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2017 NFL DRAFT GRADES, Browns impress?


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2017 NFL DRAFT GRADES

 

USA TODAY Sports

A

Cleveland Browns: They didnt pull off what seemed to be their dream scenario, adding both DE Myles Garrett and QB Mitchell Trubisky. But credit executive VP of football operations Sashi Brown and Co. for not overthinking the selection of Garrett at No. 1 and not overpaying for a quarterback with 13 college starts. Agree with their analytics or not, the Browns also stuck to their board and dealt out at No. 12 (rather than take Clemson QB Deshaun Watson), yet sprung for Notre Dame QB DeShone Kizer, who may have more upside than Watson anyway, when he was available at No. 52. Punting at 12 netted Brown a 2018 first rounder, meaning Cleveland owns five picks in the first two rounds next year still more than enough ammo to pursue a veteran or rookie QB in the near future.

 

Jabrill Peppers, picked 25th overall, doesn't have a defined position, but he'll surely fill a gap somewhere on a defense full of them while adding special teams value. The third first rounder, David Njoku, could have more potential than any of this year's tight ends and excited team brass enough to cut Gary Barnidge. Sixth-round DT Caleb Brantley could be a wasted pick Brown has already acknowledged as much or a nice gamble if his legal issues don't sink him.

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SI A-

 

The Browns entered the draft with two first-round picks and wound up making three on Thursday: DE/OLB Myles Garrett at No. 1 overall, followed by S Jabrill Peppers (No. 25, after a trade down) and TE David Njoku (No. 29, after a trade up). The Peppers and Njoku picks, without question, indicate Cleveland wants to stockpile athleticism, even at the expense of immediate returns.

 

The pick that really swings this class, though, happened at 52, which is where Notre Dame QB DeShone Kizer landed. Hard to imagine the Browns thought he would be there when they passed on a QB several times earlier. DT Larry Ogunjobi (No. 65) and CB Howard Wilson (No. 126) are great picks for a rebuilding team—Wilson especially, because he has top-two corner upside. Using No. 185 on DT Caleb Brantley was a misstep, regardless of his talent. He recently was arrested for misdemeanor battery and accused of punching a woman.

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NFL.com (note they grade high, BAL B+, CIN A-, PIT A )

 

Cleveland Browns

Draft picks: Myles Garrett (No. 1 overall), Jabrill Peppers (No. 25 overall), David Njoku (No. 29 overall), DeShone Kizer (No. 52 overall), Larry Ogunjobi (No. 65 overall), Howard Wilson (No. 126 overall), Roderick Johnson (No. 160 overall), Caleb Brantley (No. 185 overall), Zane Gonzalez (No. 224 overall), Matt Dayes (No. 252 overall)

 

Day 1 grade: A

Day 2 grade: A-

Day 3 grade: B

Overall grade: A-

 

The skinny: Picking Myles Garrett as the difference-maker on defense made a world of sense. When looking at the second first-round pick, however, one has to remember that the Browns passed on Carson Wentz to acquire the pick. They did get an excellent safety in Jabrill Peppers. He'll be a team leader for the Browns with the athleticism to handle nickel and safety. Njoku is a playmaker, and they picked up a 2018 first-round pick in a trade on Day 1. That's a great night for Browns fans. Instead of picking a quarterback on Day 1, the Browns took a potential starter in the second round in DeShone Kizer. It's a good long-term investment worthy of the pick.

 

Larry Ogunjobi is a very quick tackle who will earn the respect of interior offensive linemen in a hurry; I'll be interested to see if he can play three downs. Cleveland continued to find talent in Rounds 4-5. Cornerback Howard Wilson is a confident corner, though his athleticism is only average. Left tackle Roderick Johnson's length will serve him well once he builds strength to go along with it.

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FOX Sports

 

Cleveland Browns

Grade: A+

 

The Browns are one of the big winners of the draft. When and if that translates to the field remains to be seen, but Myles Garrett and DeShone Kizer have the chance to be franchise cornerstones. Every pick makes perfect sense and garnered strong value — even the ones I wasn't as high on, Jabrill Peppers at No. 25 and Larry Ogunjobi with No. 65.

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SB Nation

 

The Cleveland Browns could have gone full Browns in the 2017 NFL draft by rushing a pick at quarterback and they didn’t. It was smart. The Browns stood at No. 1 and took the draft’s unquestioned best player in defensive end Myles Garrett. In Gregg Williams’ defense, he should be a superstar.

 

Then the Browns did what they’re getting known to do by acquiring future assets by trading off No. 12 and moving to 25 and getting Jabrill Peppers. He’s extremely talented and could answer Cleveland’s problems at safety. Cleveland then jumped back into the first round to take tight end David Njoku. After releasing Gary Barnidge, the Browns will need to get production out of Njoku in a hurry.

 

Then in the second round, the Browns got their quarterback in DeShone Kizer. He’s obviously talented, but he was wildly inconsistent at Notre Dame. If he doesn’t show a lot as a rookie, he shouldn’t stop Cleveland from taking a quarterback next year.

 

Defensive lineman Larry Ogunjobi in the third round was a decent pick, but I thought this should have been a cornerback. Cleveland instead got one in the fourth round in Howard Wilson of Houston. The Browns then moved back up in the fifth round to get offensive tackle Roderick Johnson. He was once considered a first-round player, but his technique needs a lot of work. The pick of Caleb Brantley was strange. The Browns said if they’re not comfortable with him, he’ll be cut. Can a 1-15 team be afforded that type of luxury?

 

Grade: B

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KANSAS CITY STAR (see a pattern here?)

 

Cleveland Browns: A

 

1. (1) Myles Garrett, de, Texas A&M

1. (25) Jabrill Peppers, lb, Michigan

1. (29) David Njoku, te, Miami

 

2. (52) DeShone Kizer, qb, Notre Dame

3. (65) Larry Ogunjobi, dt, Charlotte

 

4. (126) Howard Wilson, db, Houston

5. (160) Rod Johnson, ot, Florida State

6. (185) Caleb Brantley, dt, Florida

 

7. (224) Zane Gonzalez, k, Arizona State

7. (252) Matthew Dayes, rb, N.C. State

 

The Browns took the drafts most promising player, Garrett, No. 1 overall, then traded down from No. 12 to select Peppers, a super athlete with excellent leadership traits. Njoku is raw but has Pro Bowl talent, while Kizer could be the best quarterback of this years crop if he can improve his work habits. Ogunjobi has starter potential, and so does Wilson. Brantley would have been a second-round pick if it werent for his issues, though his status with the team rests on the outcome of the investigation.

 

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/red-zone/article147673549.html#storylink=cpy

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and don't forget about the kicker

Ive been saying for years that picking the best kicker in a draft class with the 7th round pick is a better move than drafting a player at another position that you will porobably cut anyway. Glad the Browns finally did it.

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I'll be honest after round 1 into round 2 I was thinking a C maybe B- but now we wait and see the product in camp next.

 

They certainly impressed the media so far.

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CBS Sports (they gave 5 A and 2 D grades of course CHI and DET)

 

The five teams that earned "A" grades in my mind were the Arizona Cardinals, Cincinnati Bengals, Green Bay Packers, San Francisco 49ers and -- surprise, surprise -- the Cleveland Browns.

 

For all the criticism of the analytics crew in Cleveland, they had a heck of a draft. Aside from trading up to get Michigan's Jabrill Peppers in the first round, they added a lot of really good players. They had a lot of picks and did some good things. They got the top player in the draft in Myles Garrett with the first pick, and then continued to do a nice job.

 

Tight end David Njoku was a nice add with their third first-round pick. This draft, though, will be defined by how well second-round quarterback DeShone Kizer develops. If he is their starter for a long time, this will be a great draft. Right now, it's a damn good one.

 

Grade: A

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Ah-ha finally found some bad grades from The Washington Post, nobody in the AFCN got an A

 

Cleveland Browns

 

Analysis: The Browns finally got their QB by taking DeShone Kizer with the 20th pick of the second round. Until that point, it was beginning to seem as if they were going out of their way to avoid trying to land their franchise QB, having traded the No. 2 overall choice last year that the Eagles used for Carson Wentz and then trading the 12th selection Thursday that the Texans used for Deshaun Watson. Make no mistake: The Browns got good players, and using the top overall pick on Myles Garrett was the right move.

 

Fellow first-rounders Jabrill Peppers and David Njoku will help, and Larry Ogunjobi is a good third-round value. But you’re supposed to get good players when you possess five of the first 65 picks. The Browns needed to address their QB situation, and it’s debatable whether getting Kizer is good enough. Cleveland also used a sixth-round choice on DT Caleb Brantley, who is facing a misdemeanor battery charge for allegedly punching a woman. Grade: C+ ......really? :lol:

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NFL.com (note they grade high, BAL B+, CIN A-, PIT A )

 

Well... it is the propaganda arm of the NFL...

 

Funny thing is I view that trio's results in the exact reverse order... BLT > CIN > PTG...

 

KANSAS CITY STAR (see a pattern here?)

 

1. (1) Myles Garrett, de, Texas A&M

1. (25) Gerbil Peppers, lb, Michigan

1. (29) David Njoku, te, Miami

 

2. (52) DeShone Kizer, qb, Notre Dame

3. (65) Larry Ogunjobi, dt, Charlotte

 

4. (126) Howard Wilson, db, Houston

5. (160) Rod Johnson, ot, Florida State

6. (185) Caleb Brantley, dt, Florida

 

7. (224) Zane Gonzalez, k, Arizona State

7. (252) Matthew Dayes, rb, N.C. State

 

YES... list three picks, skip a line.... list two picks, skip a line... list 3, skip 1... etc.

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SI A-

 

The Browns entered the draft with two first-round picks and wound up making three on Thursday: DE/OLB Myles Garrett at No. 1 overall, followed by S Gerbil Peppers (No. 25, after a trade down) and TE David Njoku (No. 29, after a trade up). The Peppers and Njoku picks, without question, indicate Cleveland wants to stockpile athleticism, even at the expense of immediate returns.

 

The pick that really swings this class, though, happened at 52, which is where Notre Dame QB DeShone Kizer landed. Hard to imagine the Browns thought he would be there when they passed on a QB several times earlier. DT Larry Ogunjobi (No. 65) and CB Howard Wilson (No. 126) are great picks for a rebuilding team—Wilson especially, because he has top-two corner upside. Using No. 185 on DT Caleb Brantley was a misstep, regardless of his talent. He recently was arrested for misdemeanor battery and accused of punching a woman.

The Browns took a guy named Vince Mayle in the 4th round a couple of years ago. He was so bad that he was cut in training camp. I don't think he is playing in the league today. So...if in fact they do have to ditch Brantley...it is by no means a worse deal than they have suffered with any number of other mid to late round picks that have gone sideways. (this would just be for a different reason)

As I heard someone say: the further you go down a draft, those red flags on a guy turn from red to pink to white. With a 6th rounder for brantley...that is a white flag.

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Well.....a draft grade given the day after is...of course...nonsensical. Lets see what the grade is 3 years from now.

Everybody says that...yet, if we waited 3 years, then we'd be grading Farmer 1.1 right now......(33% hit rate, btw)(plus a free crow)

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"Nonsensical" = "I don't agree with the grade... so I will dismiss any such efforts... that I don't agree with... then posts later... I will post my opinion as to why the grade is wrong... then when that's pointed out to me... argue that I didn't grade, I simply rejected the grade put forth by others, even though somewhere deep inside me I have an inkling that I did in fact grade the grade..."

 

Whew... now I know what it's like to be in a flat spin... Talk to me, Goose...

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Everybody says that...yet, if we waited 3 years, then we'd be grading Farmer 1.1 right now......(33% hit rate, btw)(plus a free crow)

Well....yes...now IS the time to grade Farmer. In reality. Its just that a few of those picks can be graded prematurely. Ditching 2 first rounders after only being here two years..is merely giving the interim grade a poor mark.

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The Browns took a guy named Vince Mayle in the 4th round a couple of years ago. He was so bad that he was cut in training camp. I don't think he is playing in the league today.

Well, not really....technically, he was waived at the end of camp and extended a PS contract, which he turned down.....choosing, instead, to sign with the Cowboys....currently, he is a Raven.

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I remember a year we drafted a guy named Greg Little....maybe one of the worst picks ever?........

 

His rookie season stats were: 61 catches for 709 yds

 

Then there was a year where we drafted 4 WR's..(I know, crazy eh?)...and all 4 made the team....(even crazier)

 

Their combined rookie stats were: 58 catches for 698 yds....

 

Crazy world.....where Greg Little out produces 4 draft picks.....

 

I know I know.....it is real.....yepp....

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Well... it is the propaganda arm of the NFL...

 

Funny thing is I view that trio's results in the exact reverse order... BLT > CIN > PTG...

 

YES... list three picks, skip a line.... list two picks, skip a line... list 3, skip 1... etc.

You have the ability to make the complex seem so simple. :huh:

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But in fairness... I can also make the simple seem incredibly complex... :)

 

hahaha,,,,,which can take you places you've never been......just hang on for the ride..... ;)

 

Not Edgar, Ag, The Amboy Dukes...

 

POP Quiz: Name the member of the Dukes to emerge with the most successful music career, and then when it fizzled go on to become a darling of the right?

 

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Well, not really....technically, he was waived at the end of camp and extended a PS contract, which he turned down.....choosing, instead, to sign with the Cowboys....currently, he is a Raven.

OK...just had not heard anything about him.

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