Month: April 2020

As a Browns fan, we tend to treat the NFL draft differently than most NFL fans. Sure all NFL fans love the draft, as evidenced by the television ratings for the first night. An average of 15.6 million viewers watched round one, a 37% increase over last year. The top three cities were Columbus, OH (16.7), Cleveland, OH (15.9) and Cincinnati, OH (15.6). You can attribute the high ratings for Columbus because of the former Buckeye’s being drafted early and Cincinnati because the Bengals had the first pick. As for Cleveland, well lets just say Browns fans are different when it comes to the draft. Most non Cleveland sports pundits say the draft is our Super Bowl. That’s a load of crap. To a Browns fan the draft is like a three day Christmas morning. We get new stuff, some we like, some we don’t like and in the end we find it’s true value after a period of time. No it’s not our Super Bowl. When the Browns reach the Super Bowl and it will be soon, THAT will be our Super Bowl. So lets take a look the 2020 Cleveland Browns draft class. All player profiles are from Thedraftnetwork.com.

#10 Jedrick Wills, OT, Alabama. “Jedrick Willis is a plug and play Pro Bowl caliber OT in the NFL. Wills has surreal ability as a pass protector, he’s violent, he’s controlled, he’s smooth and he’s smart. Wills plays with a chip on his shoulder and brings the kind of attitude adjustment up front that can make wakes and change the demeanor of an offensive line. Supremely gifted, Wills is especially attractive to teams that push the ball vertically, as his movement skills allow him to shine on an island in pass protection. STUD.”

# 44 Grant Delpit, S, LSU. “Grant Delpit projects as an impact defender at the NFL level. Tackling issues in the open field will put off some teams, but he’s physically capable of booming hits and his foundation as a player is a pretty rare blend of skills — making him an enticing every down defender that can be a centerpiece to weekly game plans. Delpit has high football intelligence and can handle any number of roles or responsibilities, adding him to a roster will add infinite flexibility to back-end coverage combos.” 

# 88 Jordan Elliot, DT, Missouri. “Jordan Elliott projects as a rotational penetration defender at the NFL level. Elliott showcases some desirable short area quickness and natural leverage, which allows him to challenge gaps when playing 3T or 5T and firing off at the snap. Elliott’s lack of length and hand power poses a significant problem to playing an every down role at the NFL and resetting the LOS against the run, as a result he’s most suited to serve as a rotational pass rusher and use his quickness to win.” 

# 97 Jacob Phillips, LB, LSU. “LSU linebacker Jacob Phillips was a two-year starter for the Tigers and he led the SEC in tackles last season. There’s a lot to like about his ability to trigger downhill against the run and the energy he plays with. Phillips has proven to be a reliable tackler and he operates under control. With that said, his coverage instincts, processing skills, agility and lateral mobility don’t impress. Phillips’ profiles well to special teams which will be key for him sticking and having a chance to develop as an off-ball linebacker.” 

#115 Harrison Bryant, TE, Florida International. “FAU tight end Harrison Bryant enters the NFL after producing monster numbers for a tight end in 2019. As a versatile receiving option that can execute from a variety of alignments, Bryant is appealing. He has enough athletic ability, route running technique and ball skills to create some matchup problems. His blend of ball skills and ability to create after the catch makes him an option at all levels of the field. With that said, the traditional in-line duties of a tight end aren’t Bryant’s strong suit. You won’t catch him widening gaps in the trenches although he’s fairly effective blocking on the move. Bryant profiles as a quality TE2.”

#160 Nick Harris, C, Washington. “Starting over 40 games with experience at both guard and center, Harris projects best to playing center in the NFL where he will see less situations where he is covered. For a team in search of an athletic center that thrives pulling and climbing to the second level while employing a zone run scheme, Harris is an exciting option. While he isn’t the most physically dominant run blocker and his anchor can be compromised in pass protection, Harris is highly competitive, technically-sound and his functional mobility is impressive. He may be a scheme-specific prospect, but he has the makings of a starter in the right offense in time.”

#187 Donovan Peoples-Jones, WR, Michigan. “Donovan Peoples-Jones is going to be a much better pro than he was college player at Michigan. The Wolverines offense failed to provide Peoples-Jones with the targets and touches his skills and ability demanded — he was open much more often than he was targeted. “DPJ” will bring consistency in the return game but he should make a big jump as a “big slot” receiver at the next level, teams looking to implement spread sets should prioritize targeting him for their offense thanks to his versatility.”

I don’t rate drafts because there’s no way of knowing how a player turns out until they actually play, but for those interested Profootballfocus rated the Browns draft as an A+. The Browns first three picks were in PFF’s top 100. The only real questionable pick is center Nick Harris out of Washington. No the Browns aren’t going to cut J.C. Tretter. Harris can play guard, his best position just happens to be center and he can develop as a center/guard. The Browns finally have a GM who’s trying to make the offensive line better. As for Harrison Bryant and Donovan Peoples-Jones, both are big targets who can create space. Bryant will add to a crowded TE room and Peoples-Jones can also return kicks. As for those who say drafting a WR shuts the door on Rashard Higgins returning, I can still see him re-signing with the Browns, probably on a one year deal.

My next favorite part of the draft is the signing of undrafted free agents. And the Browns, like most teams didn’t waste any time. Here’s the list as I know it today. QB Kenny Davidson, Princeton, RB Brian Herrien Georgia, RB Benny LeMay, Charlotte, WR Tony Brown, Colorado, WR Ja’Marcus Bradley Louisiana Lafayette, TE Nate Wieting, Iowa, OT Alex Taylor, South Carolina State, OL Drake Dorbeck Southern Miss., DE George Obinna, Sacramento State, DL Jeffery Whatley South Alabama, LB Solomon Ajayi, Liberty, CB, A.J. Green, Oklahoma State, CB Jameson Houston, Baylor, S Jovante Moffett, MTSU and S Elijah Benton, Liberty. Out of this group, only A.J. Green, Ja’Marcus Bradley and Alex Taylor stand out. Alex Taylor is going to stand out anywhere, the dude is 6’9″. All are developmental players and the Browns should be able to sneak them onto the practice squad. The Browns must really think a lot of A.J. Green, reportedly they are going to pay him $145,000.00. That’s quite a contract for a UDFA.

So all in all I think the new front office did a great job. Andrew Berry let the draft come to him and he stuck to his board. The trades freaked me out at first, but getting Grant Delpit at 44, Jordan Elliot in the 3rd round and Nick Harris in the 5th makes more sense. The Browns have had a great off season. Hopefully they’ll be able to sign Higgins and LB Nigel Bradham, if he can pass a physical and his price comes down. As for cap space, the Browns still have 38.4 million according to overthecap.com. That’s the most cap space of any team. We’ll be finding out their rookie salary pool soon and the schedule should be announced by May 9th. You got to love the NFL, major pandemic in the world and they keep to their schedule. Not only do they own the room, they own the whole block. So remember to stay safe, wear a mask if you leave your house, support your local businesses and WASH YOUR DAMN HANDS. I hope to god I don’t see another mock draft until February 2021, Go Browns.

That was an interesting day two for the Browns. Never in my wildest dreams did I think the Browns would be in position to draft Grant Delpit. Not only did they draft him, they moved down and got a fifth round pick as well. Can you say freebie? The second trade kind of baffled me, but to get Jordan Elliot in the third round is fantastic. As for LB Jacob Phillips, I was really disappointed they didn’t draft Malik Harrison, because with the very next pick, the Ravens selected Harrison. I hate that the rats not only drafted Harrison , but also J.K. Dobbins. To add to my misery, Cincinnati drafted my favorite linebacker in the draft, Logan Wilson. Damn it. I hear that Harrison isn’t good in coverage, but Phillips is. So with Delpit and Phillips, tight ends will no longer have career days verses the Browns.

The Browns remaining picks are #115, #160 and # 187. I would like to thank Andrew Berry getting rid of the Browns seventh round pick #244, so now I can relax after the sixth round. Unless Berry trades back again and gets a seventh round pick. By the way, have you noticed how quick the Browns are getting in their picks? That tells me they are following their board and there is no indecisiveness in the front office. Andrew Berry is truly letting the board come to him. So what happens today? Here’s a list of potential targets for the Browns from John McCafferty (@johnnyblitzz) that I agree with.

John McCafferty@johnnyblitzz·55m Updated potential day 3 targets for the #Browns: – Akeem Davis-Gaither, LB – Bryce Hall, CB – Troy Pride, CB – Hunter Bryant, TE – Donovan Peoples-Jones, WR – Curtis Weaver, Edge – John Simpson, IOL – Bradlee Anae, Edge -Antonio Gandy-Golden, WR -Tyler Johnson, WR.

As for the day two draft day visuals. Mike Vrabel cleaned up his draft room. If you’re going to go for a weird visual, keep it going into day two. Come on Mike, show some imagination. I thought Roger Goodell might end up falling asleep before the night was over. He was getting really comfortable. By the end of the third round, I thought he might be in bed. Finally the Patriots are having their usual good draft and it’s great to see Bill Belichick letting his dog handle the tough decisions. He’s good, he’s a good boy, yes he is, what a good boy. Enjoy the third day Browns fans. Go Browns.

It was great to actually be immersed in a sporting event yesterday. The draft wasn’t a game, but it was sports. I was very impressed with how the NFL handled the virtual draft. There were no major glitches or mishaps, just some strange happenings. As the first round stated out, it became very apparent to me there wasn’t going to be a trade for Trent Williams or a trade down by the Browns which made me very happy. Andrew Berry let the draft come to him and it paid off with an excellent left tackle. Wills wasn’t my first choice, but the more I read about him the more I like. I’m not worried about him being a RT, because Tua is a left handed QB and Wills has the “protect the QB blindside” attitude. As for my mock draft, I got 8 out of the 32 going to the team I projected and 22 of the 32 going in the first round. Some of the ten first rounders I missed are real head scratchers.

Atlanta selecting A.J. Terrell with Jeff Gladney and Kristain Fulton still on the board, Damon Arnette going in the first round to the Raiders, Miami taking Austin Jackson and Noah Igbinoghene, the 49ers selecting Brandon Aiyuk and the Titans selecting Isaiah Wilson. The best part about ten later round graded players going in the first round, ten first round talents falling to the second round. The second round plays right to the Browns biggest needs, Safety, Line Backer, Defensive Tackle, Edge Rusher and possibly Wide Receiver. So what will the Browns do in the second round? Glad you asked.

#41 Ross Blacklock, IDT, TCU

#74 Jeremy Chinn, S, So. Illinois.

#97 Logan Wilson LB, Wyoming.

What happens at #41 will determine the rest of day two for the Browns. I have a feeling if a safety they really like is available, the Browns will go with a safety at #41. Then at #74 the Browns could draft IDL, Davon Hamilton, or Edge, Darrell Taylor. Other players possibly being available in the second round, WR’s Michael Pittman, Jr. and Donovan Peoples-Jones, IDL Justin Madubuike and LB’s Zack Baun and Malik Harrison. At #97 I hope Logan Wilson is sitting there for the Browns. If not the Browns can go LB Akeem Davis-Gaither or Edge Khalid Kareem. So as you can see Andrew Berry has plenty of options and again can let the draft come to him.

As for the strangeness. You got to love WR Henry Ruggs dressed in an Old Spice Robe, the quick hands of WR CeeDee Lamb, OT Isaiah Wilson’s Mom pulling Wilson’s girlfriend off his lap and the weirdness that is Mike Vrabel’s draft setup. What in gods name was going on in the Vrabel household? Jerry Jones did show his concerns for the unemployed by having his setup on his yacht. Hopefully it was his smaller yacht, you know his weekday yacht. Kliff Kingsbury’s home looks like he moonlight’s as the head of a drug cartel. And we did get the official announcement from Commissioner Goodell that Las Vegas will host the 2020 draft. Wait….what? I know because of the stay at home order, I sometimes forget what day it is, but to forget what year it is? Can I get you another Scotch? Cheers Roger.

I hope everyone enjoys round two and three tonight. I’ll be back tomorrow before round four starts with a recap of today and thoughts on day three of the draft. Go Browns.

It’s draft week and Thursday is the day all Browns fans look forward to, Draft Day. After weeks and months of mock drafts, rumors, player evaluations and just plain silliness ( see OBJ trade rumors) it’s time to get down to business. First let me say I base all my mock drafts on The Draft Network’s big board for my player rankings and profiles, http://www.thedraftnetwork.com. As well as my old friend Colin Lindsay at Great Blue North Draft Report for additional team information and news, http://www.gbnreport.com. But my go to website for any information from the draft to free agency will always be the guys at the Orange and Brown Report, https://247sports.com/nfl/cleveland-browns. So, I’m basically going to do a full day one draft and then all the Browns picks as I see them. I will not have any trades, although certain teams like Miami, Tampa, Denver, Philadelphia, San Fransico and Atlanta, are making a lot noise about moving up into the top ten or at least to the Browns pick at number 10. Personally, if the OT the Browns want is at ten, pick him. It’s that simple. So here goes, enjoy, comment and argue with me, I love a good draft argument.

#1 Cincinnati, Joe Burrow, QB, LSU.

#2 Washington, Chase Young, DE The Ohio State.

#3 Detroit, Jeffery Okudah, CB, The Ohio State.

#4 New York Giants, Isaiah Simmons, LB, LSU.

#5 Miami, Justin Herbert, QB, Oregon.

#6 L.A. Chargers, Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Alabama.

#7 Carolina, Derrick Brown, DT, Auburn.

#8 Arizona, Tristan Wirfs, OT, Iowa.

#9 Jacksonville. C.J. Henderson, CB, Florida.

# 10 Cleveland Browns, Andrew Thomas, OT Georgia.

#11 New York Jets, Mekhi Becton, OT, Louisville.

#12 Las Vegas Raiders, Henry Ruggs, III, WR, Alabama.

#13 San Francisco 49ers, CeeDee Lamb, WR, Oklahoma.

#14 Tampa Bay, Jedrick Wills, OT, Alabama.

#15 Denver, Jerry Jeudy, WR, Alabama.

#16 Atlanta, Javon Kinlaw, IDL, South Carolina.

#17 Dallas, K’Lavon Chaisson, Edge, LSU.

#18 Miami, Xavier McKinney, S, Alabama.

#19 Las Vegas Raiders, Jeff Gladney, CB, TCU.

#20 Jacksonville, Neville Gallimore, IDL, Oklahoma.

#21 Philadelphia, Justin Jefferson, WR, LSU.

#22 Kristian Fulton, CB, LSU.

#23 New England, Jordan Love, QB, Utah State.

#24 New Orleans, Denzel Mimms, WR, Baylor.

#25 Minnesota, Yetur Gross-Matos, Edge, Penn State.

#26 Miami, Cesar Ruiz, IOL, Michigan.

#27 Seattle, Josh Jones, OT, Houston.

#28 Baltimore, Lloyd Cushenberry, III, IOL, LSU.

#29 Tennessee, Ezra Cleveland, OT, Boise State.

# 30 Green Bay, Jalen Reager, WR, TCU.

#31 San Francisco, Jaylon Johnson, CB, Utah.

#32 Kansas City, D’adre Swift, RB, Georgia.

As for the rest of the Browns draft picks, here you go.

#41 Jeremy Chinn, S, So. Illinois.

# 74 Davon Hamilton, IDL The Ohio State.

# 97 Logan Wilson, LB, Wyoming.

# 115 Alex Highsmith, Edge, Charlotte.

# 187 Justin Strnard, LB, Wake Forest.

#244 Omar Bayless, WR, Arkansas State.

In previous mock drafts I had the Browns taking Thomas, Chinn, Hamilton, Wilson and Strnard. So here are the draft profiles from The Draft Network on the new players added to my mock draft 4.0.

Alex Highsmith, Edge, Charlotte. “Has enough snap anticipation ability and quickness releasing out of his stance to threaten the outside edge track and attack gaps. While he likes to dip and rip the outside edge track, he has showcased a decent inside move that is set up with good hand swipes and an effective spin move to get home as a pass rusher. Hands are generally active as he battles to disengage. Hand are sudden, well-timed and well-placed. Plays with terrific effort and competes throughout the rep. Has good play recognition skills and rarely takes himself out of his fit/rush lane. Experienced working for a stand-up role where he will likely project at the next level. Hard-charging and urgent defender.” 

Omar Bayless, WR, Arkansas State. “Omar Bayless is an intriguing late bloomer who will warrant consideration as a developmental talent. Bayless exploded in a big way in 2019 and will have to answer concerns about being a one year wonder — but he’s got the size, ball skills and hands to be an effective target if he’s able to further develop his route breaks and become a more consistent separator before he’s got the ball in his hands. Upside is an NFL starter but he’ll need more polish in his game to get there.” 

The key to the top ten in this years draft falls on two picks, the Giants at number 4 and Chargers at number 6. Right now the Giants could take a tackle, either Wirfs, Wills or Thomas or a defensive player, LB Simmons. I think they go defense if Simmons is there. The Chargers are making noise that they won’t take a quarterback at six. Do you really think they’re going to go into the season with Tyrod Taylor as their starting QB? Jacksonville goes with CB C.J Henderson with the ninth picks and still gets a defensive lineman later in the first round. As I mentioned earlier, Tampa, Denver, Philadelphia and Atlanta all want to get into the top ten to pick certain players. In this draft, they pretty much get need positions filled. Tampa gets a tackle to protect Brady, hopefully Wills has a drivers license so he can pick Tom up at the old folks home on the way to practice. Denver gets a WR, although it isn’t Ruggs and Atlanta gets the impact defensive player they want. As for Philadelphia, they get a really good wide receiver at pick 21. Finally the 49er’s have two first round picks and then don’t pick again until the fifth round. I expect some movement to pick up picks in the 2nd, 3rd and or the 4th rounds.

As for the rest of the Browns picks, I tried to fill positions of need with the remainder of their picks. I really love Chinn, Hamilton, Wilson and Strnard. Highsmith and Bayless just fell into place as I went through the draft board. I don’t think the Browns will go cornerback in this draft, based on the players already on the roaster, but I could see a corner and a tight end possibly being drafted in the sixth and seventh round. After the draft is over, I really look forward to seeing which undrafted free agents the Browns are able to sign. I have a feeling it’s going to be an interesting list.

So, Thursday is the draft and we’ll get answers to a lot of important questions. Like what does Roger Goodell’s basement look like? I can guarantee it probably looks better than my entire house. I wonder if we’ll see a furnace or a hot water heater in the background? Will his family boo him at the start of the draft? When will the first glitch happen? Will we hear the old AOL dial up when the Giants Dave Gettleman is on the clock? These are the most important questions concerning this year’s draft. Right? Seriously, if you agree or disagree with my mock draft 4.0, let me know. Hey I’m a Browns fan, I live to argue about the draft. Everyone stay safe, wear a mask if you go out, support your locally owned businesses, don’t touch your face and WASH YOUR HANDS. Go Browns.

Let’s have some fun with some trades. Again let me stress this is only for fun, I have no knowledge of any teams wanting to trade up or trade down for certain players. I’m kind of bored right now and this is the best way I know to keep my sanity. So let’s do this.

#1 Cincinnati, QB Joe Burrow, LSU.

#2 Washington, Edge, Chase Young, The Ohio State.

#3 Detroit, CB, Jeffery Okudah, The Ohio State.

#4 N.Y. Giants, OT, Tristan Wirfs, Iowa.

#5 Miami, QB Justin Herbert, Oregon.

#6 Tampa, (Trade with Chargers), OT, Mekhi Becton, Louisville.

#7 Carolina, LB Isaiah Simmons, LSU.

#8 Arizona, Jedrick Wills, OT, Alabama.

#9 N.Y. Jets, (Trade with Jacksonville), OT, Andrew Thomas.

#10 Denver, (Trade with the Browns), WR, Henry Ruggs, III, Alabama.

#11 Jacksonville, DT, Derrick Brown, Auburn.

#12 L.A. Raiders, WR, CeeDee Lamb, Oklahoma.

#13 S.F. 49ers, WR, Jerry Jeudy, Alabama.

#14 L.A. Chargers, QB, Tua Tagoviloa, Alabama.

#15 Cleveland Browns, OT, Ezra Cleveland, Boise State.

So the trade breakdowns are as follows: For the Chargers # 6, Tampa gives up their #14, # 76 and # 139. For the Jags # 9, the Jets give up their #11, #79 and # 211. For the Browns # 10, Denver gives up their # 15, #83 and # 95. The rest of the Browns picks are:

#41 Jeremy Chinn, S, Southern Illinois.

# 74 Devon Hamilton, IDL, The Ohio State.

# 83 Logan Wilson, LB, Wyoming.

# 95 Darnay Holmes, CB, UCLA.

# 115 K.J. Hill, WR, The Ohio State.

# 187 Justin Strnard, LB. Wake Forest.

#244 Sean McKeon, TE, Michigan.

I’ve listed profiles for Jeremy Chinn, Devon Hamilton, Logan Wilson and K.J. Hill in previous Blogs, so here are the profiles for the remaining players according to http://www.thedraftnetork.com.

#95 Darnay Holmes, CB, UCLA. “He demonstrates very good reactive athleticism for the position. In the run game he has shown instances of being a wrap up tackler. While on the perimeter he has also shown good tackling efficiency and rarely misses tackles. He demonstrates his dynamic athletic ability in the passing game and on special teams. He displays very good footwork at the line of scrimmage in press and easily stays on top. While in press, he effortlessly opens his hips and runs upfield with receivers. In off man he has very good transition at the top of the route. Has excellent recovery speed when his technique has gotten him in trouble. However, he demonstrates all the ideal physical tools to kick inside to play nickel. He also is a dynamic returner and projects as a 4 phase core special teamer in the NFL.”

#187 Justin Strnard, LB, Wake Forest. “Justin Strnad projects favorably as a next level linebacker thanks to his range and explosiveness. Strnad took notable steps forward in his final season with the Deacs, showing more confidence in his reads and more trust in his eyes to break on action quickly. Strnad can continue to increase his productivity with continued focus on stacking blocks and keeping his frame clean, but there’s plus skills to work in space as is. Can be a starter in an even front as the WILL linebacker playing in space.”

#244 Sean McKeon, TE, Michigan. “Sean McKeon is a sturdy, well put together athlete who has some 3-down ability as a tight end. McKeon is fairly effective as a blocker, he possesses a solid foundation and brings active feet behind his hips to be a persistent thorn in the side of defenders. I like his work as a blocker most when he’s assigned inside-out leverage. Soft hands, has little issue with catching the football away from his body. Having a well developed frame will help in staying planted on contested situations and not being knocked loose of potential catches. Pairs that frame and soft hands to good concentration and hand-eye coordination, even when being contacted at the catch.”

If this were to happen I wouldn’t feel too bad. I’d still be disappointed if the Browns didn’t get Andrew Thomas, but Ezra Cleveland and the extra picks are a nice consolation prize. Tampa is an interesting case. Do they wait till pick # 14 and hope to get a tackle to protect AARP member Tom Brady or maybe trade for Trent Williams and take BPA? In this draft Miami gets it’s quarterback without trading up, but having 14 picks, I can’t see them drafting 14 players. I have the feeling they’ll be moving around a lot or trading for future picks. Also in this mock draft, I have the Jets in panic mode to get a tackle and select Andrew Thomas right before the Browns. Which leads to Denver, also in panic mode to get ahead of the Raiders and the 49ers to get Ruggs, who they love. In the trade downs the Jags get an impact DL and the Chargers get their QB of the future.

In other news the new uniforms were unveiled today and I like them. They’re slick, simple and traditional. No more “Browns” down the side of the pants. No more sleeve strips extending onto the chest and the “color rush” is great. I love the brown facemask and inside the back collar the date 1946. At first I was disappointed there were no orange pants, however Jimmy Haslam’s son in law, JW Johnson, was on 850 am’s “Cleveland Browns Daily” this afternoon and hinted there are going to be orange pants. There’s also a still shot on twitter from this weeks “Building The Browns” showing Johnson talking to the equipment staff and in the bottom left corner is a stack of orange socks. I want to see brown jerseys with orange pants. Bring back the uniforms of Brain Sipe, Greg Pruitt, Dave Logan and my favorite Dick “Bam Bam” Ambrose.

Finally, there are rumors that the Browns are going to trade OBJ to the Vikings for a 2nd round pick this year and a 5th round pick next year. I’ve heard this is false news. No way the Browns are trading Beckham. He’s coming off a 1000 yard season in a bad offense with a terrible coaching staff. There are also rumors the Falcons are in discussions with the Browns about trading up. Right now every NFL front office is setting the perimeters for possible trades, so I don’t doubt the Browns are doing due diligence involving trades. Next week I’m going to do a full first round draft, as well as, all the Browns remaining picks. Right now it’s smoke screen season, so lets see how many I can get right. Let me know what you think, agree or disagree.

We are one week away from the draft, so enjoy the new uniforms, watch episode two of “Building The Browns” on Sunday April 19 at 11:00 AM eastern and stay safe. Go Browns.

With the announcement that DE Adrian Clayborn’s signing is official, the only free agent that has not officially signed is S Karl Joseph. The Browns are waiting for Joseph to pass his physical, due to a foot injury last year, but expect him to pass. As for potential signings, LB Nigel Bradham still hasn’t signed with a team. I would assume money is an issue. As for DE Jadeveon Clowney, it appears the Seahawks aren’t going to come off their offer and appear to be moving on. This would leave the Browns and the Titans as the primary suitors. The Browns can afford the salary, especially if they cut Olivier Vernon, but it’s the length of the contract and the incentives that Clowney is asking for that the Browns are worried about. As for the Titans, they currently have 21.5 million in cap space. If and this is big if, they could get Clowney for 15 million for 2020, that would leave them with 6.5 million in cap space. The Titans still haven’t signed a backup quarterback and their salary cap allocation for rookies still hasn’t been determined. To give you an example of rookie allocation, Miami currently has a cap figure of 23.8 million, but due to the large amount of draft picks they have, their rookie allocation would be about 18 million. That leaves the Dolphins with about 6 million for spending on injuries during the 2020 season. So the Titans would have to do some serious restructuring or cutting of current players to fit Clowney on their roster. Personally I would rather have Vernon on the last year of a contract than Clowney on the first year of a contract. Finally for all those fans calling for the Browns to sign LB Clay Matthews, It’s not going to happen. He’s just not a system fit, sorry I wish he was.

As for trades, Adam Schefter (@Adam_Schefter) reported that the Browns were one of the teams interested in trading for Jags DE Yannick Ngakoue. The Jags franchised Ngakoue at 18 million and are asking for a first round draft pick. I can’t see the Browns giving up their first round pick and then paying Ngakoue that kind of money. The Browns need to use that pick on a LT and move on. Don’t over think it. As for a Trent Williams trade, I can see that trade happening on draft day. Some team isn’t going of get their first round tackle and make the trade. I still think the Browns should pull the trigger on Williams with 97th pick. If Stefanski can’t install his offense until training camp, it sure would be nice to have an experienced offensive line that Bill Callahan could coach. As for other news, I had thought the schedule would drop today, apparently not. It’s usually the week before the draft, but I thought I had read it would be this week. However on another front, the new Browns uniforms will be unveiled next week on Wednesday April 15th. There’s a teaser video making the rounds on twitter that shows flashes of past uniforms of players like Jim Brown, Clay Matthews and Eric Metcalf. I’ve heard the new uniforms are traditional with a new look. This is much better then the schedule, right? I can’t wait, not really , but Browns twitter is looking for anything Browns, besides past games on NFL Gamepass. More good news, the next episode of “Building the Browns” will air on April 19th at 11:00 am eastern.

In other news, here’s my Browns only mock draft 2.0. All draft profiles come from .http://www.thedraftnetwork.com.

#10 Andrew Thomas, OT, Georgia. ” A three-year starter at left tackle for Georgia, Thomas enters the NFL experienced in a pro scheme and executing against the best opponents college football has to offer. As a run blocker, Thomas is outstanding and profiles as an immediate impact blocker in that regard. With that said, there is a need for growth with his footwork in pass protection to develop consistency handling speed. There may be some lowlights early on as he irons out his technique but Thomas has all the gifts needed to become a high quality left tackle in the NFL.”  

# 41 Jeremy Chinn, S, Southern Illinois.  “Has next level athleticism for the back end of a defense and his value in the early downs will be in a traditional Strong Safety role. Chinn’s impact in coverage is most effective when he’s given shallow areas to roam and break on the ball and he’s a potent tackler — he should be a potential 3rd-down sub-package LB who can roam in space. Chinn will need some fine tuning from a football IQ perspective as a small school prospect, but he’s got a high ceiling with time to develop.”

# 74 Devon Hamilton, IDL, The Ohio State. “Davon Hamilton is a senior from Ohio State but he has untapped potential considering he didn’t start until his final season as a Buckeye and still only played a modest amount of reps. That said, it’s easy to notice his massive frame, power and excellent mobility for his size. His run defense is stellar. Hamilton is a fast processor with a stout anchor and he quickly works through contact. He has significant room for growth as a pass rusher, but there are tools to develop and he is a powerful pocket pusher. Hamilton is best utilized as a one-tech in an even front but there is some appeal for him to situationally play three-technique as well. At a minimum, Hamilton should be a standout run defender but he has the potential to develop into much more.” 

# 97 Logan Wilson, LB, Wyoming. “Wyoming linebacker Logan Wilson enters the NFL with monster production across four seasons in college, three coming as a team captain. He has the processing skills expected for such an experienced player where his key and diagnose ability shines. He’s physical, urgent and a standout tackler. While Wilson projects well to defending short zones and basic coverage drops, deeper drops and man coverage reps are missing from his tape. In addition, Wilson has good range and fluidity but the explosiveness of a true top talent at the position is lacking. Wilson has the upside of being a starting SAM or MIKE linebacker that provides quality play on the second level. At a minimum he should provide quality depth and special teams upside.”

# 115 Jabari Zuniga, EDGE, Florida. “Jabari Zuniga’s had some impressive flashes throughout his career at Florida but hasn’t been able to develop a consistent skill set during his time in college. While there are exciting moments of explosive releases out of his stance, play strength and hard-charging efforts in pursuit, he’s still an extremely raw player. His processing skills, vision and deployment of a pass rush plan are all highly inconsistent and his tightly wound frame presents other restrictions. His production against Power 5 competition compared to other games against lesser opponents brings deserving questions to the table. Zuniga has some upside because of his play strength, length and versatility, but he’s likely a rotational piece that needs to grow considerably to be more than that.”

#187 Tyrie Cleveland, WR, Florida. “True deep threat player. Cleveland is exclusively an outside guy who can really stretch the field vertically. He ran a reported sub-4.4 at The Opening as a high school recruit. At 6-foot-2, Cleveland has some long strides when running. He can really eat up cushion on players who are playing against him in off coverage, often getting “even” with them and asserting advantage when getting vertical. His route tree consists of mostly 9-route, skinny posts and bubble screens, but for what he does, he does it pretty well.”

# 244 A.J. Green, CB, Oklahoma State. “AJ displays sufficient reactive athleticism for the position. His tackling efficiency has been better on the perimeter than it has been against the run. In the passing game, while playing press man, he easily opens his hips and runs upfield with 9 routes on outside releases. In off man, his technique is sufficient. He demonstrates ideal length for the position and good foot quickness. He has a good transition at the top of the route and demonstrates good ball skills when the ball is in the air. This is and outside corner whose skill also projects well as a vice/gunner on special teams.”

This weeks mock draft is not my final but it does have some players I really want the Browns to draft. Of course Andrew Thomas is number one on my list and should be there at pick #10. I’m really impressed with Jeremy Chinn, not only because of his size, 6’3″, 219 lbs., but because he could come in on third down and play LB. And speaking of LB, Logan Wilson is a football player. I know that helps because he plays football, but he seems like a guy the Patriots or Steelers would draft. Tough and smart.

Next week I’m going to have some fun and include some trades in my mock. I’m going to have three trades in the top ten and one will include the Browns. There’s a great article on the Orange and Brown Report (@TheOBR) written by Jared Mueller (@JaredKMueller) in which he discusses potential trade downs for the Browns from pick number 10. It’s called “NFL Draft: Trade Down Values of Pick 10.” He discusses the potential trade downs for the Browns all the way down to pick 23. He also includes the draft pick compensation for the tenth pick using the Jimmy Johnson value chart, but also provides the Harvard Sports Analysis Collective chart. You can find this article in the Team News section in the middle of the page and is dated April 5th. You don’t have to be a premium member to read it, but I always encourage everyone to sign up for the premium membership. Believe me the price is worth it this time of year.

I know you’re tired of re-watching past Browns wins on NFL Gamepass, mainly because there weren’t that many wins, but you have the exciting new uniform unveil next week and then the draft the week after that. I hope everyone stays safe, stays at home, supports your locally owned businesses and as always WASH YOUR HANDS. Go Browns.

Before I post my first mock draft of the season, let’s look at the latest free agent signed by the Browns, DE Adrian Clayborn. This addition is much like the signing of DT Andrew Billings , a very under the radar signing. Clayborn, a former first round pick by Tampa, is 31 and a 10 year veteran. Here’s what Pro Football Focus had to say about Clayborn, “(Clayborn) only had four sacks on the season, but very few edge rushers won a higher rate of their pass-rushing snaps. The top-five edge defenders with 200 or more pass-rushing snaps in pass-rush win rate were J.J. Watt (25.3%), Myles Garrett (25.0%), Joey Bosa (22.9%), Za’Darius Smith (21.2%) and Clayborn (21.1%).” He’s veteran depth, who brings Super Bowl experience to the locker room. He’ll back up Myles Garrett at right DE or could play DE if the Browns move Garrett inside on certain downs. No he’s not the replacement for Olivier Vernon. I have the feeling that Vernon is staying and at his current salary. A healthy Vernon in the last year of his contract, will be a very motivated player. The remaining top edge rush free agents are, Jedeveon Clowney, Everson Griffen and Vinny Curry. Clowney has dropped is salary demands, but word is it’s the length of contract and the incentives that are turning teams off. I have a feeling Griffen is waiting to see what Clowney gets in the way of a contract and the signing of Clayborn takes Curry off the board for the Browns. So lets get to mock draft 1.0.

#10 Andrew Thomas, LT, Georgia. “He aligns at LT for the Georgia spread offense. He is a good proactive athlete for the position that can get out of his stance and “reach block” a 7 technique if necessary.  Shows good initial quickness out of his stance and can easily get to cut off on run plays. His tenacity and inline power allows him to get very good vertical movement in the run game. He displays a physical block temperament on double teams and good athleticism to engage LBs at the second level. He displays a very good short set anchor from a 2 point stance, while still doing a very good job maintaining the width of the pocket. He’s physical and strong at the point of attack. Excellent job at getting his second step in the ground in his set. Plays with sufficient length on the perimeter. He also plays with good balance and is rarely on the ground. True positional flexibility and has the skill set to play OG or RT.”(TheDraftNetwork.com).

#41 Raekwon Davis, IDL, Alabama. “All the power and length you can want in a defensive linemen. Frame is engineered for trench play in the NFL. When his hips are leveraged, his anchor is tough to compromise. Plays with surprisingly good leverage for his body composition and fluidity. Illustrates good movement skills in all directions although I wouldn’t call him explosive. Incredible wingspan leads to a massive tackle radius and he frequently finishes through contact and outside his frame. Skill set translates well to defending multiple gaps against the run as a 5-tech. Delivers knockout punches with the pop in his hands.” (TheDraftNetwork.com)

#74 Ashtyn Davis, S, Cal. “Late-comer to the game who has rare physical gifts that can’t be taught but can be capitalized on. His instincts are just average right now, but he appears to have decent recognition skills. He just needs to trust what he sees. Learning to play under control in coverage and as a tackler will be the difference between being considered a good football player instead of an explosive athlete. The elite traits should get him drafted inside the first two days, but there are some boom/bust elements to his game right now. He should become a future starter at safety, but his size, length and speed could create interest in him as a potential cornerback conversion.” (NFL.com)

#97 Akeem Davis-Gaither, LB, Appalachian State. “He’s a very reactive linebacker with the size, quickness, and athleticism that fits the bill for today’s NFL linebacker. Miss out on Isaiah Simmons? ADG is the guy to draft. He seeks contact any chance he gets, despite his size and frame concerns. ADG also possess great range for the LB position and can be someone that can make an immediate impact from Day 1 as a WILL linebacker.” (Jared Feinberg).

# 115 K.J. Hill, WR, The Ohio State. “Silky smooth and slippery player. Does very well to pressure off-coverage with vertical stem and force defenders to declare a leverage so he can work against it. Quick to turn his head to the quarterback and present a viable target with the intelligence and awareness to sit against zone coverage and work as a checkdown option. A nifty runner with good body control and foot speed to make the first defender miss in space, but isn’t overly flashy and risk-prone, which leads to mostly positive yardage.” (TheDraftNetwork.com).

#187 D.J. Wonnum, Edge, South Carolina.

“When he’s been on the field, Wonnum has been productive. Wonnum played in every single game as a true freshman, and the following year he recorded 13.5 tackles for loss and six sacks as a sophomore in 2017. He was also named a team captain as just a true sophomore.

A relentless worker along the defensive line. Powerful player who keeps his hands and arms active at all times, making it very difficult for offensive linemen to keep him locked up. Generally plays with good leverage, and generates a good flow of power out of his stance to push the pocket. Wins more off effort than pass rush moves, but the effort is impressive. Has the arm length to really work some rush moves, if established.” (TheDraftNetwork.com)

# 244 Grayland Arnold, CB, Baylor. “Arnold (5’10/190) is coming off of a junior season in which he earned second team all-Big 12 honors, as he intercepted six passes and tallied 40 total tackles. The big play ability is certainly there, as he is also capable of contributing on special teams as a punt returner. But Arnold does come with durability concerns, as he reached double figures in games played just once during his Baylor career (13 games in 2019). Staying healthy and tackling are two areas in which Arnold will need to make strides if he’s to have a good NFL career.” (Lance Zierlein, NFL.com draft analyst).

As you notice, I have not included any trades, I’ll save that aspect as we get closer to the draft. Speaking of trades, I believe the Trent Williams trade could go down on draft day. Because the tackle position is deep and talented in this years draft, Williams might be a fall back for teams who don’t get the tackle of their dreams. The team to watch for a possible OT trade up or trade for Williams is Tampa. Because Tampa signed the 105 year old Tom Brady, they have to protect him. I could see them trading up to get a tackle. Other teams ahead of the Browns in need of a tackle are the Giants and the Cardinals. If Tampa wants a certain tackle, they could make the move. The Browns could also trade for Williams on draft day. If the OT they want isn’t on the board, they could pull a draft day trade, trade down from #10 and still get their future tackle later. Just remember, the draft is only three weeks away.

Some future dates to remember. The season premier of YouTube’s “Building The Browns” is this Sunday, April 5th at 11:00 am Eastern. I hear they have a brand new starting cast. Also, before April 9th, the NFL is going to release the schedule. I..Can’t..Wait. I love the schedule release. Hopefully the opener will be winnable, so the Browns can be 2-19-1 in openers. And finally, for those who are interested, the new Browns uniforms will probably be released around April 14th. Personally, I could care less, but right now Browns twitter is arguing over whether the Brownie Elf should be anywhere on the new uniforms. Just remember, art modell hated the Elf, that’s why I’ll always love that little guy. Everyone stay safe, stay at home, if you do go out wear a mask, wash your hands and DON’T TOUCH YOUR FACE. Go Browns.