Rookie linebacker Beau Bell may not have impressed a lot of other NFL teams, but he was a favorite of the Browns' scouting team for more than a year.The Browns may be wrong about Beau Bell, their fourth-rounder and first pick in the draft. But they took the right approach to evaluating him. They had the linebacker from UNLV ranked in their top 50, some of their scouts had him as high as 39. They scouted him several times dating back to 2007 when they kept a close eye on Eric Wright, the UNLV cornerback who was the Browns' second-rounder in 2007. They didn't worry that many teams had Bell ranked much lower. They didn't care that he missed the Senior Bowl because of a bone bruise in his knee, or that he ran poorly for scouts three weeks before the draft as the knee wasn't fully healed. They took him based on . . . would you believe . . . how he played football? As in being the Mountain State Defensive Player of the Year, racking up 9.5 tackles for losses, forcing five fumbles, intercepting four passes and making three sacks from the inside linebacker spot.
The Browns believe Bell is good enough to put some heat on Andra Davis at inside linebacker. Perhaps not playing a lot early, but getting into the mix at mid-season. They insist Bell is the kind of fierce tackler with strong hands who won't be driven back 5 yards when trying to bring down a runner. He played 12 games last season, but missed time in two other years with a groin injury and an ankle injury. They expect him to immediately make an impact on special teams. But keep in mind that while he's being treated like a first-rounder here (after the Browns dealt their top three picks), he's still a fourth-rounder and very, very few of those guys make an immediate impact.
It's no secret the Browns aren't enamored with their inside linebackers, although they believe D'Qwell Jackson is developing into a solid starter. They like how Leon Williams defends tight ends in passing situations, but he has yet to prove he can play every down. The Browns have been concerned about Davis' speed for a while, and he's back only because he agreed to take a major pay cut. So it's critical that they are right on Bell, because they need help that this position.
General Manager Phil Savage admitted the team wanted a cornerback in the draft, but said: "Twenty of them were picked before we were up at No. 104. Our top 15 were gone, and I didn't want to just take a cornerback just to say we took one. We had Bell ranked much higher than any of the cornerbacks left." The Browns really liked Antwaun Molden, a cornerback from Eastern Kentucky out of Glenville High. The Browns had a deal set with a team late in the third round to get Molden, but he went No. 79 to Houston -- so the trade didn't happen. As the Browns looked at the quarterbacks in the draft -- not to pick, just general scouting -- they made note that Matt Ryan threw 19 interceptions for Boston College, yet he was the No. 3 pick (to Atlanta). It's not a knock on Ryan, but those 19 interceptions were in 13 college games. In seven of 13 games, he threw at least two interceptions. This came up in a discussion about Derek Anderson, and where he'd have gone in this draft. Probably the first QB picked. Anderson had 19 interceptions in 16 games (15 starts) for the Browns. The point is that young quarterbacks with strong arms who throw downfield will get intercepted. Any team looking for a QB in the draft would have been thrilled to get Anderson. . . . And yes, Brady Quinn might have been the top QB pick in this draft, too.
Most fans assume Shaun Rogers will start at nose tackle. Don't bet on it. One plan has Shaun Smith at nose tackle, with newcomers Corey Williams and Rogers at the ends. Robaire Smith would be the first substitute. That explains why they picked nose tackle Ahtyba Rubin from Iowa State in the sixth round. They consider him a "pure nose tackle," an area where they want more depth if Rogers plays a lot of defensive end. Rubin has played only two years on the defensive line. The 315-pounder was mostly an offensive lineman at Trinity Valley Junior College before he attended Iowa State and moved to defense. He is a guy who may help more in 2009 or 2010.
It was a surprise when the Browns took Paul Hubbard in the sixth round, trading their No. 5 choice in 2009 to move up and grab a guy who caught only 14 passes in eight games. He better not play much -- because that means it's been a bad year for Donte' Stallworth, Braylon Edwards and Joe Jurevicius. But it is a warning to Travis Wilson, the Browns' third-rounder from 2006 who has done absolutely nothing. The Browns think Wilson does have the physical skills to be a decent NFL receiver, but they wonder if he has the inner drive to do it. They point to the relentless Josh Cribbs, the former Kent State quarterback who passionately learned to be a star on special teams (returns and coverage) and can play a little receiver -- ahead of Wilson. The Browns like tall receivers and Hubbard is 6-3 and a former Big Ten long jump champion. We'll see if he can become a viable receiver.
You might have said, "Hey, what about the Browns trading their 2009 third-rounder to Dallas to take that tight end in the fourth round?" That tight end is Martin Rucker from Missouri, who is a pure receiver type, much like Kellen Winslow. Yes, this is about Winslow. It's about a knee that has had four operations. It's about a shoulder that has taken a beating. It's about Winslow wanting a new contract, and hiring Drew Rosenhaus to get him one. It's about possible holdouts, and a tightly-wound emotional player who is trying to decide how to handle his sense of not being fully appreciated.
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