Many people thought the Cleveland Browns were going after a quarterback with one of their picks in this year’s NFL draft.
They couldn’t have been more wrong. Not only did they not draft a passer, they only drafted one offensive player, 7th round pick Garrett Gilkey, a tackle.
And they really didn’t draft anyone when you think about it. They traded out of rounds four and five to acquire more picks in next year’s selection process, which appears to be a deeper draft than 2013.
The Browns went for defense, and it looks like Joe Banner, Mike Lombardi, and Rob Chudzinski are trying to create an identity for the Browns, and that would be a team that gets after the quarterback.
Think about that. We’ve been following this football team since the mid-1960’s, and can’t ever think of the Browns having a dominant pass rush.
The selection of LB Barkevious Mingo could give defensive coordinator Ray Horton a triumvirate of outside linebackers who can get after opposing passers in Paul Kruger, Jabaal Sheard, and Mingo.
They added another pass rusher later in the draft, picking up Armonty Bryant in the seventh round with the team’s penultimate choice.
He already has a lot of depth on the defensive line with Phil Taylor, Ahtyba Rubin, Billy Winn, Desmond Bryant, and John Hughes.
They needed another cornerback and selected Leon McFadden in the third round. Mc Fadden is purported to be a great athlete, but many fans were disappointed because he’s on the small size, prompting many to compare him to Buster Skrine.
Of course, that’s unfair, because we’re guessing most fans have never seen McFadden play, and to be fair. Skrine does a decent job when covering slot receivers.
The other glaring weakness coming into the spring was at safety, and Cleveland selected one in Jamoris Slaughter in the sixth round. Slaughter is coming off an Achilles tendon tear in game three last fall, and should be ready for training camp.
Many people feel the Browns front office thinks Tashaun Gipson can be a starter and do a solid job at the position.
And remember, if you can put pressure on the quarterback, your secondary doesn’t have to cover as long.
You also have to mention the addition of WR Davone Bess in a trade with Miami. Bess has five years experience in the NFL and has caught at least 50 balls in each one of those seasons, with a high of 79 in 2010.
He’s a slot receiver, and along with free agent signee David Nelson, who caught 61 throws in 2011, give the offensive coordinator Norv Turner and Chudzinski some much-needed experience at wide receiver.
They don’t have to rely on players such as Jordon Norwood and 2nd year player Travis Benjamin to help starters Josh Gordon and Greg Little.
Most experts did not give the Browns a great grade, but that doesn’t matter. The same experts gave Seattle a poor grade last season and it turned out to be very good.
The only troubling thing is the appearance that the Browns are more interested in the 2014 season than the upcoming one. We hope that is not true, because this franchise needs to improve now. No more 5-11 finishes.
The National Football League is one sport where a new coaching staff can make a huge difference.
The Browns did not have good coaching the past two years. The staff was inflexible and didn’t take advantage of the skill sets of their players. If Chudzinski and his staff can do that, the brown and orange will approach 8-8 or 9-7 this year and will be set up in a great position in next year’s draft.
If that’s the plan, then it seems like Banner and Lombardi did their job the last three days.
JD
Cleveland Sports Perspective 