NFL Draft Preview

Hello everyone. I am going to dedicate most of my thoughts today to the upcoming NFL Draft that will take place this Saturday. As most of you know, the new regime of Eric Mangini and George Kokinis have kept the lid shut on what their plans are for the draft. My friend and I have a subscription to the Orange and Brown report, and these guys really give out great bits of information. What I will right today will be facts I have heard from these guys, and my own opinion of what I think could happen. Here we go:

The Browns hold the 5th pick in the NFL Draft. This draft does not have any star power names in it, but there is a lot of depth with good players. The Browns probably feel that the money they will be paying the 5th overall pick is not worth the skill set they are drafting. Not many teams are looking to trade up, and I feel that the Browns if given the opportunity would definitely trade down. With this said in mind, the Browns have shown "genuine" interest in USC QB Mark Sanchez. This is why you hear so many trade rumors about QB Brady Quinn. Quinn fits in with the short passing game that Eric Mangini uses, so why would he trade him. He hasn't seen much of Quinn, so whats the point of drafting Sanchez? Your better off drafting someone else or trading down than getting a QB. Why are the Browns showing interest in Sanchez? I believe that they are trying to bait a team to trade up for their pick. Will it work? Who knows, but I would be shocked if we drafted Mark Sanchez.....

The player that the Browns want the most is LB Aaron Curry. He is a tough linebacker who makes all the tackles, and has can play the run well. He is intelligent, has great character, and he won the Butkus Award (best linebacker) his senior year. He will fit our need at LB. The problem is he will probably be gone by the time we pick (the Chiefs will probably take him at #3). IF Curry is there at #5, the Browns will draft him for sure. Now if this happens, should we still trade Braylon? Yes we should, if you can get a 1st, 3rd, and a WR for him do it. He said when he got drafted that he really didn't want to play here, last year he said he didn't feel liked here (catch a pass, it might help you), and he is in the last year of a contract. There are several good WR's in this draft that will be available in the latter part of the first round (Harvin, Maclin, Nicks, Britt). Now if Curry isn't there, and Sanchez isn't a possibility who do the Browns take? Here are some names we could take at the 5th pick:

Michael Crabtree, WR Texas Tech- I think the only way we draft this guy is if we trade Braylon. Many reports have surfaced that the Browns do have a deal in place for Braylon (1st and 3rd and player from Giants), but the guys at the Orange and Brown Report can't confirm this. If Curry is gone, and the Browns can't trade down a few picks, I expect that the Browns will have the Giants on speed dial, and work out a trade. Crabtree might not be as fast as Edwards, but he runs routes much better, is a team leader, and has great hands. These are all qualities Edwards lacks, and it would be a great fit for our shorter passing style.

Brian Orakpo, DE/LB Texas- I like Orakpo as a defensive end, but as a linebacker I am somewhat scared. He is an incredibly strong guy, fast, elusive, and a hard worker. The problem with Orakpo is that he will be converting from DE to LB, and we know how well that has worked out for Kamerion Wimbley. I read a scouting report on Orakpo on the Orange and Brown Report, and they are also somewhat skeptical of him. Apparently his stats were padded at Texas as they recorded more QB pressures than he deserved. They believe he will be a good DE, but he might struggle at the point of attack as a LB, and might not be able to develop pass rushing moves. The Browns biggest need is a pass rushing LB, and if Orakpo struggles at the point of attack, he doesn't sound like a fit. A lot of mock drafts have Orakpo going to the Browns, but this is because we have a need for LB. He isn't worth the 5th pick, especially since he is such a high risk, and this is why I believe the Browns are trying to trade down and get LB who fits their needs.

Eugene Monroe, OT Virginia- Now this pick would have a lot of Browns fans scratching their heads and mad. I would be happy with this pick because we have a very weak right side of our offensive line. Monroe has great size 6'5 310 lbs, who is agile, can protect the QB, hard worker, and is a very smart player. We saw in 2007 how important an offensive line could be to a team. Monroe would play RT for the Browns and fill in for the released Kevin Shaffer. He would help solidify our offensive line for the next 5-10 years with Joe Thomas on the left side. This pick seems unlikely, but we all saw the effect that Joe Thomas has had on our offensive line.

Now if we trade down, or trade Braylon for a draft pick later in the first round, here are some names to consider:

Rey Maualuga, LB, USC- I would love to have this guy on our team. He has good size (6'1 260 lbs.), speed, and just wants to kill opposing offenses. The Browns need scary guys like this on our defense. He should be available from picks 6-20. He would fit our need of LB, and bring some serious toughness to our defense.

Clay Matthews III, LB, USC- This is another LB I would love to have. He has amazing size for a 3-4 defense (6'4 240 lbs.). He has a motor that never stops, a nasty demeanor, good lineage (father player for the Browns), and is very tough. Again he fits a need, and he should be available near the end of the 1st round.

Brian Cushing, LB, USC- Another USC LB could be a possibility for the Browns. Out of all of the USC LB's, I am the most skeptical of Cushing. He has good size (6'2 243 lbs.), was productive at USC, is very strong, and tough. The problem with Cushing is that he is injury prone, and not that fast. We need a quick LB to attack the QB.

Robert Ayers, DE, Tennessee- Ayers might be a DE, but he could transfer to a LB in a 3-4 defense because he is great at the point of attack, is good in pursuit, great tackler, and can shed blocks. He checks out as a good character, and he too should be available later in the first round. I would like this pick as well.

Everette Brown, DE, Florida St.- This guy on the surface might look like another Kamerion Wimbley, but if you take a closer look he might actually be a good fit. He has a wide variety of moves, very athletic, fast, tough worker, strong, and can close in on the QB quickly. Again, he should be available in the middle of the first round. I would rather have the three guys I listed above, but Brown would be a pretty good fit as well.

Jeremy Maclin, WR, Missouri- If we trade Braylon, and we take Curry at #5, this is the guy we could draft with the 1st rounder we would get with Braylon. He has great speed, good hands, and great upside. He is a threat anytime he touches the ball, and he would give our offense much energy. He can be used as a special teams guy, and he is versatile. I like Maclin, but only if we get a LB before him. Also, a knock on Maclin is that he might not fit with our short passing game, since he is better at running deep routes.

Hakeem Nicks, WR, UNC- Again, Nicks would be the guy we draft with the first round pick if Braylon is traded. He has good size (6'0), great hands, runs routes very well, tough, runs across the middle of the field, and is a team player. He would be a fit for our offensive passing game as well. He should be available in the end of the first round. Hicks would be a great pick, and I like him a little more than Maclin

Louis Delmas, S, Western Michigan- He would help fit the need of the departed S Sean Jones. He is tough, good in coverage, physical, productive, and a great team leader. The Browns could use an enforcer type safety, and he would be a good fit. Delmas should be available at the end of the first, beginning of the second round. I would like Delmas a lot because if you think about it, Mike Adams is our starting safety right now......

Again, not a lot of information has been released, and I am trying to be logical in who the Browns might take. There are a lot of "if's" in this draft. There will be some sort of activity going on, and I am excited to see what will happen. If I had to make a prediction, I say we end up trading Braylon, drafting Crabtree, and either Maualuga/Matthews/Ayers/Brown/Cushing with the other 1st round pick we acquire. Well I know this is a lot of information, but I hope it made you a little less confused on what the Browns could do.

Notes

-Congrats to Mike Brown for winning 2009 NBA Coach of the Year. He has done a great job trusting his assistants (Chris Jent, John Kuester), and his players.
-The Cavs looked very good in Game 1, and they should continue their dominance over the Pistons. People should appreciate the fact that the Pistons have gone to the Eastern Conference Finals for the past 6 years. They are one of the few teams to win a championship without a superstar player.
-I hope Ben Wallace's leg continues to improve, because his inside presence will be huge in the coming rounds. We need his defense and rebounding to combat the Dwight Howard's, Al Horford's, Pau Gasol's, and Andrew Bynum's. Our front line is going to be key in the playoffs.
-The Indians seem to be improving a little bit, and their offense is seeming to click. They scored 22 runs on the Yankees on Saturday.
-The bullpen is a big concern of mine as Jensen Lewis (8.10 ERA), and Rafael Perez (16.71 ERA) seem to be lost. Its sad that the Carl Pavano pitches well against his former team, but the bullpen blows it.
-Jon Meloan is was acquired in the Casey Blake deal, and has a 4.32 ERA in the minor leagues. Maybe its time we give him a try.
-Cliff Lee rebounded well after his 2 horrible starts. He seems to have better command, and is getting ahead in the count early.
-Travis Hafner continues to be steady as he is batting .286 with 4 homers and 8 RBI's. If he continues this, our offense will be much more potent and stable.

Well folks, thats about it. Thanks for reading and go Cleveland!