Draft weekend has come and gone, and NO draft conversation?!

[SOBO]

Now you can call me a disgrunted employee. Wait, or is it my job to start draft talk? Oh well.




C'mon ladies and gents. No feelings on this group?

Did a thread over on the "other" site to which I rated the best players from our draft and how I feel they will fit this team.

This is how it went....

1. D'qwell Jackson
-- Am I the only one who thinks about the pick of D'Qwell and just smiles?

Sure we had to give up Faine, which was a heartbreaker for me to begin with; but I can't get the thought of guys like Odell Thurman and Lofa Tatupu out of my head.

Oh I know the arguments will come...."He's undersized for the 34" -or- "Both Thurman and Tatupu played in the 43". But what some seem to forget is this will be less of a transition for Jackson coming into the league and he can just play like he played in Maryland.

During the draft the player's roundtable ESPN had commented that MLB is one of, if not THE, hardest position to learn immediately in the NFL because they are the "quarterback" on the defensive side of the ball. Well guess what, we already have our "quarterback" on that side of the ball and his name is Andra Davis. Remember that he already has some 34 experience. D'Qwell can just sit back, make his read his keys, let his playmaking ability take over, and make tackle after tackle. He doesn't have to shoulder the responsibility of calling the defense and being the leader immediately. That's a big bonus of running the 34 at this point when we bring in a rookie to start out of the gates (though we all know Romeo will bring him off the bench till like preseason game 4).

On top of it, who better to have in front of him than Ted Washington so he doesn't have to battle blockers constantly? Don't overlook the drafting of the Giant Baba as well. He will be a factor rotating with Big Ted as well. For me measureables aren't the end all be all, and this kid plays with heart. But it is sure nice to have arguably the best pure NT of all time in front of you even if he is in his twilight along with another young experinced nose tackle getting reps as well.

I want to go as far as saying that D'Qwell will have an outside shot of being defensive ROTY and the best player in this draft class for us.




2. Babatunde Oshinowo
-- Entering the draft there were three clear cut top nose tackle prospects: Ngata, Watson, and Oshinowo. For months this forum in particular discussed Oshinowo as a strong possibility in rounds 3 and 4 to really come in and be our future at the position. I literally yelled at the TV for 5 straight picks until I FINALLY heard, "The Cleveland Browns select DT Stanford, Babatunde Oshinowo". Just goes to show what a GM with a great poker face can do for a franchise by landing this same prospect in round 6. (it STILL blows my mind a day later).

The advantages of the pick are clear cut. The team desperately needed depth being the great, albeit aging, Ted Washington. Speaking of Big Ted, what better player to learn under to understand and grow into the nose tackle position? And Babatunde still has room to grow. This season he played at a lighter weight but could easily get back up to 320. Smart, strong, solid against the run, and a great motor.

Late round pick who definately has the potential to turn into a long term starter.



3. Lawrence Vickers
Fullbacks clearly are no longer highly regarded in NFL draft circles. It's the only explanation for the top prospect at the position could fall into the Browns laps in round 6.

What is so great about Vickers is his versatility. The Browns certainly need red zone help, and versatility which could present match up problems can go a LOOOOOOOOONG way. This isn't your typical smashmouth FB. Vickers can run the ball as a short yardage specialist, catch the ball out of the backfield, and even block for you. He reminds me of another Zach Crockett from the Raiders.

Certainly a great addition which could go a long way when it comes to the smashmouth AFC North.



4. Kamerion Wimbley
-- I'm sure it's a bit surprising that someone would actually have the the top pick overall as just the fourth player in regards to what type of impact he could have on the team.

Truth is it's going to take some time for Wimbley to make a huge impact on the team. He will immediately provide a pass rush. I'm not one to expect 10 sacks in his first year though. It's also going to take a little bit of time for him to become truly comfortable in his new postion of OLB.

What's truly to like about Wimbley is that he's a very solid player on the field and possesses great character off the field. He's a low risk/possible high reward type of player. I could honestly seem him as a solid player for this team in the next decade but nothing truly special.



5. Jerome Harrison
-- Quality depth at running back was a crucial need entering this draft and it was met. Harrison comes to the Browns as the NCAA's regular season leading rusher. He has good speed with a 4.4 forty. Shouldered the load on a very bad WSU team where he was not surrounded with the best talent. Will come in and certainly provide the depth we needed.



6. Issac Sowells
-- Guard is an uncertainty with this team over the long haul. Andruzzi is being held by duct tape and Coleman is in the last year of his contract. Sowells was a three year starter at left tackles in a major conference. He will have to move inside due to size and overall athleticism problems. Inside though he's strong and quick off the ball. Savage said it himself, "He should compete for a starting spot in 2007". If that happens to be so, then this pick could certainly jump much higher up the board.



7. Travis Wilson
-- Will have a chance to earn his keep early in his career with Braylon's future a bit of an uncertainty. Northcutt's contract will be up next year. He HAS the potential to be a starting receiver down the road. Note, I said HAS. A big physical receiver with solid hands and has no problem going over the middle. Receivers like that can usually find a niche somewhere in this league.



8. DeMario Minter
-- What more can I say about the pick other than I thought is was a very good value and could provide solid depth for the secondary in the future. Solid cover corner, who likes to be physical off the edge; a good fit for this team overall.



9. Leon Williams
-- Big time athlete who will take time to develop. Certainly adds depth to our most depleted position. Will come in as a special teams demon. Will have to see if Romeo lives up to his bill as a teacher with this one.



10. Justin Hamilton
-- Really expectations of ANY seventh round pick should never truly be that high. Hamilton is what he is.....a big safety who can hit and has very nice measureables. Probably contribute some on special teams and that's about it.

[Lebowski]

Just waiting for you to jumpstart the convo bro

Here's what I think:

I love the first two picks. I said in the other thread that I wanted Ngata, but if Savage and RAC thought pass-rush was the biggest need, and they liked Wimbley better, than I'm cool with it. I certainly like everything I have read about Kam, and if he develops into our Boulware then bully for us.

Jackson might be my favorite pick. I really didn't give him much thought before the draft because I frankly thought he would be gone when we picked in the second round. I said I would have been fine with Hodge there, so obviously Jackson works. He was the #1 rated ILB in all the publications I read. Love teh fact he played in a 3-4 at Maryland and love the fact that he was the ACC Defensive Player of the Year for 2005. Think about that for a sec. He beat out Mario Williams, Brod Bunkley, Wimbley, Manny Lawson, Mathias Kiwinuka, and John McCrago. They were all first rounders. I think the dude is a stud and a great pick in round 2. Our linebackers are soooooooo much better than in 05. I love teh foursome of McGinest, Jackson, Davis, and Wimbley.

The third round pick of Wilson was a surprise, but it is obvious that dude's got game. Like that he slipped because of an injury and a piss-poor QB. Could be quite a find. Also says that Edwards won't be ready for Game One.

Now the fourth rounders...two head scratchers IMO. Williams has all the ability but has underachieved throughout his career. I just don't like drafting a backup in round 4, when Coefield was still on the board. Would have liked a trade-up for Gilles. And if they wanted a guard and didn't want to trade up for him, I would have prefered Rob Sims over a project from Indiana.

In the fifth, Harrison might be my second favorite pick for the value. I love his quicks and vision. Much better value where we got him copmpared to where Maurice Drew and Brian Calhoun were picked. Kiper seemed to like this pick a lot. Minter is a guy with talent, and probably was simply a pick based on BPA. I read somewhere that he shut down Calvin Johnson from GT this year...any truth to that?

To the sixth, Vickers gives us a guy who can block, run, and catch. Remember how many times Carthon called a play for a pass to Terelle in the flats? Imagine a better catching FB who can actually do something with the ball after the catch. Like him a lot. We also get our NT in this round. On paper, Osinawawhateverhisnameis seems like a helluva steal in the sixth. Can he play any DE for us...or strictly in a rotation with Washington?

Savage gets a very interesting prospect with Hamilton in the seventh. Played TB, WR, and finally S at VT. He's big, and theres rumors Savage wants to bulk him up to play LB. Either way, its a nice pick with upside for the final round.

I'd grade the Browns draft as a B. Liked everything except what Savage did in the fourth.

[pup]

Is it just me, or does the current Browns brass finally understand what we have been screaming for? This draft seemed to be about attitude. Guys who like to hit and be hit. 40 times, bench press reps and vertical leaps are not as important to Phil and the gang as football IQ, and smashmouth attitudes.

The choice between Ngata and Wimbley appears to be mostly attitude based. They passed on the fat guy who tends to be lazy and took the guy who embodies attacking the offense.

This is going to be a new Cleveland Browns team in 2006, and I am as genuily excited about them as i have ever been.

Kudos to the front office on a great off-season.

Offensive line.....check
linebackers........check
winning attitude..beginning to develop.

[Steve Buffum]

Offensive line.....check

Call me greedy, but that's not a "check" for me yet.
.

[pup]

I am speaking more to the fact that it was addressed than being confident that it will perform. Depth will continue to be a problem, but the starting 5 should be much better than any line we have had in a long time.

[furls]

I am a big fan of everything the Browns have done this off season. Everything!

My two petty gripes:
1.) Ted Washington is old. I hope we can get a couple more years out of him, but hell at least having him meant we didnt get Ngata. I do NOT like that guy. If you are not a "motivated" college player, "making it" and having millions of dollars is not going to help. Also, he comes from the PAC 10 and he is going to have to spend the entire mini camp learning what defense is. They don't play it there, but I am pretty sure that they have heard of it.

2.) I really wish they would've drafted Kudla for two reasons. One: because he is a high character, hard working Buckeye favorite. Two: just so the Steelers couldn't have him. The guy led the Buckeyes in sacks this year and I still have the image of him running down Lawrence Maroney (a first round pick) from behind and tackling him with one hand on a forth and two. A play that in my opinion, defined the potential of Mike Kudla.

[consigliere]

I think the browns have had a solid offseason and draft. Aside from signing bentley, they haven't landed any creme de la type players.....but the players they have signed/drafted should be solid contributors. It looks like they are more focused on team based play than individual based play with loads of stars. I can definitely live with that if it results in winning.

I'm curious to see how they look this year, although I think every year I have high expectations going in....so this year I'll try something different in that I expect them to just be ho hum average.

The one pick I really like is Harrison. I think he could end up being a nice compliment to Droughns......and it looks like one or both of Suggs/Green are gone. Definitely at least one is gone (the obvious choice at this point is Green).

[swerb]

Loved day two. Would have taken Bunkley in the 1st, but am not unhappy with Wimbley.

Sobo, Im gonna use that post as a front page column if you don't mind.

[SOBO]

Well that was a pleasant surprise to flip to the front page and see this posted. Thanks Swerb-O.

And to think I've been dissappointed with myself lately because I fell off the horse and was so drained after the draft ended.

Now I have to find ways to tweak the same things over and over again until the collegiate season pops up again and we can talk some college prospects. WOOHOO!

[SOBO]

Another followup I was just messing around with...

SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.....

If YOU were the Browns GM a couple weeks back, how would our picks have turned out?

(Let's be honest now)


12. Brodrick Bunkley DT Florida
-- Completely understand why we took Wimbley, and the more I learn about him the more I like him. Entering the draft though Ngata and Bunkley were 1 and 1A targets for me. Both fell and I was PUMPED. Didn't even care we traded down with the Rats because either guy would have been great for us. We passed on Bunkley. Our coaching staff felt it was more important to get a pass rush. I felt Bunkley had less of a transition to make while giving us both help against the run and an improved pass rush. He didn't last on the board much longer after our pick (one more pick later to be specific).



34. D'Qwell Jackson LB Maryland
-- I can't lie when I state I believe this is clearly the best pick of this entire draft class for us. Hell I don't even mind trading Faine away to leap up and land Jackson. I honestly didn't expect him to even be there when we picked come round 2, and apparently Phil thought the same. Our greatest need was filled by the positions top rated player. A player who has some experience already in our system. And a tackling maching while at Maryland. Absolutely perfect fit, and I'm going to stick to my guns that i believe he has an outside shot at DROTY.



78. Max Jean-Gilles OG Georgia
-- Entering the draft and after the draft I believe(d) MJ-Grimace was the best guard in this draft. Just the thought of that Philly line of Tra Thomas, MJG, Shawn Andrews, and Winston Justice in the near future brings a smile to my face and yet scares the shit out of me. I can't tell you why he fell, nor have I heard but I wouldn't have thought twice about taking whom I thought was the best guard prospect come round 3 and insuring a dominant interior line.



111. Demetrius Williams WR Oregon
-- At this point it would have been a total value pick. A value pick the Ratbirds snatched up mid Browns picks in the fourth round. Entering the draft Williams was ranked second among senior wide receivers by myself. He provided a deep threat and was a consistent target in an streaky Duck offense. Not the physical prescence at the position like a Travis Wilson but a very good pure WR prospect who could have certainly helped depth.



113. Babatunde Oshinowo NT Stanford
-- I can't lie and say I wasn't yelling at the TV to select Giant Baba from the fourth round on. Obviously PHil is the MAN for getting him two rounds later, but I said be honest and I would have taken him this high and thought he was a very good value at this point as well as filling a crucial position.



145. Jerome Harrison RB Washington St.
-- Was looking for a change of pace back the entire process leading up to the draft. It just so happens that I was a big fan of Harrison once I finally got to see him a couple times late in the season. Great pick, perfect fit. As simple as that.



152. Mark Anderson DE Alabama
-- Do I have a problem with the DeMario Minter pick? Not one bit. Thought it was good value. But again from my perspective I would have loved to land an athlete of this caliber at this point in the draft to address an obvious lack of pass rush. Anderson in my opinion had a solid shot at being a late first day pick. To see him fall to this point would have been a steal from my point of view. One of the few prospects in this draft who brought the combination of athleticism and pass rush abilities to even play the 34 OLB.



180. Lawrence Vickers FB Colorado
-- Really liked this pick. It was a position that I talked about off and on entering this draft but really no one else picked up on it. Ironically just a week before the draft there was a good discussion going about drafting Vickers in a board wide mock draft because of the exact reasons he was brought to this team. He gives us the versatility in the offense that T.Smith simply doesn't. I think he'll find a niche in this offense this year and will be on this team for quite some time as a short yardage/red zone specialist.



181. Tim McGarigle LB Northwestern
-- Depth at ILB was an obvious concern outside of just trying to find a starter in this draft. Became a big fan of McGarigle after the combine after seeing his measureables were every bit as good as the top LB's in this class, and his production was second to none at the collegiate level. Felt he was a smart hardnosed kid who had "a Romeo player" written all over him. And since I would have taken Baba already by this point, I would have had to find another direction to go.



222. Mike Kudla DE Ohio St.
-- One more attempt to fill the pass rush need by snagging Kudla. Yes he went undrafted and to that I was surprised. Felt there was enough talent there to at least warrant being drafted whether he played DE, OLB, or ILB. I gotta say I was suckered into believing second hand knowledge from a scout. Still, I think Kudla could have helped this team in the long run.




This year there was a bit more of a push/pull attitude for me. I understand all of our picks and liked pretty much all of them. Last year I only had two gripes I would really argue. This year obviously I would have done things a bit differently than the way they worked themselves out. Surprisingly from everything I have read, I would have graded this draft for us slightly lower than most draft "experts".