Browns Draft Recap

After an exciting couple of days, the NFL Draft has come to a close. Our Browns were a busy team with 8 draft picks. Now I will look at the draft and give you my take on each pick.

Round 1, 7th pick-Joe Haden, CB, Florida.

Questionable pick to me. Could have definitely traded down and still got Haden or another corner of his caliber later in the first round. Earl Thomas would have been a better pick, in my opinion. ET, who ultimately went to the Seahawks at 14, was listed as a safety, but many believe he was actually the top corner in the draft. That's right the #2 safety in the draft may have been the #1 corner. The Browns have a glaring need at safety and after the draft, the massive hole has not been answered. On the other hand, the Browns traded for CB Sheldon Brown from Philly to sure up the corner position, but Holmgren must have felt it still was not strong enough.

Now back to Haden. Haden is still relatively new to the position of corner, he was recruited to Florida as a quarterback, but he soon realized that he would not get any PT because he was stuck behind some guy named Tebow. He decided he wanted to shift positions and try receiver, then he saw a few guys named Andre Caldwell, Lou Murphy, and Percy Harvin, so he decided to flop over to the defensive side where he ultimately started at corner in his 1st year on campus. The fact that Joe is not a veteran of the corner position shows that he still has a lot to learn and could end up as a lockdown corner in the NFL. Hopefully he does. Haden ran in the 4.6s at the combine, but he claims he had a strained back (why he ran, I'm not sure). Watching him in college, I believe he does have the speed and quickness to stay with NFL recievers. He also looks like he has excellent ears for satellite reception. Haha just kidding Joe. The best part about Mr. Haden is that he has a twitter! Follow him @joehaden5 (and me @beaufait1). Another weird note is that we now have two guys in the Browns secondary with freshman brothers who attend Florida, Abe Elam and now Haden. (Abe Elams brother is going to be an absolute stud by the way).

2nd round, pick 38-T.J. Ward, S, Oregon.

The Browns opted for the safety from the Pac 10 in the early 2nd round, but not the one many are thinking of. Not Taylor Mays, it's Mr. Ward to the rescue. Unlike Mays, Ward is not a very big safety, he stands at just 5'10, but he loves to make the big hit. Played a lot of center field out in Eugene which allowed him to lay the wood on everybody that dared to come over the middle, so he obviously does not shy away from contact. Can ultimately play corner or safety because of his athleticism and can be an instant contributor on special teams. Some trouble is there because of size though. Can see him having a lot of trouble against bigger receivers, whether its getting jumped over, out muscled, or just getting off blocks. Had injuries in the past but hopefully those are all behind him. Lacks great ball skills as well. Hopefully he makes a twitter as well.

2nd round, 59th pick-Montario Hardesty, RB, Tennessee.

The Brownies traded back into the 2nd round to acquire the Tennessee running back. May have been a bit of a reach and was it worth what was given up? Montario (What a great name!) is a physical back who loves to lower his shoulder and create contact. Body filled out well during his 5 year college career. Despite the love for contact, Hardesty wowed scouts at the combine by running a 4.49 combine and a 41" vertical. Displays good hands out of the backfield and is capable of taking 30 carries per game. Not a great pass blocker or at cutting back and lacks the big play potential. Will always fight for that extra yard and that's what coaches love about him. Good vision and finds the holes nicely, has a knack for making the first guy miss. Had injury problems throughout his career at Tennessee but when healthy he showed glimpses of just how great he could be. Had a great senior season as it was the only year that he remained injury free. Will compete for carries the day he arrives at Berea. If he stays healthy should make an impact for years to come.

3rd round, 85th pick-Colt McCoy, QB, Texas.

Great pick at this stage in the draft. When you have a Hall of Famer who tries to convince the organization to take a guy in the 2nd round, and he slips to your next pick 25 picks later, it could not have turned out any better. Colt is a natural leader and has the work ethic to be successful at any stage. High character guy who you will never see in any off the field issues like many of today's athletes are. Can master any offense with his intelligence and willing to learn. Has a quick release and excels in the short passing game, where he sets up his receivers to do their thing after the catch. Can run if needed but needs to learn how to slide, should do well at avoiding the rushers when needed. Does not have a cannon for an arm and doesn't throw the deep ball all that well. Needs to improve his passes to the sidelines. Has a low release point, combine that with the fact that he is not all that tall and we may see many balls batted down at the line of scrimmage. will have a great opportunity to learn under veteran QB Jake Delhomme, expectations will be high within the organization when he finally takes the helm.

3rd round, 92nd pick-Shawn Lauvao, OG, Arizona State

Projects as a guard in the NFL. Scouts raved about his versatility, but I cannot see him playing anywhere except guard for the Browns, maybe center. He's only 6'2, that does not sound like a guy that is going to have an opportunity to play tackle in the NFL. Could see this as a reach but it is so hard to predict in with offensive lineman. I trust Holmgren here, added some much needed depth to our interior offensive line.

5th round, 160th pick-Larry Asante, S, Nebraksa.

Solid 3 year starter in the Big 12 with the Cornhuskers. Pretty muscular guy who is great in run support, but is horrible at covering the pass. Have not heard any positives at all when Asante and pass coverage are used in the same sentence. Loves to come up in run support and is good in the open field and tackling in general. Due to his horrendous pass coverage skills, the best his career could ever amount to would be a back-up and special team ace.

6th round, 177th pick-Carlton Mitchell, WR, South Florida

Great talent. So much upside/potential it's ridiculous. Low risk, high reward kind of guy. Great size at 6'3, and has great speed to go along with it (4.49 40). Has big, strong hands that allow him to make some catches that most guys can't. Is not afraid to go get the ball over the middle, even if that means getting laid out. A deep threat and can also be used effectively in the red zone. Perhaps the best part of his game is his blocking. Puts so much effort into his blocking and that can mean the difference between a 5 yard gain and a 40 yard gain. Has some flaws as well, I mean there's a reason he fell to 6th round. He is very raw and probably should have went back to school to improve his stock. A great year could have propelled him up draft boards. Not the best route runner on short routes, but that may come with concentration or effort. Mangini will push him to work on that. Also, he tends to catch the ball more with his body rather than with his hands. In my opinion was a great sleeper pick and it could reap benefits for the Browns. Twitter him @CLMitch10 (he always responds).

Round 6, 186th pick-Clifton Geathers, DE/OLB, South Carolina.

A project at the Browns 5 technique, some character issues are there as well. Massive guy at 6'7 299 with some of the longest arms above the equator. Has good strength that can allow him to keep blockers away, but only when he wants too. Defends the run well and uses his long arms to his advantage. Shows above average instincts and is a solid tackler. Needs to be more explosive off the line if he ever wants to be a factor. Not the best pass rusher and needs to use his hands better to shed off the blockers when engaged. not the best technique and plays too high, pad level definitely needs to improve. Character issues scared some off.

I'm not one to give grades for drafts because it takes a few years to diagnose it. In Holmgren I trust.

That's all for today folks. Hold it down Cleveland.

The Draft

Even though the Cavaliers have just began their playoff run, my mind is still on Cleveland's first love, the Browns.

As many of you probably know, the NFL Draft begins this Thursday, April 22 (Not a fan of how they split up the draft this year but that's a different story). If my readers are like me and look at every mock draft on this side of the Mississippi, it shows that nothing in this draft is concrete and for sure like other years. Will the Browns trade up? Will the Browns trade down? Will we go offense or defense? If you know somebody that has the answer to that, tell them to tweet at me (@Beaufait1). The thing is, nobody, save the Browns front office, knows what the Browns are going to do, let alone want to do. This draft is very top heavy when it comes to defense, but the skill position players on offense are nothing to write home about, and the ones who have the potential have some serious question marks. Lets take a look at some of them.

QB Sam Bradford, Oklahoma- Spectacular sophomore season won him the Heisman Trophy. Decided to comeback for his junior year which almost cost him. Had a shoulder injury in first game of season against BYU, then reaggravated it against Texas. Some teams are scared that his shoulder may not be 100%. His pro day tells otherwise. The St. Louis Rams hold the #1 pick and do not seem worried.

WR Dez Bryant, Oklahoma State- TREMENDOUS talent, but will he ever mature. Throw a jumpball within 3 galaxies of this kid, and no doubt he is coming down with it. Missed much of his junior campaign because he lied about working out with Deion "Primetime" Sanders (what the H-E double hockey sticks, I know right). That doesn't show immaturity, but reports out of Stillwater makes many wonder if this kid would be a distraction in the locker room (seems like me first type player). Was once a consensus top 10 pick, but has recently been slipping down draft boards.

RB CJ Spiller, Clemson- Another great talent. Played with current Browns RB James Davis at Clemson as part of the Thunder (James) and Lightning (CJ) tandem. CJ is a great player because of his speed (he's from Florida, surprise?). Speed does not cut it in NFL (unless your #28 and are a Titan). You have to be able to get those few extra yards and not be afraid to lower your shoulder and deliver a pop. Should be a great returner.

As I said earlier, the defense in this class is very nice at the top. As much as I would love the Browns to get Ndonkeykong Suh or Gerald McCoy, lets be realisitic, it's not going to happen. And with the Browns acquiring CB Sheldon Brown from the Eagles, Haden will no longer be an option. I believe the Browns should try and improve the secondary even more with a safety. Whether we find a way to get SuperSafety Eric Berry out of Tennessee, trade down a few and get Earl Thomas out of the other UT, or make a play for Taylor Mays later in the draft. The Browns lack a gamebreaker on D, especially now with Shaun Rogers fiasco, and I believe any of these guys can provide the spark. A secondary of Eric Berry, E Wright, Abe Elam, and Sheldon Brown? Hmm...sounds intriguing.

With D'Qwell coming back, Scott Fujita coming from New Orleans, and getting Chris Gocong from Philly, I would be shocked to see us go linebacker in first couple of rounds. We picked up Tony Pashos from San Fran (Praise the Lord we do not have to see John St. Clair) so going OL early isn't very likely as well. Those are the only two positions I do not see us needing to upgrade in the first few rounds.

Here are my predictions for the Browns draft:

(Note: Would not be surprised to see a trade to move up a few spots in first round. Would involve 3rd round selections)

1st round, 7th pick-Eric Berry, S, Tennessee.

I think the Browns find a way to snag him. He's a ball hawk, big hitter, you name it. Got great coaching in college by former Bucs DC Monte Kiffin. Would help Browns tremendously. Has his own song, too, by the way. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hr2MOiEnnF8

Others to consider: QB Jimmy Clausen, Notre Dame. RB CJ Spiller, Clemson. S Earl Thomas, Texas.

2nd round, 38th pick- Colt McCoy, QB, Texas.

Browns have raved about him so far. Would have a year or two to learn under crafty veteran Jake Delhomme. Is a big need.

Others to consider: WR Golden Tate, Notre Dame. S Nate Allen, USF. WR Damian Williams, USC. WR Arrelious Benn, Illinois. QB Tim Tebow, Florida.

3rd Round, 71st pick- Jacoby Ford, WR, Clemson.

Speedster, ran a 4.28 at combine. Steve Smith looked good with Delhomme in Carolina, so maybe Ford could make an impact.

Others to consider: RB Ben Tate, Auburn. LB Brandon Spikes, Florida. DT Torell Troup, UCF.

3rd Round, 85th pick- Montario Hardesty, RB, Tennessee.

All purpose type of back. Good hands out of backfield and isn't afraid to get the little yards. Decent speed. Had a lot of little nagging injuries in college.

Others to consider: LB Jason Worilds, Va Tech. DE/OLB Alex Carrington, Arkansas State.

3rd round, 92nd pick- Thaddeus Gibson, LB, Ohio State.

Local product (Euclid). Great athlete. Should have had more sacks his junior year, but is very active. Good OLB in 3-4.

Other to consider: Major Wright, S, Florida. Novarro Bowman, LB, Penn State.

5th round, 134th pick- Selvish Capers, OT, West Virginia.

Got Pashos, but he's 29. Need to start molding some youngins.

Others to consdier: Who cares its 5th round.

5th round, 146th pick- David Pender, CB, Purdue.

Can never have too many corners.

5th round, 160th pick- CJ Wilson, DL, East Carolina.

Need to create some depth across DL.

6th round, 177th pick- Mike Williams, WR, Syracuse.

We got 2 WR's early last year. Mo looks good. Robiskie is a question mark. Williams is a talent, low risk, high reward.

6th round, 186th pick- Clay Harbor, TE, Missouri State.

No Heiden = Trouble.

That's all folks. GO BROWNS, TRIBE, and CAVALIERS!

Comments are appreciated