Cleveland Browns (2011 season)

[NFBuck]

Eh, I have mixed feelings about this draft. Not crazy about the Taylor pick, luke-warm on Sheard, like Little, love Marecic, hate the TE from USC, lukewarm on the CB and impartial on Hagg.

I guess they have a plan that they're building towards, hopefully Little and the TE develop quickly, hopefully Taylor proves to be more than "big". All in all, I'm very "meh". If I had to give it a grade, I'd say C/C- which is very disappointing considering how excited I was.

 

[jlb1705]

Don Banks of SI.com seems to think the Browns' draft was an unqualified success:

? Cleveland -- Maybe this Mike Holmgren character knows what he's doing as a talent evaluator. The Browns came away from their draft with two big valuable pieces for their transition back to a 4-3 defense in burly Baylor defensive tackle Phil Taylor and athletic Pitt defensive end Jabaal Sheard, and that was just the start of their strong work.
They also picked up a potential No. 1 receiver in North Carolina's Greg Little, former basketball player and pass-catching tight end Jordan Cameron of USC, and two-way Stanford star Owen Marecic, who played both fullback and linebacker for the Cardinal, but at fullback will be asked to bulldoze the path in front of leading rusher Peyton Hillis.
What's not to like about the Browns' draft, especially since their bonanza of a first-round trade with the Falcons -- moving down from sixth to 27th in exchange for five Falcons picks -- also sets them up for 2012, with extra first and fourth-round selections?

Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/20...0/nfl.draft.saturday/index.html#ixzz1L4NzAMVN
​

I've been one of the more optimistic voices here on BP over the last couple days, and even I'm not as enthusiastic as Banks seems to be. The media usually don't cream their pants over the Browns' draft like this unless they pick a scUMmer or a Domer.

 

[NJ-Buckeye]

Since I really didn't know ANY or ANYTHING about anyone they drafted... I did a lot of web surfing yesterday... and over and over.. the various scouts kept using the term TOUGH... when describing these players pre-draft ... almost to a man...

 

[smitty03]

Eh, I have mixed feelings about this draft. Not crazy about the Taylor pick, luke-warm on Sheard, like Little, love Marecic, hate the TE from USC, lukewarm on the CB and impartial on Hagg.

I guess they have a plan that they're building towards, hopefully Little and the TE develop quickly, hopefully Taylor proves to be more than "big". All in all, I'm very "meh". If I had to give it a grade, I'd say C/C- which is very disappointing considering how excited I was.

At first, I agreed with you, but T.J. Ward wasn't exactly a great pick by most last year either. People can like or love a draft all they want, but until the season starts (if we have one) you cannot truly grade a draft. Going into the draft I said they needed to find 4 starters. Taylor will at least be in the rotation, Sheard and Little will start, so that leaves one spot to find another starter. Right now, Marecic seems like he will be that guy. Only time will tell...

 

[y0yoyoin]

final verdict - solid draft....heckert and holmgren did a nice job this draft getting peices that can help right away (Taylor, Sheard, Little) and peices for the future (Cameron, Marcecic, Pinkston) along with another first rounder and fourth rounder next year...truth is the browns making the playoffs isnt a longshot, but its surely not likely....we need one more solid draft and a few trades and good FA's and i think we should be in the drivers seat to contend for getting a wildcard playoff spot in 2012-2013 season, possibly the division...i just hope next year we are competitive and colt progresses and shows we made the right choice as having him be our QB for the future...my favorite pick in the draft is little...i think he is going to be a beast and should be the threat we have been looking for

 

[Buckeneye]

I'll start off with things I've seen. And I like the following video to help illustrate.


[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezk5xKe_vHg"]YouTube - Phil Taylor vs Oklahoma[/ame]


1: Taylor was constantly double-teamed when OU ran the ball. Save for 2 plays that I saw in which one he blew his man up the other he made a nice spin and tackle.

2: He was single blocked in just about every passing down. Perhaps sometimes it was a missed assignment, however I highly doubt a man of such capability would be overlooked in the OU coaches blocking schemes. A couple times he wasn't able to beat his man when squared up with a single blocker. The guard usually got lower, maintained leverage and he didn't have a move to shed him.

- However they're we're a couple times. @ 2:08... a nice bull rush @ 2:31...
@ 3:19 going after Madu & again right through the guard @ 3:31.


Times he's dominant, other times he's quiet. I think, get him healthy. Lose a few pounds. Couch up that swim move Rodgers was solid at and I'm very encouraged but some of his tapes.

 

[LitlBuck]

I'll start off with things I've seen. And I like the following video to help illustrate.


YouTube - Phil Taylor vs Oklahoma


1: Taylor was constantly double-teamed when OU ran the ball. Save for 2 plays that I saw in which one he blew his man up the other he made a nice spin and tackle.

2: He was single blocked in just about every passing down. Perhaps sometimes it was a missed assignment, however I highly doubt a man of such capability would be overlooked in the OU coaches blocking schemes. A couple times he wasn't able to beat his man when squared up with a single blocker. The guard usually got lower, maintained leverage and he didn't have a move to shed him.

- However they're we're a couple times. @ 2:08... a nice bull rush @ 2:31...
@ 3:19 going after Madu & again right through the guard @ 3:31.


Times he's dominant, other times he's quiet. I think, get him healthy. Lose a few pounds. Couch up that swim move Rodgers was solid at and I'm very encouraged but some of his tapes.

Initially, I was not pleased with this pick but if he and Rubin can even come close to doing what the Williams boys to up in Minnesota I will be a very happy camper. In addition, he can always get some rest with Schafering

The one pick that I did not initially like was Sheard but the more I read about him he seems to be the type of DE that Heckert likes to draft.
I'm not really happy with Skrine because even with his speed I just think that he is too small to be an NFL corner but I guess we shall see.

The rest of the guys need some developing but I do not think that they are long-term projects and could be ready to help out in 2012.

 

[Meyer]

Out of the later rounds, I especially like the Pinkston pick. He will be an NFL starter, in my opinion.

I LOVE the Greg Little pick, as well.

I loved this draft.

 

[Bucklion]

Bud Shaw in the PD took a stab at Taylor because he said something like "Peyton Manning is going down" and Shaw goes "Yeah, just like those other 2.5 career QBs you sacked."

It's hard to know what to make of this draft. It seems like we got a lot of project players, either guys who won't know anything about the system, guys who either haven't played football in a year or have only played for a year, dudes who went from one program to another, guys with character issues (the plate glass door with Sheard is my favorite )...the only thing I don't like is the apparent reliance almost exclusively on combine numbers. From Taylor to Little to the TE to Skrine, basically what you hear is "they lit up the combine". OK, great, but as the dude said in Bloodsport "Very good...but brick, not hit back". I'd rather have guys on film that look good in actual football games than with freakazoid combine numbers. Hell look at Haden, last year the knock was he sucked at the combine, but they knew what they were doing because he played well in, you know, football games. This year it's almost like they abandoned that strategy and took a bunch of guys with big asses and Nautilus muscles, or who can run fast in a straight line. I hope it all works out, but it seems like the opposite of the philosophy from last season.

All in all, I give an incomplete to Taylor, loved the Little pick, Sheard is OK for what we need, no idea WTF we take a TE who has played no football to speak of, don't mind corners who can run fast, glad we took a tackle we can develop, and have no opinion on the Nebraska DB one way or another. Little is a beast of a pick, but I hope the year off of football doesn't mean he takes as long to figure it out as Mike Williams did.

 

[exhawg]

Pretty much every site I've checked lists the Browns as winners in the draft or grade the draft with an A. I can't remember the last time I could say that about a Browns draft.

 

[Bucklion]

Pretty much every site I've checked lists the Browns as winners in the draft or grade the draft with an A. I can't remember the last time I could say that about a Browns draft.

I think the grade goes up significantly when one considers the 2 first rounders and 2 4th rounders they'll have to work with next year as well.

 

[LitlBuck]

I think the grade goes up significantly when one considers the 2 first rounders and 2 4th rounders they'll have to work with next year as well.

In an article on OBR, Heckert stated that the reason that they took the TE was because, believe it or not, Moore played WR in college and is more suited for that position. There are other explanations on some of the other guys in the article linked. Granted that is the rounds slant

 

[Buckeneye]

Ok. With some digging on Skrine.

His measurables are great for a little guy .

5'10 but with a 37'' vert. That's nothing to snarl at given the "best" CB/ATH at the draft (Peterson) has a 38'' vert standing 6'1.

3.90 20 yard shuttle. 2nd best @ the combine for DB's. & the fastest 3 cone drill. I love seeing the shuttle time. Agility and explosion.

I've seen him listed anywhere from 180lbs to 190lbs. Median is 185 - so I'll leave it at that. Lets say he keeps healthy, coupled with a professional workout environment and 190lb seems very possible.

Fact is, this kid was brought in for a single reason. Nickelback. He won't be asked to cover Boldin, Johnson (Ohco) or Wallace... well - maybe Wallace.

So raw material in need of coaching.

I kept hearing about how he is/was terrible in run support. His stats might not be off the charts, but in what youtube stuff I found he looks like he's very willing to fly up to the run. He did dislocate his elbow against Appy State (per Chattanooga website) so perhaps he was a bit too cautious and not quite as aggressive against the ground game.

Either way, if he's on the field its on passing downs, garbage time or punt returns.

I'm going to try to download (find) some Chattanooga games. Highlight video's aren't quite enough for me.

Like I said, we've stood behind Winfield even though he was a "little" guy. But he made it in the league. Although health is his as well concern, if Skrine can be effective as a NB I'll be overjoyed with the pick.

 

[Bucklion]

Ok. With some digging on Skrine.

His measurables are great for a little guy .

5'10 but with a 37'' vert. That's nothing to snarl at given the "best" CB/ATH at the draft (Peterson) has a 38'' vert standing 6'1.

3.90 20 yard shuttle. 2nd best @ the combine for DB's. & the fastest 3 cone drill. I love seeing the shuttle time. Agility and explosion.

I've seen him listed anywhere from 180lbs to 190lbs. Median is 185 - so I'll leave it at that. Lets say he keeps healthy, coupled with a professional workout environment and 190lb seems very possible.

Fact is, this kid was brought in for a single reason. Nickelback. He won't be asked to cover Boldin, Johnson (Ohco) or Wallace... well - maybe Wallace.

So raw material in need of coaching.

I kept hearing about how he is/was terrible in run support. His stats might not be off the charts, but in what youtube stuff I found he looks like he's very willing to fly up to the run. He did dislocate his elbow against Appy State (per Chattanooga website) so perhaps he was a bit too cautious and not quite as aggressive against the ground game.

Either way, if he's on the field its on passing downs, garbage time or punt returns.

I'm going to try to download (find) some Chattanooga games. Highlight video's aren't quite enough for me.

Like I said, we've stood behind Winfield even though he was a "little" guy. But he made it in the league. Although health is his as well concern, if Skrine can be effective as a NB I'll be overjoyed with the pick.

Well Asante was a 5th rounder last year, right? And he didn't really stick on the roster or do anything for us. I am hoping that Skrinestone Cowboy can stick and be a dime back with that kind of speed, however. You can never have enough corners who can actually cover somebody, especially in the slot...let's hope he can.

 

[Buckeneye]

Asante played SS - and wasn't very athletic at that.


And Buster's last name is pronounced "screen".... at least that's what I"m reading.