really consider that a reach. I don't look at his draft projected position and think there are 20 higher rated players, so it was a reach. We look at all the draft boards and see the same guys listed in somewhat the same position. What we don't think about is how is a player going to fit in to our team and what we want to do. Some of those guys don't even get on to our draft board.

We don't go in to the draft with a couple of hundred names on the board. We might have 50 targets on the list. Then maybe another 50 with draftable grades.

If all of your 2nd round targets are gone, then maybe you draft the #1 3rd round target.

I know some of you play fantasy sports. I don't think the NFL is all that much different as far as the draft.. You get to a point in the draft where the no brainers are picked and you sort of punt a round and start selecting guys a round early. In order to get the guys you want, you have to get a round ahead of the league.

The write ups make sense. Just as with OL, we will need defensive line help next year. If Berry drafts for needs, and everybody does to some extent, he has shown to draft for those needs a year early. Bring them in a year early hoping they develop. That was the hope with IKA. As I said earlier, I am not sure we are still excited with the guy, but this is his year to show up, make some gameday rosters and work in some reps of meaning.

Good teams dont' reach for a player they.can get later, they trade back if possible. Even if they only have 85 players on their board they stick to their evaluation of those prospects. That's how it works.

I agree with the trade back part if possible. I guess what I am saying is we don't have any clue where we have guys rated. Just because a few draft sites have players rated one way or another doesn't me we do.

The "problem" with trading back is that teams don't know where other teams have players rated. You can't necessarily rely on the guys lasting until they're exactly where you have them rated.

I feel like we've tried doing it before, and the guys we were targeting weren't there any more and we had to hurriedly figure out what we were going to do. I.e, instead of Nico Collins we ended up with Anthony Schwartz.

Personally, if there's a player you believe in, and you think they can help the team, Take them when you can.

Now if there's a pod of evenly ranked players and you can trade back and still be guaranteed one of the guys in that pod, sure, go for it. Maybe that is what happened with Schwartz.

But if you have a guy with a much higher grade than the other guys left on your board, I don't think it generally makes sense to trade back in the hopes he will still be there even if it's a round or so early.

I do wonder how much time teams spend on projecting other teams' boards. And how much espionage goes on. It's easy to look at "needs." But I'm thinking about how different teams actually grade players differently; How they value different things.

What all would you have to do to try to simulate each team's board and keep them updated through a draft? You could look at historical data and try to reverse engineer grades based on where players were taken and how you had their traits rated and compare with traits of players still on the board. It would be very hard to factor in coach/scout movement, so trying to isolate the key decision makers would be important.

...might be something to try plugging AI into. Ask questions like based on this data (our grades) what does X team value? Or perhaps break it down more into how does X team value X trait for each position and trait? Would be interesting to see what could be come up with.

J/c

If you covet a guy, take him even.if general consensus is that you are taking.him early.

That said , its a crap shoot even in round 1 to.some extent and depending on the position . . . So general 5,000 ft view/opinion , I like trading back. Means more picks. More pick means improved odds overall. Jmo but seemingly supported by many an NFL GM.

I have no problem with us using a day 3 pick on him. All the physical traits you would want in an NFL QB but there is a serious lack of accuracy and timing. Very hard to fix those faults.

I wonder if the new 3rd QB rule might be a factor. Having a huge armed desparation Hail Mary guy on the practice squad could make sense. I wouldn't want him to play regularly, but down 4-8 with time running out on the wrong side of the field, let him chuck it to the end zone.

I don't know that we would draft a guy just for that purpose, but it never hurts to have a big armed QB. I don't know where all of our current QB's stand on the arm strength scale, but both Watson and Winston throw deep.

I am just trying to understand the reason why we are doing this? The optics are a bit confusing.

Maybe we just have Milton rated highly and want a 1 on 1 talk in the event he falls?

Maybe we have some early offers from other teams about our current room with 4 QB's on board? At most we would keep 3 QB's on the roster. Two would dress for the game roster and one would be dressed but only able to play if the others got hurt and couldn't return. Somebody is getting cut or put on the PS if he clears waivers, and that is with the players we already have signed.

This a list of the guys the Browns have met with.

https://www.dawgsbynature.com/2024/...eetings-draft-prospects-based-on-reports


This is the first time that I can remember that the Browns have met with three players that I have identified.

Troy Franklin, Braden Fiske, and Xavier Leggett.

I really like all three of these guys. I would be thrilled if they drafted any of the three.

I would pay most attention to their top 30 visits.

Cohen OG, Amegadjie OT, Hall DT, Corley WR, and Milton QB (maybe they see him as possible TE).

Possible draft targets.

https://www.yardbarker.com/nfl/arti..._pick_in_the_nfl_draft/s1_17313_40189629

From that list the only players I have seen and liked are Benson and Fiske.

I would love for the Browns to draft this guy.

https://brownswire.usatoday.com/2024/04/03/browns-trey-benson-2024-nfl-mock-draft-espn/

NO...!

link
Trey Benson nearing full recovery from major knee injury, vying for No. 3 running back role for Oregon Ducks

Updated: Aug. 11, 2021, 7:29 p.m.|Published: Aug. 11, 2021, 2:36 p.m.

EUGENE — Trey Benson remembers the day immediately.

December 1st, the Tuesday practice before Oregon’s game at Cal, the freshman running back suffered a season-ending knee injury.

“Basically,” Benson said. “I tore everything.”

Benson tore his anterior cruciate ligament, medial collateral ligament, lateral meniscus, medial meniscus and another tendon.

I respect Bones opinions and TB may turn out to be a good pro. However, I feel the best OL,DL, LB or Edge Rusher would serve us better at pick 54. JMO

So do you think we shouldn't have taken Nick Chubb? He had basically the same thing happen as a sophomore at Georgia.

Benson has since come back to play well. 2021 was a while ago. If you would rather go elsewhere because of positional value or needs of the roster, I could see it. He's had over 300 carries since the injury, and it doesn't seem to have lingered. His RAS was 9.77, so his current athletic ability is exceptional and doesn't seem to have been lost due to injury. He was also a teen when he was injured and young guys tend to heal pretty well, and he seems to have had an optimal recovery.

bull...so you see Trey Benson's injury situation so similar to Nick Chubb's injury experience that these should be rated as similar in talent just based on their injuries...?

If only scouting was that easy...it isn't easy and each injury is different. If you bother to watch some video, you would notice that they are different running styles. Chubb's running style has already been proven at the NFL level while Benson's running style needs a lot of work, imo. Chubb has God given talent that very few RBs are born with while some might not ever be able to duplicate that level of talent regardless of how hard they try.

Just because Chubb and Benson recovered from their knee injuries in similar fashion...that is where the comparison stops, imo.

The only reason Bull compared the two is because of your response to Bone. You said no and posted the above article which leads everyone to believe you are saying no because of the injury.

Your last post is laughable because Bull (and Bone for that matter) never said that is why they were pimping Benson.

The Browns met with Franklin at the Combine and now they brought him in for an interview.

The opening of this thread is all about Franklin along with tape. He is the first receiver that jumped out to me on tape. I said that he reminded me of Josh Gordon.

Gordon and Randy Moss both were "striders." All three have that long stride. Moss was faster. Gordon was thicker. What they have in common is once they get that step on a db. They pull away. Their stride gives them that overdrive gear.

Franklin was a machine at Oregon. He was highly productive. IMO he is a good fit for our new offense. He has speed, route running, and pull away power. When I first watched his tape. I thought no way he makes it to our slot. That may still be the case. However, this draft is really deep at receiver. Not only deep but diverse. All kinds of different type guys with different skills.

Xavier Worthy has blazing speed. Xavier Leggett is a bull with speed. Rickey Pearsall is polished. Ladd McConkey can do everything. These guys are in our range because the first round prospects are complete studs.

I have not looked at OL prospects. I have looked at DT Braden Fiske who I really like. I love Trey Benson. It is ironic that the Browns have showed interest in all these guys.

That is a first. Not that I am by any means a draft guru. The Browns have never drafted a player I had pimped until JOK.

Every player I listed in this post I would be happy with. The best part is we got a shot at any of these guys. I would flip if we got Franklin and Benson. I mean ecstatic.

You just posted what I was going to say. I think the FO feels we have higher priorities at that point in the draft where he would be available but I have no way of knowing if that's true or not. He's certainly a high quality RB if that's the route they choose to take.

But I remember people saying the exact same thing about Chubb and his major knee injuries in college. If one is basing their opinion on his injury I disagree with them the same way I did with the Chubb detractors at that time.

Yet you said none of that in your initial post and based EVERYTHING on his injury. You are truly a chameleon.

I'm not sure how I feel about Franklin. He's not a bad player, but I think he benefited a lot from the volume of targets he saw and the offense he was in. It looked like the tempo Oregon used led to a fair number of defensive breakdowns that he exploited/was the beneficiary of more than he just ran by people. I came away liking how he did on in breaking routes more than the down the field stuff. He seemed to do better when the ball was "in front of him" the whole way rather than outside the numbers over the shoulder type stuff in the 4 games I watched his targets from. There's nothing (inherently) wrong with a guy that is good on post routes and in breaking stuff, it just seemed to me he was being sold as more of a go route, take the top off guy that I didn't necessarily see as his strength. I might have been influenced by the drop early in the Utah game which was the first one I watched.

Don't have a firm take on him. Just early observations from a quick-ish sample. He could be a good NFL receiver, I'm just not sure he's what I went in thinking he was going to be, and so I've got to kind of re-think how he might fit with the guys we've got.

Right now, I think I prefer Legette over Franklin. It is kind of hard to compare them because the surrounding situations were quite different. I see more examples of the things Watson showed he was able to work with in Legette. He has some Hopkins like ball skills and hops. Probably not the savvy, but as far as "see ball, get ball" Legette looks pretty impressive.

Xavier also has that extra gear he can get to. I feel like the struggles of the South Carolina OL didn't allow him to show it off as much as Franklin. Rattler was almost always under duress. Legette rarely got balls thrown where catching them in stride was even a possibility. Legette also just faced better competition in the SEC than Franklin saw in the PAC12.

There are some negatives as far as age and breakout age, so I'm not sure he fits the standard AB profile, but I think "external" factors were a big part of that late breakout. Maybe the age "negative" is the only reason he might be available to us. I think he gives a different element to the offense that "completes the group" better.

I'd love to see what Stefanski/O'Shea/Watson/Cooper could do with him. Does have some route running stuff he can clean up, but, if he does, watch out. I think we have surroundings he could thrive in.

I like Legette equally and would be happy with either guy.

Franklin is slight. Legette appears much stronger and is most likely better suited to handle jam press man.

I know nothing about the offenses either played in.

However, these guys are all coming out of college. When trying to project how they will play in the NFL. It is hard to determine how they will develop over a three year period. Some guys really improve on weakness and get stronger. Some guys don't improve and wash out.

Worthy, Legette and Franklin are really different guys. Worthy could be a Tareek Hill type guy. 4.21 is an amazing time. His 40 run at the Combine was eye popping visually.

I look at receivers in categories in no particular order. Separation, speed, strength, hands, (50/50 balls). There are many sub categories but those are the first major groups.

Normally I lean toward big guys who can post up and win 50/50. However, guys like Hill are so exceptional at separation they dominant. In all the years I have watched football. One guy who when drafted was the best I have ever seen was Calvin Johnson. I live outside Atlanta. He played at Ga. Tech. So, there was lots of chatter about him. When I watched play some games in college. I was blown away. I thought nobody will be able to cover him.

Ironically, he built a home about a mile from where I live.

I hope we get him.

Haven't seen film yet, but sounds/looks like a physical specimen. Istvan has familiarity with Mailata who was a seemingly similar prospect.

I went to Oceanside/Carlsbad junior college now (MiraCosta).

Chris Chambless went there when I attended.

There was a large community of Samoans and Tongans. They are built like tree stumps but they are great athletes. The NFL has many players from those islands.

I remember Tim Manoa. Then I remember seeing the next Tongan to play in the league. My immediate thought was "these dudes are just built differently".

The draft is a gamble. Draft 'experts' runs players through compatibility software, for lack of a better term, and try to predict how they fit.

Athletic freaks like this dude? I gamble every time I'm given the chance. They're like high-payoff scratch-off lottery tickets. When you lose, it's just a couple bucks, when you win -- you can raise a new deck off the back of the house.

Close your eyes. Imagine six-foot -seven, 350 pounds. Now open your eyes and watch that vertical. "Lawd have mercy!"

When I was going to school there a friend of mine was in a karate class with these Samoans.

Scary is all I can say. Not dudes anyone would want to mess with.

At first reading this article I thought BS.

Then after reading it. I saw the logic.

However, next year there are many unknowns. You don't know where your pick is. You don't know who will be there. Other needs always arise.

It all depends on who is there when you select. Kind of a bird in the hand deal.

I'm liking what I see from Caedan Wallace, the "other" Penn St OT (Could potentially play guard as well/played some RG at the Shrine Bowl.) I think I like him better than the BYU guy. He kind of reminds me of Wirfs. Almost definitely not the same caliber, but similar body type and stylistically moves a lot alike. Thick (lower half particularly) and moves well. Doesn't show the same explosive power, but seems to get displacement consistently. Looks good at getting to the second level and getting outside to seal. Seems able to anchor well in pass pro.

I'm not the biggest PSU fan, but they can recruit and the strength and conditioning program seem pretty top notch. Wallace could still have technical development upside as that's where Penn State seems to struggle, and he did seem to show continuous improvement.

I don't really watch OL in college. Actually, I don't watch much college ball.

Because we are out of the first round. I will wait and look after the draft if we draft a OL men.

I am unsure about DT this year because we spent a third on Ika and he can't get on the field. I like Fiske because I see him as a 3 tech.

I really do not know what Berry will do. He looks at the draft as long term. Guys like Ika, Wypler, McGuire, Isaiah Thomas, all those guys are long term plays.

We have invested in receivers. Not sure if we go that route. Depends on the plans for Coop and Moore. Also, how much do they see in Bell and Tillman?

The big question for me is Nick. Beginning to think it is unrealistic to expect him back to begin the season. When he does return. What will he look like?

I don't like Ford. Foreman is a good add but I see him as a temporary fill.

I like Benson. I see good size, home run threat, contact balance, catches the ball, productivity 6 yds. per carry. Plus I like his playing personality. Chubb like.

There are very few talking heads labeled as analysts that I pay attention to.

Greg Cosell is one guy who I admire. When he talks I listen. I mean I am all ears. He is a professor of football.

In many ways he taught me. "NFL Matchup" I have watched for years. I was happy to hear his take on Benson because I really like him. I see efficiency with Benson.

I don't know what not to like about Benson. 6yds per carry, contact balance, home run speed, good size, catches the ball. In addition, I like his playing personality Chubb like.

I truly believe he fits with what the Browns do and want to do with the new offense.

Greg Cosell on receivers we may get a shot at.

[video:youtube]https://www.buffalobills.com/video/greg-cosell-in-depth-film-breakdown-of-wr-draft-targets[/video]

I have several reasons for suggesting the following player as a RB option for the Brown:

1. I don't think running back is among the most pressing priorities for the team. This player should be available in the 6th or final round
2. They have actually met with this player.
3 A big power back could complement the rest of our RB committee with or without Chubb's immediate return.


Aidan Robbins’ Draft Profile | BYU, RB Scouting Report
BYU RB Aidan Robbins is one of the largest rushers in the nation. We dive into his scouting report to see if he'll be taken in the 2024 NFL Draft.

September 2, 2023 | 9:12 AM EDT


Ian Valentino
Written By
Ian Valentino
One of the best incoming transfers from the offseason is Aidan Robbins for BYU. The powerful rusher could become a hot name in the 2024 NFL Draft with a big season. We’re diving into Robbins’ scouting report for next year’s NFL Draft.

Mock Draft Simulator Mobile Banner
Aidan Robbins Draft Profile and Measurements
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 240
Position: RB
School: BYU
Current Year: Junior
Robbins began his career at Louisville but totaled only seven carries across two seasons. He broke out in 2022 at UNLV, totaling 1,134 yards and 10 touchdowns on 232 combined touches. He has one more year of eligibility in 2024.



Aidan Robbins Scouting Report
Strengths
Robbins has one of the biggest frames at the position in the country and plays to his massive size.
Booming downhill back that punishes arm tacklers who don’t have the momentum to help interrupt Robbins’ movement.
Knows his strengths and weaknesses as a runner, and he doesn’t try to be someone he’s not.
He is fast enough to sprint through a crease on the gap and outside zone rushes, creating havoc for defensive backs who get in his way.
Shows good vision on interior runs and will keep his legs churning as much as possible.
Is a capable pass catcher in the flats and could have the potential to be even better in mismatches.
Has a high upside as a pass blocker due to his play strength and frame.
Relatively low usage in college.

Weaknesses
His lateral movements are limited to slight jukes and dekes as he can’t afford to break his stride to do more. He can lose his balance and speed if he tries to be more elusive.
Inside zone rushes can cause him to stop his feet and struggle to return to speed when a lane does show.
He could be more creative when avoiding tacklers, including hurdling over defenders going at his lower body in open space.
Can be too boom-or-bust as a rusher. He lacks the feel and refined vision of high-end NFL backs.
Profiles best as a No. 2 back with his powerful, downhill style.

Current Draft Projection and Summary
It’s exciting to see a revival of running back who towers over so many defenders across college football in 2023. Standing 6’3″ and 240 pounds, Robbins compares to Derrick Henry and Raheim Sanders as mammoths who terrorize smaller defensive backs who already want no part of the run game.

Unlike Henry and Sanders, though, Robbins hasn’t been on a big stage before. He put together an impressive 2022 campaign in his first season on the field, but it looked like a 12th-grader playing against the ninth-grade team. His power and speed helped him overcome his lack of experience and poor surrounding cast.

MORE: FREE Mock Draft Simulator With Trades

His first season at BYU will be a good barometer of his skill. He has the raw physical tools to be a feared ball carrier in the right system, but his level of explosiveness and consistency are under the microscope in 2023.

I’m optimistic Robbins will translate well to the Big 12, earning him a spot in my top 150 overall. But his range is as wide as being an undrafted player who returns to school in 2024 or a late Day 2 pick.

With the size of those holes maybe we should be looking at BYU offensive lineman.

I am confident you can get good backs in the later rounds. Maybe more than any of the 'skill" position.

Lot's of players are rated 2 and 3 stars out of high school. Maybe they were a little small. Maybe the coaching was suspect. Maybe their lines weren't good.

Get an offer at a smaller school, get better coaching, better supporting players, grow an inch or two, add 15 lbs and that 2 star player turns in to a 4 star type guy.

It sure would help if the Browns had a draft room that was geared to finding those late round "hidden gems".

In these highlights, the BYU offense took advantage of what the defense was giving them. The Oline wasn't doing anything special, just man on man blocking and allowing the RB to pick the hole. In many of the highlights the 5 BYU offensive linemen were blocking only 3 "down defensive linemen" and that should be a win for offense OL every time.

If defense want to play "stupid", allow the OLine and RB to take advantage.

I do like this RB, Robbins...he is quick off the snap and doesn't dink around looking for a hole or running outside hoping a hole will develop. He is basically a straight ahead runner who is quick at reading a running lane...and he has the size to punish LBers, safeties and CBs who meet him in the hole.

The Browns have needed a physical big back for a long time rather trying to use smaller RBs especially in short yardage situations.

I'm not saying he's going to be a bust, but I definitely see it as within the range of possibilities.

Comes off as rather entitled it feels like to me, too. The whole I'm bored right now passive aggressive thing is, I don't know, kind of silly. The belief that not starting as a freshman at USC was some kind of adversity is also kind of weird to me.

Definitely talented, but feels rather narcissistic. Not sure how that will play in the locker room.

I also think that, if 7-5 is adversity to him, he's going to be facing a lot of even worse adversity in Chicago. He's not going to have the most talented team in his conference any more. It felt like USC was constantly an underachiever while he was there. Best recruiting classes in the PAC12, but they just never put it all together. I could definitely see an underachieving bad team that doesn't have more natural talent than opponents in his future.

I mean it could work out. I'm just not sure I see it as a foregone conclusion. I don't think landing in Chicago helps his chances, probably the opposite. Definitely could see him going through some coaches in his early career.

Do you mean like a very good OT in round 4?

Yes..more like D. Jones...

One starting quality player out of 19 draft choices...not so good.

On the bright side, maybe Berry's draft team is improving with D.Jones being an example. If ever there was a year where the Browns draft team needed to show improvement at hitting on their draft picks...it is this year.

You need to reflect and recount.

Kiper has the Browns selecting Braden Fiske with our second round selection.

He is a guy that I am very high on. An athletic DT with a high motor and could play the 3 tech. I don't think we have a guy like him.

So, I believe he would be a good selection.

Fiske stood out to me in the two games I saw Florida State play. I was pretty shocked when he did as well as he did at the combine. He tested off the charts.

I've stated before I feel we should draft an OL or DL with our 2nd RD. pick with LB being my 3rd option. I'd be thrilled with Fiske.

For Fiske to move the way he did at the Combine it takes athleticism.

It translates on tape when you watch him.

IMO he would be a good pick. Not sure what direction Berry will go but there should be some good options.

Franklin, Fiske, Benson any of those guys would be fine by me.

If we want Fiske we'll probably have to trade up as most mocks I've seen have him going anywhere from the lower half of round 1 to the early part of round 2.

Just thinking back, Felton was a later rounder, he didn't work. Ford was a 5th rounder, he is a good back.

I think your expectations might be out of wack. Good doesn't mean the guy will lead the league. No doubt we all want an Isiah Pacheco in the 7th round, but that is just fluke. If KC had known Pacheco was going to be as good as he is, they would have drafted him much sooner.

It's easy to cherry pick the guys picked late by some other teams and then blame our FO because they didn't or aren't geared to do so.

The reality is with Chubb, the Browns probably haven't put much priority on drafting backs.

I think at this stage once the second round begins anything can happen.

Kiper has been around a long time. He is not always right by any means because the draft can be weird.

However, teams needs and the positions in the draft can change. There can be many trades which can change the order drastically.

I have given up on trying to predict the draft. Hell, when we got JOK I about fell over that he was there.

Fiske has short arms and is already 24 years old. Some teams could pause taking him.

Because of the current stigma attached to running backs IMO it creates a false market.

Backs like Henry, Chubb, and others are game changers no matter where they are selected.

Nick suffered a serious injury. Right now I don't believe there is a hard time line on his return. If a guy like Benson is there when we pick IMO it would be foolish not to take him.

Ford IMO is not a starter and never will be.

This is one of those talking points that always fascinates me. When someone wants to gloat about how smart their team is in a situation like the above. Waiting til the 7th actually makes you 'dumb' if you know he was going to be 'that good', like: helplessly stupid. Let's call that situation what it is... luck.

Another guy that I should probably watch more of. Definitely could see Akins being pushed off the roster. Really not too many places on the roster for a rookie to be likely to make an early impact.

I'm guessing this was probably his best game ever by a wide margin, so I wouldn't expect this to be the norm. Could show the potential upside, though. Look at all the different spots TCU had him align.

Some NFL franchises have a more capable draft room than others...some franchises are simply better at recognizing draft talent and work harder than the competition to gather information on potential prospects...and that has little to do with just being lucky.

Scouting methods and the quality and experience level within your scouting department and draft team also play a role in a franchises ability to find those hidden gems in the later rounds. Scouts who have connections and good relationships with other scouts and are willing to share information would seem to have an advantage over less experienced franchises.

It sure helps to have an experienced team of scouts who are well connected within the NFL and college scouting communities. Finding success in the later rounds is not all luck. Some teams are just better at finding and judging NFL talent than other teams. Hopefully the Browns will continue to improve at finding starting quality talent such as Dawand Jones in the 4th round last year.

Like I said, cherry picking.


It's easy to pick players a year or two later and put down the people who have to pick in the moment. I could do pretty good at the roulette wheel if I knew beforehand if the ball was going to land on black, red, or green.

Just saying...

I have no idea about picks after the third round.

However, I do believe we will have some very good options at our first two picks.

I like this draft and believe there are numerous talented players that we will get a shot at.

AB has had hits and misses that is the way the draft is. I feel he is a damn good GM and I trust that he will find some gems in this draft.

Experience matters...

...even in the scouting department..especially in the Browns scouting department. Hopefully, Berry's draft room & scouting department can find some more later round talent like OT, D. Jones.

Maybe someone should look at the actual success rate of draft picks made in the later rounds and say they expect success despite very long adds against it in those later rounds. At least that would be honest.

I don’t know exactly what the percentage of success is in the later rounds but i’m sure it’s not too high. And I remember 50 years ago the draft was 15 rounds!

Experience can matter while also being overrated. One's ability to learn and adapt from experience is much more important than "experience" itself.

Is there anyone in this draft, that you would be willing to give up our 1st round pick next year? For me there are two: Marvin Harrison or Joe Alt

1. First Round: Roughly 97% to 99% of players drafted in the first round make it onto an NFL roster. These are usually the most promising or "sure-bet" players coming out of college and NFL teams tend to take more risks on the first round.

2. Second Round: Approximately 94% to 96% of players drafted in the second round make NFL rosters. These athletes are still high-value but may not have been the first pick due to a position not being a priority for teams drafting early, or they may have minor limitations or concerns.

3. Third Round: Generally, around 85% to 90% of players drafted in this round end up securing a spot on a roster. Despite being drafted later, third round players still show significant potential.

4. Fourth to Seventh Rounds: The success rates can drop a bit from here, but it's not uncommon for these rounds to have some hidden gems. Approximately 60%-70% of fourth-round players make a roster, which dips to 50%-60% in the fifth round, and roughly 30%-50% for the sixth and seventh rounds.

5. Undrafted Players: Only about 15% to 20% of undrafted players (UDFAs) end up securing a spot on an NFL roster. These athletes might not have been picked during the seven rounds of the NFL Draft, but that doesn't mean they don't have potential – they often have to prove themselves more than drafted players.

Making a roster is one thing.

Playing and when can be something else.

Getting a second contract is another.

pit..I did exactly that and you didn't care for the answer..!

You used Dawand Jones, drafted in 4th round last year as an example of drafting a hidden gem in a later round...and I agreed with you.

Since it was Berry's draft room and scouting department that drafted Jones, I went back to Berry's first draft as the Browns GM...2020.

...I counted up the players that Berry had drafted in the 4th round and below the 4th round since becoming the Browns GM...I counted 19 total draft choices.

...the only player to step into a starting role and be considered a solid starting material in the year he was drafted was Dawand Jones...thus he is the standard I used as being a legit "hidden gem". Dawand proved to be better than back-up material, part time material or simply special teams material.

Therefore, Daward is 1 out of 19 picks that meets the standard of drafting a hidden gem.

There's a difference between the standard and the exception to the rule. Rarely is an OT of that talent level who can perform in the NFL to his level found in the fourth round. That's the very definition of "exception".

mac, better yet break down each team's success rates in rounds 5-7 in the last five years. It is easy to say Berry missed on this player. If you want an honest grade on Berry, give a count on teams who re-signed their late-round pick to a second contract.

pit...I even used the standard you cited and now you want to fall back on "word games" rather than admit, the Browns ability to find such hidden gems is not so good...1 out of 19 tries.

The boys in the draft room and scouting department need to continue to improve at finding late round talent...find us some more like Dawand.

Interesting definition of "hidden gem." Late rounder that has to be a starter in his rookie year. We had Nick Chubb, no other RB was going to be a starter while he was here. In places where we needed starters, we drafted them by round 3.

You don't expect late rounders to be starters immediately. Especially not on teams with good rosters with no glaring holes. You might draft future starters ("developmental" players.) The only reason Jones started was because Conklin got hurt.

Using your definition, a team that has good starters will hardly ever find hidden gems.

DPJ was a 6th rounder that started 30 games for us. He didn't start as a rookie because we had 2 (former) Pro Bowl WRs in Landry and OBJ.

Cam Mitchell actually did start a few games last season. He didn't start more because he was behind Ward, Emerson, and Newsome.

The only one playing word games here is you. An exception isn't a standard by any definition. Claiming it is, is the word game here. Hoping they will find them is not only our hope but there's as well. But the odds of that happening are low and somehow you have decided that beating the odds by a wide margin is now "the standard".

We now have another 7th round pick

The squabbles on here are endless. At this point, I expect them and don't get too invested in any of them. With that being said, it seems that the definition of a "hidden gem" draft selection is nebulous. What I mean is it's arbitrary to say it has to be a late round pick or even a pick at all because player acquisition happens in a number of ways.

Martin Emerson qualifies in my opinion. Drafted in round 3 of 2022 he was not on my radar. He didn't seem to be on the radar of most media or Browns fans if we're being honest. He has outperformed his draft status to date.

JOK has outperformed his draft status as well. Berry recognized the value and aggressively moved up to get him when he was sliding.

Given Grant Delpits' medical history and questions about his ability to withstand injury he was a steal.

Alex Wright is on the verge of becoming a steal and he continues to develop on the arc he appears to be on this time next year we might say confidently that he was a steal.

Since the argument seems to be about the franchise as a whole and not just Berry the acquisition of Wyatt Teller who had a so-so career before coming to the Browns should also be considered a hidden gem.

Im hoping that we'll be talking about Jerry Jeudy as a hidden gem because a 5th and a 6th for that talent could be huge.

Continue the fight...come out swinging, lol

In the end it is about building the entire roster 1 to 53. Depth is often the key to winning by the end of the season.

Berry has done a good job. No GM hits 1000%. If you have a good roster with depth that is what counts.

Mike Mayock was a TV draft guru. He leveraged that into becoming a GM. Once in that position he found out that it is not as easy as it is talking about the draft.

How many number one draft picks have failed? Winston and Baker were not busts but neither has had the expected careers as most predicted.

The history of the draft proves it is a crap shoot.

guard..I just want to add a bit of information concerning the Browns acquisition of Wyatt Teller.

Teller was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the 5th round of the 2018 draft after playing 4 seasons at Virginia Tech. After his senior season Teller was named to the All-ACC first team and was named the runner up for the ACC Jacobs Blocking Trophy.

As a rookie, Teller was a back-up OG for the Bills until game 10 when he was named the starting OG for the last 7 games of the 2018 season. John Dorsey, the Browns GM, worked out a trade for Teller just before the start of the 2019 season..Dorsey traded a Browns 5th and a 6th round pick of the 2020 draft for Teller with the Bills throwing in their 7th round pick of the 2021 draft to complete the deal.

Teller became a starting OG for the Browns in week 9 of the 2019 season and remains the Browns starter, earning all-pro honors in 2020 and 2021 along with Pro-Bowl honors in 2021, 2022 and 2023.

The Bills might have under valued Teller's potential after his rookie season but the Browns made them an offer that was good enough to steal Teller away from them.

Whether drafting or acquiring talent via trade, recognizing player potential and talent are a must for the Browns if they expect to win a Super Bowl in the next few years. The Browns need to hit on as many of their draft picks as they possibly can... and make smart trades that improve the performance of the offense, defense and special teams.

There is a 20% probability that Troy Franklin will be there when we select at 54.

IMO if he is there we need to draft him. I think it would be a big mistake if we did not.

Which simulator is giving you that probability? The one I tried didn't seem very accurate. I didn't mind drafting guys that only had 10% chances of getting where they fell repeatedly, but the percentages didn't seem to make sense/play out that way.

Franklin could be a good player. I'm not sure I see it for us. WR projections seem to be all over the place now. Hard to know which ones might be available.

I could actually see us going LB. Trevin Wallace could be a fit, maybe. Someone that can cover, and also would seem to have the range to help corral Lamar.

I'm starting to wonder if LB and TE might be the play "early", then OL and RB on day 3. Of course, if the right player drops in our lap that goes out the window.

It's kind of hard to find spots on the 53 for rookies. It's almost weird to not be needing instant starters.

I was on board with the there are so many good receivers in this draft we should take one approach. However, the more I think about it, the less I want to go that direction. There will be a bunch of good receivers every draft. That room looks pretty well stocked for this coming season. With Cooper, Jeudy, Moore, and Tillman, I'm not sure a rookie would see the field.

I could see us drafting for future needs, and a WR would make more sense in that light, but I still think it's more likely that a good receiver would be available to plug and play in next year's draft than other positions.

Because there appears to be a lot of depth at some positions (WR, OL,) I kind of wonder if teams might try to wait on those and they fall a bit (probably not the top 3 WRs.) It will be interesting to see how this draft plays out.

I think they are more likely to take OT/IL replacements for Bitonio and Teller in the next year or two.

Definitely wouldn't hurt my feelings if a good OL "fell" to us.

It came from Cynthia Frelund on Browns website.

https://www.clevelandbrowns.com/new...receiver-prospects-in-the-2024-nfl-draft

https://espnanalytics.com/draft-sim/

That is the draft simulator I came across the other day that I was thinking of.

Zach Frazier played center at West Virginia, but I think he could play guard, too. He's a guy I'd be on board with taking at 54.

I think there will be some great options at 54.

I did not look at offensive linemen. I looked Braden Fiske who I like a lot.

However, I am zeroing in on two guys. Trey Benson and Troy Franklin.

Benson I believe is going to be a good pro. Because of the entire situation surrounding Nick; I think we should draft him.

Franklin has skills that I believe will fit the Browns. He was the very first guy I looked at in the draft. Then I started looking at other receivers.

I kept coming back to Franklin. His tape when you keep watching is very impressive. Greg Cosell sealed it for me. Nobody studies more tape than Greg Cosell.

Bone I mentioned that I felt we should take an OL or a DL with pick 54. However, whomever we choose at whatever position if he turns out to be a good player for us that's all I'm concerned about. That to me is the bottom line.

No doubt but I like to make my own picks and see if they happen.

Yes. Berry's put us in a position where we can and should draft BPA.

I was looking at some mock drafts this morning.

Damn some that I saw were just wacked out. One had the Browns selecting Bo Nix at 54????

Another had guys like Troy Franklin in the third round. I don't think so.

There are always surprises. Guys slip that many think will not.

Some players that nobody thought will be drafted high will get drafted high.

That is why the draft is fun. Organizations see players differently.

And what you saw is the problem. No matter how you slice it some of these "draft gurus" are no better at predicting the draft than some posters on this board.

I agree. We went in with guardrails everybody agreed upon. We selected players in a methodical way to build the team inside the parameters set. The FO has done a good job of addressing needs before the draft to give us the flexibility to just draft good players without needs dictating 85% of the selection. We are at the point where Berry's idea of needs isn't simply this year. It is more about next year and the year after when selecting players.

We are finally a professional football team with a competent staff from planning, to player aquation, to on field management. We are in a good spot.

I feel as though the biggest deal by far that they've made to date is still undetermined. That one still weighs pretty heavily. Outside of that I must agree with you.

Interesting I started this thread in January.

https://bleacherreport.com/articles...undup-of-br-staff-kiper-and-expert-picks


The two guys I have been pimping were Troy Franklin and Trey Benson.

I mentioned the "other Penn State OT" as a potential later round target.

Well, the "other Notre Dame OT" could maybe be a target at 54. Blake Fisher looks pretty good to me.

Fair comment, and no doubt the final results are undetermined. I do think that on the whole the FA selections have been at least on the good side. You are never going to hit on every move. I guess to define good...in a classic grading system, "B-" would be my grade.

But Watson will be like that final test one takes that accounts for a larger portion of your overall grade but isn't the entire grade.

Potential D2 RB "sleeper"



Blake Watson, RB, Memphis is another "under the radar" guy that looks interesting.

That's not definitive, but I have some hesitation with Franklin. He could work out, but I see some bust potential.

He probably wouldn't be the route I'd go.

Edit: I'm under the impression that that was taken from Bob McGinn's work, and he's had some notable misses (CJ Stroud.) But, it resonated with the concerns I felt.

Another interesting looking RB. Not sure about the long speed, but I like pretty much everything else that I'm seeing so far.

I completely disagree with whoever Billy M is.

"In 1984, Greg Cosell with NFL Films President Steve Sabol created a show titled Monday Night Matchup (now known as NFL Matchup) which was initially hosted by Chris Berman."

He watches over 40 hours of film a week.

I posted his video and his take on Franklin and other receivers in this draft.

Billy M???

Billy Madison

Not a credible source IMO.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Madison

Yeah, don't know Billy M, but someone I follow retweeted it. Some digging indicated that it's pulled from something by Bob McGinn, a sportswriter that covered the Packers for ~40 years.

I generally like Cosell, but nobody bats 1,000 in the draft.

Franklin has some things he does well. I just see some things that could hold him back. I'd rather take a player that I have more conviction in. Especially when I don't see WR as a need. Franklin is only 21, so he's definitely not a finished product. I wouldn't hate it if we picked him, it's just not what I would do.

I would just as soon take our picks and package them into moving up in the draft. We don't have a ton of spots on the roster .... and if I could add a couple of potential impact players, I would rather do that,

I can understand that sentiment but I don't think that Berry does.

IMO he likes to trade back and have more picks to increase the odds of finding guys.

Also I think he believes in trying to develop guys from the later rounds.

I can see it either way. If I see a good value for a player that has dropped from where you had him ranked say 40 and now it is pick 48-50.

Yes go get him.

I could see R5 and R6 getting packaged together:

* on their own to move up for a player they like between 85 and 156
* with R3 (85) to move to the late 2nd
* with R2 (54) to move high in the 2nd

I only see the first scenario as bordering on 'likely'.
I do not see R2 and R3 getting packaged for a 1st round pick.

It's tough to get too 'crazy' without a 1st and a 4th.

Most likely scenario is one like Bone described above. Lumping our R5 to move up a few spots in the 2nd for a high-value target.


Cleveland Browns 2024 NFL Draft picks
Round 2: No. 54
Round 3: No. 85
Round 5: No. 156 (from PHI through AZ)
Round 6: No. 206
Round 7: No. 227 (from TEN)
Round 7: No. 243

The Browns have brought two TE's for visits.

One is JA'Tavion Sanders. PFF has him as a top fifty prospect.

BOTTOM LINE FROM PFF'S 2024 NFL DRAFT GUIDE
Sanders is a Tier 1 athlete for the tight end position. He is still mastering the nuances of tight end play, and he needs more of a mean streak consistently as a blocker.

However, even with those concerns, what he brings to the table as a vertical threat is worth a top-50 pick.

I could see the Browns drafting a TE.

https://www.pff.com/news/draft-2024-nfl-draft-scouting-report-texas-te-jatavion-sanders

I like this dude. He looks good. Very similar to Njoku.

7 days to go. Even with the lack of first rounders, I still get more amped up for the Draft than Christmas.
There's got to be something wrong with me.

The draft is fun because every team views the players differently. Each team has different needs and are in a different state of development.

There are always surprises. The trades that go down can turn the whole thing on a different path.

I love the draft.

I agree wholeheartedly. We have been doing better in the 2nd and 3rd rounds, most of the time better than we've done in the 1st round. I think we'll draft a couple of good solid players. I have faith in AB.

3rd Rd draft picks under Berry:

Jordan Elliott & Jacob Phillips

Anthony Schwartz

Martin Emerson & Alex Wright & David Bell

Cedric Tillman & Siaki Ika


2nd Rd draft picks under Berry:

Grant Delpit

JOK

N/A

N/A


Berry's drafts have been largely so-so. Elliott and Schwartz are gone and were given waaaaaay too much rope for their production. Bell looks to have been over-drafted and we may move on from Ika after (1) very non-de script season (if they draft another DT rather early). More bothersome to me is the apparent "smarter than everyone else" drafting of guys like Schwartz and Ika so early when better prospects were available.

When you don't have a #1 pick for (3) straight years you shouldn't be getting cute with your Day 2 picks like that.

...darn you PFF. Posting top 10 lists that include next year's prospects. (Link)

How much influence do you all think future draft classes play on what happens with the current one?

Both these guys look good to me, and we might actually have a 1st round pick next draft. ...Yes, I'm a draft degenerate.

https://www.yardbarker.com/nfl/arti...end_up_with_the_browns/s1_17313_40256329

I believe in Franklin and I would rather have him than Worthy.

We need a guy like him because we do not have a guy like him on the roster. This guy can track the ball deep and he is precise in his routes. I know he is slim but that does mean much because he is not the type of receiver who will be taking hard shots.

He has the unique ability to separate with his long stride. He is really fluid. When he runs his routes he knows how to set guys up like Cooper does.

I think he is a really good fit for the offense that the Browns want to run.

I want the team to continue to be feared in the run game. My mid-round RB target is Issac Guerrendo, Louisville. 6' 225lbs, 4.3 combine 40. Turned heads at the combine. He has skills to run power, catch the ball, pass protect, and return kicks. Might have to get to round 4 to draft him. Productive out of shotgun.

I like him guard.

When I watch RB's I have to hit mute. I look for vision, balance, quickness, power, and speed in that order.

Guerendo measures up well.

This a good breakdown of the 30 players the Browns have brought in for a visit.

https://247sports.com/nfl/cleveland...ker-prospects-updated-4-15-24-230485548/

Thanks for an interesting read. Some scary looking gambles on the list for draft days. Fingers crossed!

Hi Mac excellent point
Dorsey’s draft
Chubb probably hof
Teller all pro
Landry all pro
Berry no all pros in 4 years.

LOL - Dorsey did not draft Teller or Landry - he traded for them.

I think the prevailing thought is that when a FO uses draft picks in making trades it's actually the use of draft assets. By trading draft assets it shows a good investment in the draft capital. But I don't think either of those compare to trading a fifth round pick to get Cooper.

And then easily ignored by many (not saying you) is that Dorsey started with the most draft capital in the history of the NFL. Aaaand the most cap space in the history of the NFL.

Those are most certainly huge factors that should be included in the equation.

Good ole Doofus Dorsey.
Good enough person I suppose, but a missing link no doubt.

Being serious for just a minute, I think Dorsey was a good GM. He brought a lot of talent onto the roster that's still here... but seeing what we have today, it takes more than just an all-star coach or GM. Both have to be good and both have to be on the same page and rowing in the same direction.

Dorsey yielded us Freddie Kitchens and only listened to himself in terms of roster-building. Was antagonistic even, to others in the building that thought differently. Through the lens of what's been built these past few years, Dorsey's flaws are suddenly VERY clear.

If true, perhaps for a WR if Tee Higgins has one foot out the door.

I was just reminded by a friend that the Draft is tomorrow. I have to admit that I don't know what picks we have, except that we definitely don't have a 1st, or even what we view as team needs. WR? RB? DT? DE? LB?

It's crazy; I haven't felt this disconnected from the team since 2001. Literally.

Still, it's the Draft and as such my interest is turning toward it and I will tune in even though I will have absolutely no clue whatsoever about who we pick or what they can do for us.

I still keep up to some extent. i want to see what our division rivals do. I have a very close friend that is a Lions fan so I keep up with that. Here are our picks....

Round 2: No. 54
Round 3: No. 85
Round 5: No. 156 (from PHI through AZ)
Round 6: No. 206
Round 7: No. 227 (from TEN)
Round 7: No. 243

Ravens picks

Round 1: No. 30
Round 2: No. 62
Round 3: No. 93
Round 4: No. 113 (from DEN through NYJ)
Round 4: No. 130
Round 5: No. 165
Round 6: No. 218 (Compensatory - from NYJ)
Round 7: No. 228 (from NYJ)
Round 7: No. 250

Steelers picks

Round 1: No. 20
Round 2: No. 51
Round 3: No. 84
Round 3: No. 98 (Compensatory - from PHI)
Round 4: No. 119
Round 6: No. 178 (from AZ through CAR)
Round 6: No. 195

Bengals picks

Round 1: No. 18
Round 2: No. 49
Round 3: No. 80
Round 3: No 97 (Compensatory)
Round 4: No. 115
Round 5: No. 149
Round 6: No. 194
Round 6: No. 214 (Compensatory)
Round 7: No. 224 (from AZ through HOU)
Round 7: No. 237

The Bengals and the Steelers both have 2 picks before the Browns are even on the board. So yeah, it's a little difficult to get too excited about the draft if you're a "Browns fan only". As for myself I watch a lot of games and have more than a few teams I like so it is a little more interesting for me.

My only problem is trying to figure out who we may pick at #54. Berry has shored up most of the glaring holes which is a good thing. But that does make it harder to predict which direction he will go from a position standpoint and no matter what people say at #54 people really have no idea who will be left on the board.

More power to the people that think that's a worthwhile path to walk down but as for myself I'm going to wait until they pick and then try to evaluate the players after they're selected. So yeah, without a first round pick it takes an edge off the intensity of the draft for me.

Shoulder surgery tomorrow ....... I'll probably be in a fog for day 1 of the draft tomorrow.

Could the Bengals move up by trading Higgins and picks to get one of the top three receivers?

That is hysterical.

I remember watching the first game of the season with Cody starting. I was with my son when we were on a fishing trip in BC.

I looked at him and said the Browns may not win a single game. This is one of the worst teams I have ever seen.

prp...I've had similar feelings about the Browns 2024 draft...it's almost like.."what's the use".. there is nothing about this Browns draft that excites me..no feeling like there is the one player in this draft that the Browns need to help push them over the top..someone to improve the team's chances of making the playoffs or possibly winning a Super Bowl.

It seems that all I can do is reflect on the mistakes the franchise has made that put us in the present position. It sure would help if just one of the plans worked out...maybe Watson's shoulder will heal and and Watson will have a career year this season, leading the Browns to the playoffs and a chance to play in the next Super Bowl.

Apparently you keep good company....

LOLZ

Y-town, good luck with the surgery! But you may need the painkillers for the SECOND day of the draft. Maybe they will give you little extra if you make it known you are die-hard Browns rooter. Fingers crossed,

It's tough to believe anything that clown says.

That face....

Yep, you can't just list the successes. Dorsey had the 1st and 4th pick of that draft, not to mention the 33 and 35 in round2. The #1 overall QB did not make his second contract and he is on his 4th team. Chubb is a stud, Ward a pro bowler at CB. The guy he picked before Chubb (Corbett) was traded mid-season for a 5th round draft pick.

Also, the HC you hired wouldn't play Chubb. Dorsey had to trade Carlos Hyde, the starter, to force Hue to play him.

Yes, Berry has had no pro bowlers, but he also hasn't had a draft with 4 of the first 35.

Something is missing. Oh wait, I know, The first overall picks in round and 2 that year. Also, why not list Ward, he has been very good.

I thought things just weren't right with his leadership and after he was fired, I researched info as to why he was let go at KC. Confirmed what I was thinking.

Why would a team, searching for a WR, trade for Higgins, who is not signed and asked to be traded? Bengal's fans on their MB thinking they can get a mid-high 1st round pick for a 1 year wr like Higgins,

j/c...

That's weird.

What kind of name is Carl? Who names a baby Carl?

Surgery is done. Shoulder hurts, but not like I expected.I seem to be one of those who has less pain after I've been chip chopped. Weird.

Probably not true, but not a surprise if so. Think about it.

LOL...a family name I suppose. No doubt a name that is going to go the way of Wilbur, Homer, Delbert, and Merle. Give it 60 years and they will probably come back.

Girls have their goofy names. How many Girtude's do you know that isn't a great aunt to somebody that isn't at least 50 years old?

Haven't kept up with the draft much ... could anyone post a list of some possible guys to watch for tonight?

*Plays Jurassic Park theme*

The girlfriends of the draftees are always funny - you just know most of them won't be there much longer LOL

That whole set up was awkward to watch. Mcafee has a goofy crew. So you have Mcafee and his goofy crew including someone who was impersonating Mel Kiper. They are cussing like sailors. They’ve been banished to the back of the room. They have no real time video as to what’s going on. And here’s Bill who desperately wants back in the NFL hanging out with these misfits trying to be serious. One of the most awkward things I’ve watched in a long time.

Lol. I don't know any Gertrudes or Delberts. In this case, I was quoting Todd Haley from Hard Knocks. But this reminds me of a Red Skelton skit:

Red: "We went out with these two girls, Lassie and Hortense"
Buddy: "I thought Lassie was a dog"
Red: "You should have seen Hortense"

I would have never drafted Michael Pennix. He seems like a good kid and he has talent but his injury history is troubling. We drafted guys like that and it didn’t turn out well. I wish him the best and hope he has a good career but too many injuries to suit me. Jmo

j/c:

I've seen us linked to Troy Franklin, WR, Oregon. Easy speed guy. A little thin, but still young. Hard for me to get a strong read on him due to his offense and the secondaries he faced being underwhelming. Could very well go to Buffalo early, though. He would seem to complement they guys they have better than Ladd McConkey, who some have as BPA.

Mike Hall, DT, OSU is another potential pick I've seen. Another young guy. Pass rush potential would seem to fit the Schwartz attacking style.

Jer'Zhan Newton, DT, Illinois and Cooper DeJean, DB, Iowa would probably be my top guys on the board, though honestly, I didn't dig into them a ton because I figured they would be gone by now.

Junior Colson, LB, Michigan is probably the top LB still on the board. Maybe Edgerrin Cooper from Texas A&M. I like Trevin Wallace from Kentucky but he's projected a bit later.

Kingsley Suamataia, OT, BYU is a name I've seen some of. Athletic guy that has the measurables, but needs some technical improvement. I think I'd prefer Blake Fisher out of ND if we went OT. Kiran Amegadjie out of Yale is another OT in the mold of Suamataia, but with added level of competition questions.

Christian Haynes might be the top OG. He has some ties to us as (new offensive analyst[?], some coaching staff position anyways) Charlton came from UConn where he played.

Keon Colemon, WR, Florida State could make some sense. Jake Burns likes him. Kind of a Hopkins mold WR, but the 4.6 40 might turn some people off. Malachi Corley, WR, WKU is more of a raw-ish YAC/Deebo-style guy.

Ja'Tavion Sanders, TE, Texas and Jaden Hicks, S, Washington State are guys that we brought in on top 30 visits that are projected in today's range.

I like Zach Frazier, IOL out of WVU. Not sure how we'll weight positional value there, though.

Trey Benson, RB, Florida State has some fans on the boards.

Javon Bullard, S, Georgia is another versatile DB I like. A little "undersized," but love the instincts and attitude.

I didn't do enough work on the CBs to have strong takes on them, but some that were projected as potential first rounders are Kool-Aid McKinstry out of Bama and Ennis Rakestraw out of Mizzou.

Braswell out of Bama and Marshawn Kneeland out of Western Michigan could be BPA when we're up, though I don't know that we need edge defenders.

Pffft. Casuals.

Something to consider heading into tonight.....



(See reference to Andrew Berry's track record so far)

I truly don'get having Nassib do anything with the Browns. He was here for a whopping 2 seasons. Why not have Kirksey and Higgins do it instead? At least they spent a fair amount of time here.

I know it. I mean, I get why Nassib for the diversity aspect of it ... but he's probably more of a Raider guy than Browns. Should be someone else

Okay, last night was the craziest thing I'd ever seen in the draft. The first 12 picks and there 6 QB's, 3 WR's and 3 LT's. And a total of 9 OL drafted in the first round. There were 0 CB's or DE's selected in those first 12 picks.

There wasn't an edge rusher selected until pick 15 and not a CB selected until pick 22.

Very, very strange.

Still a number of guys I really like.

I doubt AD Mitchell will last.

I really like Franklin, Sanders and Benson.

Would love LADD, no way we get him though.

The draft can be so strange.

Daniel Jeremiah ranked Troy Franklin 77th.

PFF has him ranked 27th.

Nobody knows Brock Purdy Mr. Irrelevant.

This statement reveals a lot about the Browns philosophy.

Asked #Browns Andrew Berry if there's more value on the position of need or overall best player:

"Probably more positional importance than positional need...we look at higher leverage positions...Those are the areas that we wanna be deploying the most resources year over year."

And I've said as much many times. The comment "You can never have enough corners" comes to mind. Some positions such a high caliber edge rushers, CB's and LT are so hard to come by. And you need those players developing in the pipeline. You can't sign every player to a second or third contract that breaks the bank and positions like CB, LT, edge rushers and recently WR's have ballooned in cost making it much more imperative to draft and develop those positions when and where you can.

What interests me is the positions Berry lets other teams develop DT, RDE, LB, and safety. These positions are long-term projects.

As for WR, I like how he built the room. Let someone else spend the draft capital. I'm sure the plan is for Juedy to replace Cooper. As for the supporting cast, keep drafting mid-rounders and develop.

It looks as if Berry is doing the same to the OL. It will be interesting what he does at LT.

LT? Draft one in the 2nd or 3rd and develop him like Dawand Jones. Or DJ becomes our future LT and we draft a RT to develop. We can draft this way now because we have a talented roster and no pressing needs.

Sanders is the one I've been thinking for a couple weeks now.

I hope teams keep drafting more QBs so other positional players will fall to us, lol.

Sanders makes a lot of sense because if you are in formation of 2 TE's and 2 WR's you have four option routes that can be camouflaged.

It gives you many formations to work with.

I'm hoping we can get Stover later.

I think we have enough pass catchers competing for targets. Give me the pure glass-chewing football player that will do the dirty work as TE2. Think he has the savvy on delayed routes to be a sneaky TD machine when teams are focused elsewhere. Saw a few show block, slip off into a wide open TD on the tape.

Boo, why can't I have nice things in the later rounds?

...Cooper DeJean dropping to the Browns?



...Trying to think of potential targets with that skin color.

Unless Berry thinks Wills is good enough at LT. I would lean in this direction. I am not sure you will find "Jones" in most drafts. I also do not think you will find a better option than Willis at LT in the second or third round. If the player needs coaching to start, he is going in the first round. Berry could wait until next year to take a first-round LT.

As for Dawand Jones moving to LT, forget about it! Leave Jones at RT. Jones may work out at LT, but you could have issues finding someone to fill his place on the right. Don't fix what ain't broke!

Coleman to the Bills

McConkey to the Chargers

Ohrohrorho?? haha okay

Orhorhoro was pegged for 3 round, right? Atlanta drafting like the Browns 10 years ago

Ari Meirov
@MySportsUpdate
·
24s
The #Commanders are selecting Illinois DT Jer'Zhan Newton with pick No. 36. Washington gladly takes him after Atlanta jumped them for a different DT.

WR Polk to the Patriots

Tom Pelissero
@TomPelissero
·
15s
Trade! Rams on the clock

Ian Rapoport
@RapSheet
·
46s
The #Titans at No. 38 select #Texas DT T'Vondre Sweat, whose first visit after he was charged with DWI was with Tennessee. He was upfront and honest, answering all questions.

Ari Meirov
@MySportsUpdate
·
4s
The #Eagles are trading up and are taking Iowa CB Cooper DeJean. Finally.

Ari Meirov
@MySportsUpdate
·
22s
The #Saints have traded up with the #Packers and are taking Alabama CB Kool-Aid McKinstry.

And now we have a CB run.

Ari Meirov
@MySportsUpdate
·
2m
The #Texans will select Georgia CB Kamari Lassiter at No. 42, as the corner run continues.

Scott Petrak ct
@ScottPetrak
·
6m
WRs, DTs and CBs are the first 10 picks of Day 2.

Ari Meirov
@MySportsUpdate
·
1m
RB! The #Pantherrs are taking Texas RB Jonathon Brooks after trading up.

few more picks

Saints drinking Kool aid lol

Ari Meirov
@MySportsUpdate
·
18s
The #Colts will select Texas WR Adonai Mitchell at No. 52. Finally. A big weapon for Anthony Richardson.

dangit

one more pick

Trey Benson or Jaylon Wright would be my pick.

Michal Hall Ohio state

Browns pick Michael Hall Jr. - Ohio State

Funny Memphis, I was staring at Michael Hall’s name from this post expecting it to be the pick

Real young player- he should gain muscle as he ages.....GO Browns!!!

The guy I would have gone with is Junior Colson Lb UM

few more picks for us

about 10 picks until we're up