BernietheKid Posted March 11, 2009 Report Share Posted March 11, 2009 2009 NFL Pre-Draft Analysis - Cleveland Browns By Matt McGuire WalterFootball.com Things were certainly looking up in Cleveland last season coming off an offensive explosion in 2007. Derek Anderson was potentially looked at as "the guy," Braylon Edwards made a name for himself, Joe Thomas was snubbed for Offensive Rookie of the Year, and Kellen Winslow Jr. had a dominant season the year before. What could possibly go wrong? Oh yeah…we forgot about that thing we refer to as "defense." The Shaun Rogers acquisition worked out great and D’Qwell Jackson had a solid season, but the secondary was leaky and the Brownies failed to get after opposing quarterbacks. Can Eric Mangini lead Cleveland into the playoffs, or will he be in the Dawg Pound in 2011? It all starts on Draft Day; let’s get to their draft range at No.5 overall: Aaron Curry: I think it is 95-percent probable the Chiefs take Curry at No. 3. The Browns will not hesitate to pull the trigger on Curry if he falls to their spot, but I doubt that comes to fruition. Michael Crabtree: Donte’ Stallworth was a free-agent bust last season and Braylon Edwards had a case of the dropsies. Wideout is a bit of a need and if Seattle happens to go offensive tackle or B.J. Raji at 4, then Cleveland might consider a top wideout for Brady Quinn. B.J. Raji: I have seen a few mocks that have Raji going to Cleveland, and it makes zero sense. Shaun Rogers is a dominant nose tackle and they have money invested in him. I highly doubt Cleveland goes with Raji this high. Cornerback: I used to think Vontae Davis or Malcolm Jenkins had adequate value this high in the 2009 NFL Draft, but not anymore. Davis did not look fluid in defensive back drills at the Combine and Jenkins doesn’t have the speed of a top-five pick. Cleveland is not going corner here. Brian Orakpo: Brian Orakpo is the favorite to go to Cleveland. Orakpo pulled away as the elite pass-rusher in the NFL Draft at the Combine. Aaron Maybin really struggled at 249 pounds athletically and Everette Brown measured in at just over 6-1. Orakpo is a beast of an athlete and really produced last year at Texas. He is the clear-cut No. 5 pick at this point. The Browns have so many needs after the fifth pick, it is nearly impossible to determine exactly the route they will go, but I have a few ideas. Trading down seems to be a very possible option at No. 36 overall. Cleveland could move back 15 or 20 picks and pick up some extra mid-rounders. The top of the second round is always a popular place to do business because those picks are not only highly valuable, but also flexible enough to have a trading partner. Look for Cleveland to really consider moving out of this pick. After my projection of taking Orakpo, Cleveland has a few needs on defense, mainly in the secondary. Brandon McDonald was very inconsistent, so corner could be the option. D.J. Moore, Jairus Byrd, Coye Franices, Alphonso Smith and Sean Smith are possibilities in the second round. Later on, they could be looking at Mark Parson, Kevin Barnes, Keenan Lewis, Asher Allen or DeAngelo Smith in the mid-rounds. Jamal Lewis needs someone to share the load with at this point in his career. Donald Brown and LeSean McCoy are second-round possibilities. In the third-to-fifth rounds, I like Javon Ringer, Rashad Jennings, Kory Sheets, Cedric Peerman and Mike Goodson. If the Browns elect not to draft Crabtree at five overall or do not have the chance to take him, wide receiver must eventually be addressed. Brian Robiskie seems like a great fit in this offense, and he is from Ohio. His hands, route running, and intangibles are exceptional. Brady Quinn would love him as a second-round pick. Jarrett Dillard, Brandon Gibson, Juaquin Iglesias, Ramses Barden and Mike Wallace are options in the mid-rounds. Ryan Tucker recently restructured his contract, and Cleveland might be looking for offensive linemen with positional flexibility in the mid-to-late-rounds. Gerald Cadogan, Fenuki Tupou, Robert Brewster, Jamon Meredith, Andy Levitre and Kraig Urbik can all potentially fill in at guard and right tackle. A starter at defensive end (5-technique) is an option opposite Corey Williams. Fili Moala, Evander Hood and Jarron Gilbert could be second-round picks for Rob Ryan’s defense. Guys in their mid-round draft range at this position include Corvey Irvin, Terrance Knighton, Dorrell Scott and Demonte’ Bolden. Mangini might want to upgrade Mike Adams at strong safety since Sean Jones left as a free agent for Philadelphia. Chip Vaughn, Michael Hamlin, Emanuel Cook and Courtney Green are third-to-fifth round targets. After trading away Winslow and not acting as the most personable man in Cleveland, Mangini certainly has his work cut out for him. This team has several needs, and it will be interesting to see what they choose to do on Draft Weekend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gips Posted March 11, 2009 Report Share Posted March 11, 2009 Adams as our starting SS? Let us hope not! Muhahahaha! I do agree with matt on the opposite DE of williams...(matt wouldnt say it but i will) kindly put, robaire smith has a below average skillset at best.. We have so many holes to fill its almost impossible to guess what mankok is going to do at this point in the off season.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BernietheKid Posted March 11, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 11, 2009 Adams as our starting SS? Let us hope not! Muhahahaha! I do agree with matt on the opposite DE of williams...(matt wouldnt say it but i will) kindly put, robaire smith has a below average skillset at best.. We have so many holes to fill its almost impossible to guess what mankok is going to do at this point in the off season.. I agree in Matt's mock he has us taking Orakpo at #5 than Donald Brown and Jarron Gibert in the second. I think we could go in a number of directions their is no way to tell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ballpeen Posted March 11, 2009 Report Share Posted March 11, 2009 I think the trade down in round 2 makes some sense. Swap 2nd rounders and pick up a 3rd......or a few teams have 2 second rounders they might swap for our higher pick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YtownBrownsBacker Posted March 11, 2009 Report Share Posted March 11, 2009 Adams as our starting SS? Let us hope not! Muhahahaha! I do agree with matt on the opposite DE of williams...(matt wouldnt say it but i will) kindly put, robaire smith has a below average skillset at best.. We have so many holes to fill its almost impossible to guess what mankok is going to do at this point in the off season.. Adams is a backup FS, he is not a SS. They have made an offer to Elam, the Jets SS from Kent State. But, he is average and won't be the answer. I look for them to draft a SS or still try work a deal with Butler or another SS. Guys like Adams and Elam are great special teams players a valuable backups but not guys you build your defense around. As far as Robaire Smith, he has a great skill set and I hope he can get back to 100% healthy. He was our best DE by far. Bottom line is we need more draft picks. I'm hoping we can move Anderson. I also like trading down in the second to get a 3rd. I wouldn't trade down to get a 4th or 5th, that's too questionable. I would want to stay in the top 100 players. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoorta Posted March 11, 2009 Report Share Posted March 11, 2009 Any certain reports what we got for Winslow? If it's Tampa's second rounder we have a lot of flexibility there. Call me a homer, but Javon Ringer with a mid second rounder is hardly a reach. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest AdaM Posted March 11, 2009 Report Share Posted March 11, 2009 Any certain reports what we got for Winslow? If it's Tampa's second rounder we have a lot of flexibility there. Call me a homer, but Javon Ringer with a mid second rounder is hardly a reach. we have the 50th pick from tampa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pumpkin Eater Posted March 11, 2009 Report Share Posted March 11, 2009 CMIII Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oldcrow1945 Posted March 11, 2009 Report Share Posted March 11, 2009 Any certain reports what we got for Winslow? If it's Tampa's second rounder we have a lot of flexibility there. Call me a homer, but Javon Ringer with a mid second rounder is hardly a reach. According to all the experts it is.....You said call you a "homer"....Well, you are a homer. I'll be surprised if he goes in the third round. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoorta Posted March 12, 2009 Report Share Posted March 12, 2009 QUOTE (hoorta @ Mar 11 2009, 05:14 PM) Any certain reports what we got for Winslow? If it's Tampa's second rounder we have a lot of flexibility there. Call me a homer, but Javon Ringer with a mid second rounder is hardly a reach. According to all the experts it is.....You said call you a "homer"....Well, you are a homer. I'll be surprised if he goes in the third round. Ringer is from Dayton, so we got plenty of updates on his college career. Respectable 5.2 ypc when he was about the only offense MSU had. Probably too much of a Jerome Harrison clone, but unless we take Wells @ #5 -who out weighs him by 25 pounds (I'm against that idea) the guy should be available later. I'll let the Browns Brass decide his worth- they did interview JR extensively at the combine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ballpeen Posted March 12, 2009 Report Share Posted March 12, 2009 Any certain reports what we got for Winslow? If it's Tampa's second rounder we have a lot of flexibility there. Call me a homer, but Javon Ringer with a mid second rounder is hardly a reach. I saw we got Tampa's 2nd rounder this year, and 5th rounder next year. Is that in question?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PlaygroundLegend Posted March 12, 2009 Report Share Posted March 12, 2009 I think its funny how some people aren't considering Rey as a top ten pick, and some still are. I think he is still a possibility for us at 5. In mocks Ive seen him go anywhere from 5 to 26, he's definitely a wildcard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YtownBrownsBacker Posted March 12, 2009 Report Share Posted March 12, 2009 I think its funny how some people aren't considering Rey as a top ten pick, and some still are. I think he is still a possibility for us at 5. In mocks Ive seen him go anywhere from 5 to 26, he's definitely a wildcard. I think it is still way to early to tell. Everything depends on who gets traded, how many draft picks we end up with and who we sign in FA. Then the wildcard is can we trade down. I believe if we can drop down into the #10 to #16 range Maualuga would certainly be on the radar. I don't know if they are completely sold on Orapko yet. I guess the pro days and individual workouts will tell a lot also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onefellswoop7 Posted March 12, 2009 Report Share Posted March 12, 2009 I think it is still way to early to tell. Everything depends on who gets traded, how many draft picks we end up with and who we sign in FA. Then the wildcard is can we trade down. I believe if we can drop down into the #10 to #16 range Maualuga would certainly be on the radar. I don't know if they are completely sold on Orapko yet. I guess the pro days and individual workouts will tell a lot also. I think trading down is by far our best option. Unless you are sure Curry is a 100% stud (and he is still available) then try and move back to fill more holes in this great draft year. Of course, trading back is extremely extremely difficult. I'm looking at a perfect world here. I'm not sure I'm sold on Orakpo either. He reminds me of Wimbley quite a bit. not saying that is a bad thing...I still think Wimbley can turn things around. Having a more aggressive defense and an actual rusher opposite him will help immensely. "one trick pony" or what ever you wanna call him...we can uses his strengths better (cause we sure didn't before). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ballpeen Posted March 12, 2009 Report Share Posted March 12, 2009 The very questions you have about our selection are the reasons why trading down is going to be difficult. We are probably stuck at #5...if so, beyond all else, we MUST take the best player we can without giving much regard to the position played. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JewDago Posted March 12, 2009 Report Share Posted March 12, 2009 I think trading down is by far our best option. Unless you are sure Curry is a 100% stud (and he is still available) then try and move back to fill more holes in this great draft year. Of course, trading back is extremely extremely difficult. I'm looking at a perfect world here. I'm not sure I'm sold on Orakpo either. He reminds me of Wimbley quite a bit. not saying that is a bad thing...I still think Wimbley can turn things around. Having a more aggressive defense and an actual rusher opposite him will help immensely. "one trick pony" or what ever you wanna call him...we can uses his strengths better (cause we sure didn't before). first, our defense is gonna be no more aggressive this year than it was last year because mangini and crennell run the same scheme. it's the same vanilla 3-4 with the occasional blitz, and we also got the bad ryan to coordinate it. he's not the aggressive, imaginative one. he's the guy who raider fans were laughing at us hiring. second, orakpo and wimbley couldn't be more different. wimbley's a pure speed rusher who, in college, got sacks because tackles couldn't keep up with him while he took a wide loop to the QB. yes, he's got a nice-looking spin move, but he's a pure finesse rusher. orakpo has a speed rush to the outside, a bull rush, and an inside rip where he gets the tackle thinking he's rushing to the outside, then, when the tackle turns to face out, blasts his right arm through the tackle's inside shoulder and gets inside him. their skill sets are completely different. wimbley also had a career high of 2.5 sacks before notching an astounding 7.5 as a senior, while orakpo managed 5 in consecutive years while still seeing limited action before posting 11.5 in his only year as a full-time starter. the last big difference between the two is strength. wimbley put up 24 reps in the bench press while orakpo managed 31. some of that is possibly because orakpo's a bit of a workout warrior, but a real workout warrior is someone who doesn't transition his measurables to the turf, and orakpo certainly does that. comparing the two really makes no sense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Solon16 Posted March 12, 2009 Report Share Posted March 12, 2009 Best top 10 of a mock I've seen....the rest???? not so much.... St.louis very well take a QB. http://www.nfl.com/draft/story?id=09000d5d...mp;confirm=true Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BernietheKid Posted March 12, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 12, 2009 Best top 10 of a mock I've seen....the rest???? not so much.... St.louis very well take a QB. http://www.nfl.com/draft/story?id=09000d5d...mp;confirm=true I agree I would be estatic if the Chiefs to Orakpo leaving us Curry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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