In a reversal of an adage: What do you give to a team that has nothing? That is the state of the BROWNS franchise IMO as they have floundered around, wasting money & draft picks on players who they seem to value more than the rest of the League. They have turned over the top of the franchise again, even bringing in baseball numbers man PAUL DePODESTA to bring new perspective to the situation. Good luck Paul, football isn’t quite the stats driven game as baseball, but what the heck says wanna be Jerry Jones, JIMMY HASLAM.
Round 1, Pick 2 EZEKIEL ELLIOTT/RB/OHIO STATE 6’0/225
Surprise no QB. The team will likely try to trade out and get another pick or three, but I don’t do trades in this effort. They kinda tried this a few years ago with TRENT, but I honestly believe ELLIOTT is much more of a sure thing. The team needs a strong running game to support a weak QB group, not to mention the receivers. But they have shuffled later round guys at RB on and off their roster since TRENT. ELLIOTT is a productive runner, just a half-notch below TODD GURLEY, and without health issues. A huge factor in assessing ELLIOTT’s pro potential is listening to URBAN MEYER, at the Combine, telling NFLN’s EISEN & MAYOCK that ZEKE’s best attribute is what he does without the ball in his hands. I just am not convinced HUE JACKSON is enamored with CARSON WENTZ here. PP#5
Round 2, Pick 32 WILL FULLER/WR/NOTRE DAME 6’0/186
FULLER has some receiver flaws to clean up, like body catching a bit too much, but he is the most explosive, productive receiver in this draft group. His 4.36/40 time trumps some more productive WR who just don’t have top end speed. He is also a potentially dangerous Return Specialist. The team pretty much ignored WR in the Draft under former GM/RAY FARMER and JOSH GORDON is about to be banned for life for smoking weed. They also allowed TRAVIS BENJAMIN to sign away with the CHARGERS. Time to get some serious young receiver help and FULLER should be their first man up. PP# 35
Round 3, Pick 65 CHRISTIAN HACKENBERG/QB/PENN STATE 6’4/223
A nice challenge for HUE JACKSON, whose offensive guru rep precedes him coming to Cleveland. HACK is actually gaining momentum as the Draft approaches because as teams look at more Penn State tape they see a super talent trying to fit into a square peg offensive system under a new coach. And by the way his OL the past two years was horrible in Happy Valley. He is a big kid with a strong arm, and is said to be winning the interview process with many teams. Let RG3 & McCOWN scramble around on a bad team, while HACK gets groomed for 2017 and beyond. PP#65
Round 4, PIck 99 SEAN DAVIS/S/MARYLAND 6’1/201
DAVIS comes into town having been a good player on a pretty bad college football team recently. The BROWNS situation should seem pretty familiar to him in that regard. He is athletic enough to have played CB pretty well for the Terps as a senior. He should develop nicely reacquainting himself with the S slot as a pro. He may have the chance to start right away with the release of WHITNER by the BROWNS. His 4.46/40-speed will look impressive running from deep in the secondary. DAVIS looks like a very solid pro prospect to me. PP#97
Round 4, Pick 138 RICARDO LOUIS/WR/AUBURN 6’2/215
Indulge me as I continue to believe the new regime will actually use multiple picks to rebuild their receiving group. LOUIS and his receiving skills were wasted in his senior campaign at Auburn because of the lack of a quality throwing QB at Auburn. But his size and speed caught my eye a few times every game I watched him play. He drops too many balls, but I think some NFL level coaching can help him refine his skill set. He may not look impressive as a Rookie, but should be considered a guy with upside, for a team that will have be patient and develop their own from now on. PP#136
Round 5, Pick 141 ANTONIO MORRISON/LB/FLORIDA 6’1/232
Don’t think the Defense doesn’t need help on this team as well, even though most of my early picks were on O. They could have 20 Picks and still have more holes to fill. MORRISON is a tough kid with good athleticism. To say he has a high rev motor is an understatement. Being a 2-time team captain is a very good thing when you are building a team almost from scratch. He cracked the 100 tackle mark (103) as a senior. Plays with his hair on fire, which once channeled to the team’s system will be a big positive. He has shown he can, and will, play with pain. I am assuming that his medical was good, despite two knee issues n college. PP#139
Round 5, Pick 172 BEN BRAUNECKER/TE/HARVARD 6’3/250
A bit more of an H-B than a pure inline TE. A very good athlete, with excellent hands. A smart Ivy League kid with a solid FBI as well. Has really come on n the post-season and is a legit prospect, not dissimilar to the team’s current top TE GARY BARNIDGE. Also looks like he could contribute on Special Teams as well. Another guy who may look a lot better as a pro in 2017 than 2016, but this team looks destined for another 10-Loss season, or worse, again in 2016 anyway. PP#169
Round 5, Pick 173 JOE HAEG/T/G/NORTH DAKOTA STATE 6’6/304
Another developmental project who helped protect CARSON WENTZ for the BISONS. HAEG is a good sized guy who might add another 10 lbs. in a pro training room. Initially, he may make a nice 3-4 position back-up, while he develops into a starting role probably inside at OG. Did a solid job competing with some pretty talented bIg schoOl guys during Senior Bowl week in Mobile. Was praised on a regular basis by former NFL GM BILL POLIAN during ESPN practice coverage. PP#174
Round 6, Pick 176 LAWRENCE THOMAS/DE/MICHIGAN STATE 6’4/286
Started his Spartans career as a FB, but has been made into a solid DL prospect. He looks to me to be a nice fit for the BROWNS base 3-4 scheme. Not a big play maker, but a solid force who gets the job done at his spot. Might be more impressive if he could bulk up to 300 lbs. without losing too much mobility. Not likely to be a star, but could make a solid rotational player. Showed well at the Senior Bowl, making a few plays against good OL units for both teams. PP#180
Round 7, Pick 223 DERRICK WATT/FB/WISCONSIN 6’2/234
Mr. Swiss Army Knife at the SHRINE venue. Does not have his brother’s talent, but does have the non-stop motor that JJ displays. Can handle multiple positions in a pinch (FB/RB/TE/HB/LS) and should star on Special Teams. A versatile talent like WATT should have no problem improving the bottom third of the roster for a team like the BROWNS. The team roster doesn’t really contain a true FB at this time, which is not a great thing with ELLIOTT coming on board as the franchise RB. PP#218
This was an excruciatingly hard Team Mock to do. The team needs so much that every player taken should be an upgrade, but in my mind long range potential was more important that the immediate contributions. Even with 10 PIcks to use I clearly failed to provide help everywhere it was needed. This team’s roster still looks like that of an expansion franchise even after a decade back in the League. Good luck and try to have patience BROWNS fans.
