What the Cleveland Browns Should Do in the First Round of the 2013 NFL Draft

Before addressing the subject posed in the title of this post, I'd like to take a look at the biggest areas of need on the current Browns roster. While the jury is still out on Brandon Weeden, Quarterback is not the greatest position of need. So what are the main positions that the Browns need to address, preferably sooner rather than later?

1) A speed Edge Rusher. In the 3-4 Defense, that usually means an Outside Linebacker. The Paul Kruger signing is a nice addition, and would be a decent supplement to an elite pass rusher on the other side, but unfortunately that person is not currently on the team. I'm very skeptical that Jabaal Sheard is going to be able to transition to Outside Linebacker, and I wouldn't be surprised to see his role reduced this year. The Browns have needed an elite pass rusher for a very long time now. They should be able to find their man with the first pick if they choose.

2) Defensive Back. As I see it, the Browns are currently short at least 2 Cornerbacks & a Free Safety, as well as depth at all positions in the Defensive Backfield. Joe Haden is good, but not as good as most Browns fans think he is. T.J. Ward is solid, at least against the run, but has trouble staying healthy. That's it. I don't think I can take another year of watching undersized Buster Skrine flailing around against Receivers, and either committing a penalty or giving up the big play. The Browns should be able to address their need at one of the DB positions, should they choose to do so.

3) Tight End. Jordan Cameron looks pretty shaky to me. He may still pan out, but right now he looks like a project that isn't going to result in a quality starter. They also lost 2 players at this position, so depth is needed. See yesterday's post for how I would hope they approach filling this need.

4) Kicking & Special Teams. They've basically cut loose of everyone who they had in the key positions on Special Teams, and using a very late round pick on a Kicker or Punter is probably not a bad idea. Travis Benjamin, among others, should be able to step into the Return slot vacated by Joshua Cribbs.

5) Overall Depth. Just about every position needs more bodies who can play. Not start, just give them solid play when they are called upon. This is one of the things that set the Patriots Super Bowl teams apart. Yes they had Brady and some play makers on both sides of the ball, but they also had quality rotational guys who they could plug in situationally while giving starters a breather.

I do not believe in drafting based on need alone, but I don't think you can just take the guy you have rated as the best player on your board. Ideally, there should be some fusing of the two, although I put more weight on taking the best player over pure need. You win with elite play makers on both sides of the ball. Being solid at all positions will probably result in a .500 team. More often than not, if it's well coached, elite talent wins out.

In the First Round of the 2013 Draft, there are really 3 players that I would be quite happy with, and it's quite possible that all three will be on the board when the Browns go on the clock at the No. 6 position. Those players are:

1) Chance Warmack, OG Alabama. In my opinion, the best player in this draft.
2) Ezekiel Ansah, DE/OLB Brigham Young. Raw but athletic, has the tools to dominate from either edge position.
3) Dee Milliner, CB Alabama. Has the size and speed to be a true shut-down Corner.

If any one of those three's name gets called, I'll be very pleased with the selection.

However...Ideally, I would try and trade down to 11 or 12 and see if I could acquire a 2nd Round pick to replace the pick forfeited to the Supplemental Draft selection of Josh Gordon. I would then use my First Round pick on Chance Warmack. We currently have a decent to good Offensive Line, not a great one. I think Warmack would make it great. This would in turn speed the development of Trent Richardson and hopefully, Brandon Weeden. Warmack is a masher, a road grader who would open holes for Richardson to run through. Trent would look like a different player from his rookie season. The line could be: future HoF Joe Thomas at LT, future Pro-Bowler Chance Warmack at LG, Alex Mack at C, Jason Pinkston or Shaun Lavauo at RG, and talented youngster Mitchell Schwarz at RT. I know RG is a little weak, and Mack isn't as good as most Browns fans think he is, but that would make for an elite Offensive Line.
The obvious monkey wrench in the works is if you trade down to 11 or 12 and Warmack goes off the board somewhere between 6 and 10. So there is risk in this approach, and if it happens, it's very likely that neither Milliner or Ansah will be there when the Browns would pick at 11 or 12. My fallback option would probably be Jarvis Jones, OLB Georgia, but there is some risk involved with that pick, as well as regret, because I'd rather have Ansah or Milliner than Jones and the 2nd Round pick.

Ezekiel Ansah is a newcomer, relatively speaking, to the game of Football. A big, fast guy with long arms and tons of athletic ability. He seems to be a "natural" at the sport. I think he'll be able to play either Outside Linebacker or Defensive End, and dominate at either position. His long arms will serve him well when dropping back into underneath coverage or swimming past an OT. I think he's going to be a beast, and he'd look great in Orange and Brown.

Milliner is big, fast, and possesses great instincts. He plays the ball as well as he plays the man, and has the leaping ability to go up and defend against the "jump ball" type of pass. The latter will come in handy when defending A.J.Green. Has been a little banged up, but has the tools to be an elite Defensive Back. Hard not to like this pick, and most Mocks have Milliner to the Browns at 6.

So, projecting the Browns Draft as I hope it will fall, rounds 1-4:

Round 1 - Warmack/Ansah/Milliner depending on trades and how the board plays out.
Round 2 (if a trade is made) - The best available Cornerback on the Browns board, assuming we don't take Milliner in Round 1.
Round 3 - Travis Kelce, TE Cincinnatti
Round 4 - Bacarri Rambo, FS Georgia

Hopefully these players will still be on the board when the Browns select in the respective rounds.

Some Things the Browns Should Not Do With Pick No. 6 of the First Round

Let's take a look at some of the possible moves the Browns could make in this draft that would be bad moves for the team. The obvious bad move is using the No. 6 overall pick on one of the Quarterbacks available in this draft. I was not in favor of using a 1st Round pick on Brandon Weeden last year. I wouldn't have taken a 29 year old Quarterback, period. By the time you have enough quality guys in place around him to contend for a title, he's 33-35 years old and on the downside of his career. Then you have a team with some talent, but a Quarterback who isn't able to take the team across the finish line, and because you had a good team, (just not good enough,) you aren't in position to draft one of the elite prospects coming out of college. That's not a good position to be in. Beyond that, however, you can't throw away a goodly portion of your last two drafts by giving up on Weeden and selecting another quarterback that you hope has what it takes. Ditching Weeden now means you essentially traded Julio Jones for Phil Taylor and T.J. Ward. Great trade, huh? It also means that a 1st round player at a different position than quarterback in last year's draft was passed on for nothing. You just can't do this kind of thing. That's how losing franchises stay losing franchises. I get it that Quarterback is the most important position in all of sports, other than Head Coach. I get it. And I know that because of his age, Weeden has to catch lightning in a bottle fast, in order to take the Browns to a championship. I get it. I know that because of this smaller window, they have to hit on most of their picks down draft for the next couple of years, and surround him with some elite talent. I get it. The Browns are not in a good situation here. The window is small and they have to have some luck. I get it. But folks, there are no "can't miss" elite Quarterbacks in this year's draft. Well, what about the hidden jewel like Russell Wilson, you ask? That's a rare thing, and there may not be another Russell Wilson in this draft either. If the Browns are hell bent on drafting a Quarterback in 2013, my advice would be to see if Tyler Bray of Tennessee is there in the 4th round. He may be as good a prospect at the position as there is in this draft, and you're not risking too much. We have to see what Weeden will do in Norv Turner's offense. It should play to his strength, which is that big arm, and have him operating out of the shotgun more, which he is more comfortable with, due to familiarity with the formation at Okie St. I know that last year he was not very accurate, locked in on receivers, didn't read defenses very well, and didn't feel the rush well, even running into several sacks. Ball security was a bit of an issue as well. Let's see what he can do in Norv's vertical offense before we give up on him. He's got that big arm, and it's like height in Basketball: you can't teach it. If it becomes apparent that he's not going to be able to get the job done, we can address it next year, with hopefully a better selection of talen to choose from.
I will add: I've heard some people speak very highly of E.J. Manuel, QB Florida St. I can't comment, as I've seen him play very little. The times I did, accuracy seemed to be a problem. I am not a Matt Barkley fan. If the Browns take him in any round, I will not be a happy camper. He has a weak arm and puts way too much air under the ball on a regular basis. His passes float, and NFL DBs will eat that up. I was right about Leinert, and this guy is somewhere between Leinert and Sanchez. Avoid!

Very recent mock drafts from a couple prominent NFL Draft wonks have had the Browns using their first round pick on Tyler Eifert, TE Notre Dame. If they do that, the line waiting to jump off the 480 bridge will be miles long. Do we need a Tight End? Yes. Can you fill that need down draft without burning your first round pick on a Tight End? Ye.., well, maybe. Travis Kelce of Cincinnati may be still on the board when the Browns make their selection in the 3rd Round. This would make infinitely more sense. You'd get a player who's almost at the talent level of Eifert, (or the kid from Stanford, for that matter,) at a fraction of the cost. While Eifert's a nice player, he's no can't miss game-changer. I was fine with the Browns taking Kellen Winslow II in 2004 at 6, but he was potentially the best player in that draft, and should have been the best Tight End ever. He had all of the tools, except between the ears, and he threw away that talent on brashness and foolishness.
Having said all that, taking a Tight End at 6 is a luxury we can't afford now, and there is no monster talent at the position sitting there that we can't pass up. If Banner and company do this, they will regret it down the road.

Some people want the Browns to draft another Receiver at 6. This is not advisable for some of the reasons stated above. No elite players at the position in this year's draft, (though Tavon Austin will be an exciting Slot Receiver,) and more pressing needs at other positions. I happen to be one of those who think that Josh Gordon is going to be an elite Receiver, and Greg Little will be a solid No. 2. I probably wouldn't draft a Receiver at any point in this draft, but certainly not the First Round.

Tomorrow, I'll discuss what the Browns should do in this draft.

The 2013 Draft Is Approaching

With the 2013 Draft fast approaching, it's time to take a look at the Browns options for this year. We have a new, untested regime in place, so I'll comment on who we should take at No. 6, as well as speculate who we might take.

In my opinion, the change of the Offense to a more vertical, downfield attacking Offense will be a big improvement. I expect much more positive results even with just our existing roster, even if we don't come out of the draft with any major additions on Offense. I'm not so keen on the switch to a 3-4 Defense, however. The strength of the Browns Defense is in it's Interior Linemen, positions that are generally reduced in number and importance in a 3-4. Some of the additions in Free Agency are going to help quite a bit, but probably not be a complete solution on the defensive side of the ball.

The pre-Draft Mocks have varied quite a bit over time. The early ones I saw had Cleveland taking Damontre Moore, DE Texas A&M or Bjoern Werner, DE Florida St. Then, after the hiring of a 3-4 Defensive Co-ordinator, Dion Jordan, LB Oregon and Jarvis Jones, LB Georgia started getting some love. Lately, they've coalesced around CB Dee Milliner of Alabama. Of course, some chatter has the Browns reaching for a Quarterback at 6.