"I'm also looking for a home-run hitter," Holmgren said, pointedly.
That comment alone will intensify the debate on which glaring need the Browns should satisfy first -- defensive line or wide receiver.
Four defensive linemen are considered worthy of the No. 6 pick. Two are tackles and two are ends. The top-rated linebacker, Von Miller of Texas A&M, and the top-rated cornerback, Patrick Peterson of Louisiana State, could be justified there, too.
But there's really only one home-run hitter on offense worthy of a top-10 pick, a guy who can score a touchdown from any place on the field. That's Georgia receiver A.J. Green. Without mentioning him by name, Holmgren essentially conceded that Green is a strong candidate for the team's No. 1 pick.
Another position on Holmgren's mind as the draft season kicks off is -- no surprise -- quarterback.
"Oh, yeah, we will draft a quarterback. You can almost count on it," Holmgren said.
But the feeling going into this week is that Holmgren is looking for a developmental prospect and is not planning on displacing Colt McCoy as the team's starter in 2011.
"I believe in the young guy we have," he said. "I'm pretty sure we'll take one later in the draft."
McCoy has been meeting regularly with new coach Pat Shurmur for the past couple of weeks. The Browns want to get McCoy exposed to Shurmur's offensive playbook before a possible owners lockout shuts down all contact with players after March 3.
Holmgren indicated he has no intention at present of bringing in a quarterback to compete with McCoy.
"It works best if you can identify 'the guy,' let him know he's 'the guy,' and train him appropriately to be 'the guy,'" Holmgren said. "It's nice to have all this competition and all this stuff, but it doesn't work very well, usually. So if you believe in a young man, believe he's 'the guy,' then you have to go with it."
Holmgren's apparent plan is to designate McCoy the starter, choose between Jake Delhomme and Seneca Wallace as the backup, and draft a developmental quarterback for the No. 3 role.
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