Author: admin

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.

No big splash signings in week two of free agency, but Andrew Berry has still gotten some things done. All the new Browns free agents have passed their physicals and have officially signed and the Browns added a back up center. Evan Brown who originally signed as an UDFA with the Giants in 2018 and played for the Dolphins in 2019 will back up J.C. Tretter. And speaking of the offensive line, tackle Chris Hubbard restructured his contract to stay with the Browns. Field Yates @FieldYates reported the details as: $1M signing bonus, $1M of a $2.15M base salary gtd, with max cash value of $5M in 2020. If Hubbard plays 90% of the snaps in 2020, he can void the 2021 year. I’m not sure how much this saves on the Browns salary cap, but I have heard it’s about 4 million. So that would put the Browns at around 52 million, the most in the NFL. Now what are the Browns and Andrew Berry going to do with all this money? A possible big name signing (Clowney or Griffen)? Probably neither, if both players don’t lower their salary demands. Could the Browns be thinking about signing Jason Peters or trading for Trent Williams? Probably not again. After William’s agent issued a statement about how Washington is not acting in good faith on a trade, It looks like Washington might not be able to pull off a trade. Why would any team trade for Williams if they know Washington might be forced to release him. Still I wouldn’t give more than the Browns second 3rd round pick, #97, for Williams. Also, if there are no OTA’s and the season starts at training camp, it would make sense to have an experienced left tackle who OL coach Bill Callahan is familiar with on the team.

Why would I want the Browns to trade for a 32 year old left tackle who didn’t play last year? First of all, a healthy Trent Williams is the best in the game. By not playing in 2019, he has one year less wear and tear on his 32 year old body. Also, signing Williams to a two year deal, would give the Browns more draft flexibility. Maybe they could move down a little bit and pick up an extra 2nd or 3rd round pick. As I’ve said before, this is a very deep tackle draft and their future tackle could be drafted in the 2nd or 3rd round. Again, if Trent Williams is healthy and would sign a reasonable deal (right now he’s due to make 12.5 million in 2020) then I say sign him and the Browns have one of the best OL in the NFL, top to bottom. As for Clowney and Griffen, both are seeking large quantities of cash and long term deals. I guess the Browns are trying to decide if they want to keep Olivier Vernon. Hopefully Vernon will do the same as Hubbard, restructure, and go with roster certainty and the Browns can move on. I still think Andrew Berry would like to add depth at the DE and LB position. LB Nigel Bradham would be a great addition. He’s had over 90 starts and can play both inside and outside linebacker positions. As for the rush position, Vinny Curry is still available, as is Kamalei Correa. Correa came on strong for the Titans as the year progressed and will turn 26 in April. I haven’t heard his name associated with the Browns yet, but I’m sure it’s only a matter of time.

So what about Rashard Higgins? Have you noticed not many free agent WR have signed? Higgins and the Browns are still in touch with each other, but it’s up to Higgins to decide if he wants to come back to the Browns. If not, then draft a WR and move on. Stefanski’s offense doesn’t use a lot of three WR sets and usually the third WR is a tight end. Don’t get me wrong, after watching games from 2018, Higgins made some great catches and his chemistry with Mayfield shows in every game, but after the way 2019 went down, he might want to move on to greener pastures. Speaking of the draft, if the Browns stay at 10, take the best tackle available. In the past, I’ve been really high on Iowa’s Tristan Wirfs, but now I’m leaning more to Georgia’s Andrew Thomas. One year starter at RT and two year starter at LT. He’s a plug and play guy. After the first round, I’d go safety in the second round, either Antoine Winfield of Minnesota or Kyle Dugger of Lenoir-Rhyne. If the Browns want to go LB in the second, then Kenneth Murray of Oklahoma would be a nice pick and then they could get a safety with their first 3rd round pick, someone like Jeremy Chinn of Southern Illinois or Ashtyn Davis of Cal. If the Browns want to go LB in the 3rd round, I wouldn’t object to Willie Gay Jr. of Mississippi State. Hopefully as free agency starts to slow down, I’ll start paying more attention to the draft, which is going to be held on time April 23-25. Even during a worldwide pandemic, the NFL knows who owns the room. I’m not going to criticize the NFL for keeping to their schedule, mainly because I think Roger Goodell will have me shot. But man, with no other sports happening, the NFL draft is going to have it’s best ratings ever.

So that’s it for this week. Next week I’m going to do my first mock draft, so everyone get their criticism ready. I’m going to keep it simple, no trades yet, because I’m not that kind of mock draft guy. I know every Browns fan wants more draft picks, god how we love our draft picks, but seven picks is fine by me. I think if a Browns fan saw someone drowning in a river and had to give up a draft pick to save them, they would look in the river and say “not worth it.” As a late friend Mikey, a fellow Browns fan and draft fanatic would say, “Steve, (and the Steve would have like five syllables) the NFL draft is everything.” You’re right Mikey, and I’m really looking forward to this one. Go Browns.

After a very productive first week of free agency, this Browns fan is feeling pretty good. If you’re a Browns fan, I know what you’re going to say next, “we drank that kool aid last year and did you see what we ended up with?” This is different. First of all, the front office is consulting the coaching staff on free agency signings. Do you think John Dorsey did that? Well, I wouldn’t have consulted with anyone on Freddie Kitchens staff, except maybe ST coach Mike Priefer. Second, Andrew Berry is being very smart in these signings. When the legal tampering period started on Monday, Browns twitter was really starting to panic. Then after an hour, the news came about TE Austin Hooper, the best free agent TE in this years crop had agreed to sign with the Browns. As you know, Hooper has been on my wish list for quite a while. Last year the Vikings offense under Kevin Stefanski ran a two TE offense over 57% of the time, most in the NFL. Imagine Hooper and Njoku as the two tight ends in the new wide zone offense.

After securing Hooper, Berry pulled off what I thought was impossible, signing the best OT in free agency, Jack Conklin. I never saw this one coming, even after the experts were saying it was between Cleveland and the Jets. Come to find out, Conklin wanted to sign with Cleveland all along. Then shortly after, the Browns got their experienced back up QB in Case Keenum. Not only does Keenum add experience in the QB room, but he also knows Stefanski’s offense well enough to win as the QB. So after day one, everyone was saying, the Browns have spent a lot of cap money on three guys and that will pretty much do it for signings. Not so fast my friend. All these contracts are back loaded. So, using Conklin as an example, minus his signing bonus which doesn’t count against the cap, the Browns are paying him 8 million for 2020, 13 million for 2021 and 14 million for 2022. Not bad right? They also used something called “cash flow” for cap savings. Now as an accountant, my next quest will be to figure out what the hell cash flow is and I will, because now I’m intrigued.

On day two, the front office played it safe and let the other teams over spend on free agents. The only move the Browns made was to trade with Denver for FB Andy Janovich. A fullback, a real fullback, the fifth best fullback according to Pro Football Focus. And it only cost a 2021 seventh round draft pick. Nothing gets Browns fans more excited, besides winning, than a fullback. Janovich can run block, pass block, catch passes and is a great special team player. Be still my beating heart. After this move the excitement on Browns twitter calmed down when everyone noticed no defensive players had been signed. “How about a safety or a linebacker?” Browns twitter asked. After day two, Berry again did the smart thing, signed a bunch of players to one year prove it deals. This included LB B.J. Goodson, S Karl Joseph, DT Andrew Billings, PR-WR JoJo Natson, CB Kevin Johnson, S Andrew Sendejo and CB Donovan Olumba.

Joseph and Johnson are former 1st round draft picks. Joseph is an in the box safety and Johnson will probably be the Browns new slot DB. Goodson, while not playing the pass very well, graded better than Schobert against the run. The signing of Andrew Billings really surprised me, this guy will put a ton of pressure on Larry Ogunjobi for playing time. He’s that good. Sendejo is a veteran safety who is like a quarterback for the defense and he’s very familiar with Joe Woods defense. Olumba is a special teamer, but he is a tall corner, 6-2, 200 lbs, and DC Joe Woods likes tall corners. And last but not least, a return guy, JoJo Natson. OMG a real kick returner. Mike Priefer took the Browns special teams from 24th in the league to 14th with two rookie kickers and no return specialist. After fullbacks, the second position that makes Browns fans happy, are kick returners. From Dino Hall and Mike Wright to Gerald McNeil to Eric Metcalf to Josh Cribbs to Travis Benjamin, return guys hold a special place in Browns fans hearts.

So what’s next? Well because the Browns have been very smart with these contracts they are tied with the Texans for the most cap space at 40 million. They could still use a pass rusher and the Vikings Everson Griffen is available, however he’ll likely cost some cash and he’s 32 years old. Some have suggested signing Jadeveon Clowney. Although it sounds great, that would require the release of Olivier Vernon and his 15.5 million dollar contract. Personally I think Clowney, who wants 20 million per year, will want to resign with Seattle. However, now I’m hearing Seattle has only offered a little over 13 million. I like Vernon, but if the Browns could get Clowney for around 14 million, I would gladly cut Vernon and sign Clowney. If the Browns don’t sign Clowney, the best pass rusher available is Markus Golden. He’s the 65th best free agent, but the third best pass rusher. I’d also like to see the Browns sign another LB and they have been connected to the Eagles LB Nigel Bradham. As for the defensive line and safety position, DT Shelby Harris and Derek Wolfe are still available as are safety’s Clayton Geathers and Tony Jefferson. I think the Anthony Harris trade has left the port and sailed on to another destination. Finally, Rashard Higgins can still return to the Browns, ball is in his court.

I think the Browns have one more splash signing in them, if both sides agree. It’s like your first prom date, it will happen if someone says yes. If not, they can use the cap space to fill in depth and wait for the draft. Speaking of the draft, here’s a crazy idea, sign Jason Peters to a two year contract to play left tackle and draft BPA with the tenth pick. Or trade down a little and pick up some draft capital. The Browns can still get a developmental tackle in the third round and would have some draft flexibility. Just a thought. I wish I could say staying at home has made me a little giddy, however like I said, I’m a self employed accountant and I still have to go to my office everyday. Oh don’t worry, I practice social distancing, mainly because I’ve been doing it for decades. In the immortal words of Frank Costanza, “I gotta a lot of problems with you people.” Just kidding, I hope everyone stays safe. Enjoy week two of free agency (it’s only been one week?) and Go Browns.

Amid all the sporting events that are being cancelled or postponed due to the COVID 19 pandemic, the NFL forges on, or it seems. Word is the NFL is waiting for the final CBA vote to decide if the beginning of the NFL league year will be pushed back. Since my last blog there have been changes in some deadline dates. The deadline for the players vote on the CBA was pushed back to Saturday March 14 at midnight eastern time. The legal tampering period still starts on Monday March 16 at noon eastern time, and the deadline to tag players is now also March 16 at midnight eastern time. The league year will still start on Wednesday 18 at 4:00 pm eastern time. I still think the CBA will pass, but like I said last week barely. I like the sound of labor peace for ten years.

So, if you’re a fan of the NFL off season and all Browns fans are, then all day Sunday and Monday morning will be rumor heaven. It will be fast and furious. Make sure you’re following the right people on twitter and watch out for fake accounts. Look for the blue check mark. I’ll be retweeting any news I hear from my twitter account @ctownthug. Since my last blog the news broke that Christian Kirksey was released. This, with the Schobert release, creates a major hole at linebacker. I hope the Browns are talking to some free agent linebackers, because now that position becomes another need, whether it be in free agency or the draft. I have a feeling they’re talking to a lot of linebackers. The last two players to watch for release are Olivier Vernon and Chris Hubbard. As for Hubbard, he might be a trade candidate. He has two years left on his contract at a very friendly price tag and the free agent tackle market after Jack Conklin is very weak. I’d take a fifth for him in a heartbeat. Remember Andrew Berry worked for a front office that once traded a punter for a fourth round pick.

As for Vernon, his release would create another large hole on the roster, but at 15.5 million that’s too much to pay. The Browns have been connected to Atlanta’s Vic Beasley and the Bills are not picking up the option for Shaq Lawson. The Browns could get both Beasley and Lawson for around 15.5 million. I still think the Browns will go big on one free agent, either in the secondary of the offensive line. The Kirksey release increased the Browns cap to around 66 million, so Vernon’s release would push the Browns cap to over 81.5 million. If the CBA passes, then more money will be added to the cap. As for trades, there maybe more than Browns fans expect. John Dorsey built the current roster using the trade route and I think that’s a real possibility. No, OBJ will not be traded, unless some team makes an offer the Browns can’t turn down.

As of Friday, players are being tagged, resigned or released. The Bears resigned LB Danny Trevathan, leaving fellow Bears LB Nick Kwiatkoski as a possible target. Today the Vikings released DT Linval Joseph and CB Xavier Rhodes. Joseph would be a great addition to the Browns DL. As Friday and Saturday roll on, more of these transactions will occur as teams attempt to get below the cap. This kind of tells me the NFL thinks the CBA will pass and the league year will start on time. Lets face facts, the NFL is the 900 lb. gorilla in the sports room, so they do as they please when it comes to a pandemic. Don’t get me wrong, I applaud the other major professional sports league suspending their seasons, better safe than sorry. But the perimeters for most deals were worked out at the combine and even though team facilities will not be preforming player physicals, they can still be done elsewhere. If a team wants to fly in a big name free agent, I think the owners jet will be available. Keep in mind,the Browns coaches will want to sign players they are familiar with.

As sports fans start to have withdrawals for any athletic event, the NFL can provide a needed distraction for the reality of the current COVID 19 pandemic. As Mike Polk Jr. said in his “factory of sadness” video, “I know there are more important things in life than football, but you’re supposed to be our pleasant distraction from those things.” Even though large amounts of money are going to be talked about during a time when the majority of Americans are really worried about the economy, a little distraction would be nice. So remember, wash your hands, use hand sanitizer and don’t touch your face. Man, all this talk about not touching your face has really made me hot for my face. But anyway, on to the NFL off season and Go Browns.

Lets start with the CBA. The players are currently voting and the deadline to turn in their ballots is Thursday March 12, four days before the legal tampering period in free agency. If it passes, that’s going to be a crazy four days. Last week I was pretty confident it would pass. Extra roster spots, extra game check and extra revenues seemed to be in the owners favor for passage. Add to that, a more lenient drug testing policy. Players will no longer be tested for THC. I think I see comebacks by Josh Gordon and Antonio Callaway in the future. But after seeing the money being thrown around by the networks for broadcasters Tony Romo and Peyton Manning, the players might want to ask for more. I still think it will pass, barely, and the NFL can avoid a work stoppage in 2021.

This weeks Browns news has been hectic on social media and Cleveland sports talk radio. Other markets, like Nashville, are currently playing the “where will Tom Brady land” game. Every NFL discussion on ESPN and the NFL network starts and ends with Brady. Let my networks go. In Cleveland it starts with the decision to let Joe Schobert and Rashard Higgins test free agency. On Schobert, apparently the Browns are going to stress that the defensive line and secondary are more important financially. So paying a pretty good linebacker 10 million is not in their plans. According to the website Overthecap.com the Browns have over 46 million invested in their defensive line, 12.5 invested in their linebackers and over 21 million invested in their secondary for 2020. The defensive line figure includes Olivier Vernon’s 15.5 million and Sheldon Richardson’s 12.5 million. Some Browns fans have suggested signing Cory Littleton to replace Schobert. Littleton is going to demand around 14 million, so that’s not going to happen. Free agents linebackers who might interest the Browns include the Packers Blake Martinez or the Bears Danny Trevathan. As for the draft, Oklahoma’s Kenneth Murray could be there in the second round. But the draft depends on what the Browns do in free agency.

As for Higgins, I just don’t see the Browns resigning him. As I said last week, this draft is loaded with talent at the wide receiver position. Currently the Browns have 31.5 million invested in the wide receiver group. So a draft pick on a late round salary makes more sense. Actually, Kevin Stefanski’s offense is more tight end heavy in the passing game then the wide receivers and currently the Browns have only 3.6 million invested in the TE position. After Beckham and Landry, you really just need someone who can catch about 30 to 40 passes per year. Plus the Browns have Chubb and Hunt who can catch out of the backfield. If the Browns want to go the free agency route at TE, I could see them pursuing Atlanta’s Austin Hooper.

I really think the Browns will spend heavily in the secondary and the offensive line. Of the 21.5 million invested in the secondary for 2020, 6.6 million is invested in the cornerbacks. A safety is still needed and the obvious free agent is the Vikings Anthony Harris. He might be too expensive, but would be worth the big money. Other Viking’s safeties that might interest the Browns are Jayron Kearse and Andrew Sendejo. As for the offensive line, the big news this week concerning the Browns are the two experienced tackles hitting the market. The Eagles Jason Peters and our old friend, Washington’s Trent Williams. Peters was told he could test free agency and Williams was told he could seek a trade. Both are old, Williams 32 and Peters 38. Both have an injury history, Williams hasn’t played in over a year. But both when healthy are far superior to what the Browns have now. If I had a choice, I’d sign Peters. It wouldn’t cost a draft pick (and you know how Browns fans love their draft picks) and would be cheaper than Williams. Currently he is set to make 12.5 million in 2020, so not only are you giving up a pick, but you would have to redo his contract. I’m still drafting a tackle with the first pick and maybe a third pick as well.

If the Browns don’t go big name signing for the offensive line, which I just can’t see happening, then you’re looking at the Buffalo model that I mentioned last week. Sign a bunch of second and third tier guys, draft a couple of tackles and get the right combo. I still think the Eagle’s Halapoulivaati Vaitai is worth looking at, as is the Packers Bryan Bulaga. By the way, in future blogs I’ll be referring to Vaitai as Big V, because I’m really tired of writing out his full name. I want the Browns to sign him just because I want every radio and television guy to struggle with his name. Kind of like former Browns defensive lineman Pio Sagapolutele. So no Jack Conklin, which is fine by me, too much money. As of right now the Browns have 62 million in cap space. I’m trying to find out if the 30 million of carryover from 2019 is included in that or can be added after the league year starts on March 18. If you’re wondering why I’m listing the investments in each position group, it’s because no team wants too much invested in one group. That includes the Browns.

So as all Browns fans await the beginning of the new league year, we can ponder the questions of NFL life and twitter. Where will Tom Brady play? (really don’t care). Will the Browns give up a first round pick to trade for Trent Williams? (oh. hell. no.). Can the Browns somehow magically get Isaiah Simmons and still get two tackles in the draft? ( what are you smoking?). I wonder what the new uniforms are going to look like? ( leave, right now, get out). All I can say is Browns twitter is very entertaining and loaded with future NFL GM’s. Okay, definitely entertaining, no on the GM’s. Just remember, if the CBA passes, all hell is going to break loose in the rumor department. And we’ll finally find out the next home of Tom Brady. Go Browns.

While everyone drools over the performances of this year’s crop of offensive tackles at the combine, lets discuss the new CBA and how it effects the Browns in free agency. First of all, what got the most attention about the new CBA, was the 17 game season and the new playoff system. The owners probably wanted it that way. And while the players are against an extra game, they will receive a larger percent of the revenues and a extra game check. What didn’t get the attention, was how the new CBA affects the salary cap and the franchise and transition tags per team. On Monday March 2, the players will receive their ballots to vote on the new CBA. It should pass considering the league will be adding more players, increased minimum salaries and the fact that over 60% of the players are making below the league average in salary. The 2020 salary cap per team should be between 200 and 204 million if the CBA is approved. Now here’s the fun part, the 2021 salary cap will drastically increase to over 240 million and in three years could be at 300 million. That’s a lot of dead presidents.

Because of the wait for the passage of the CBA, the reps for free agent players are reluctant to discuss any future contracts. That’s why Browns fans haven’t heard any rumors about signing Joe Schobert or Rashard Higgins. If the CBA passes, the money for players in the future years, year two and beyond, will be greater. By the way, it appears Higgins really wants to play for the Browns next year, but it will depend on the money. Unfortunately for Higgins, this year’s wide receiver draft is deep, but more about that later. As for Schobert, Saturday night it was reported that the Browns were going to let him test free agency. Say it ain’t so Joe. It appears the Browns don’t want to pay Schobert the 10+ million his agent is asking for. Likely landing spots for Schobert are Denver or Green Bay. It seems the Browns are going to keep LB Christian Kirksey, but that could change as well. I really am having a hard time figuring this out, if the CBA passes the teams can overpay players this year, because in future years the contracts will look cheap as the cap grows. I’m still hearing the Browns will be active and aggressive in free agency, so we’ll see.

Last week I was excited with the prospect of the Browns signing Titans RT Jack Conklin. I figured it would take 15 to possibly 16 million. This week I find out the Jets are thinking about offering Conklin 18.5 to 19 million per year. That’s a classic example of over payment. Let’s stay with the Titans as an example of the franchise and transition tags. There has been a lot of talk here in Nashville of the Titans using both tags on Ryan Tannyhill and Conklin. One gets the franchise tag and the other gets the transition tag. This would allow the team to hold both players while they work out a deal with Derek Henry, because he’s their number one priority. The old CBA allows the use of both tags in a year. Sounds good right. Well the new CBA only allows the use of one tag per team. The teams can’t use both the franchise tag and the transition tag. So until the CBA passage is decided, teams are at a standstill to tag players.

So as you can see, the price for RT Jack Conklin is way too much, but I still think the Browns can sign a tackle in free agency. The second tier of tackles could include the Eagles Halapoulivaati Vaitai, the Vikings Rashod Hill, the Seahawks Germain Ifedi or Tampa’s Jerald Hawkins. I know these aren’t the biggest names, but they are all young and might be able to fit the new offensive system. Last off season, Buffalo’s offensive line was so bad they signed five second tier linemen and drafted a tackle in the second round. They found the right combo and that allowed the team to trade players for future assets. That’s how the Browns acquired G Wyatt Teller. So no big money spent on a free agent tackle. What are the Browns going to over spend on? Try the secondary. As I mentioned in last weeks blog the Browns have been in contact with the agents for both Denver’s Chris Harris and the Vikings Anthony Harris. Both remain interested, however the agents are waiting for the new CBA. I would over pay for both. Slot corner and free safety are important needs for the Browns.

The Combine. As I mentioned earlier, the deepest position in this draft is wide receiver. A team could draft a WR in the sixth round and still get a verified starter. The talent at this position is so deep. Rashard Higgins better not ask for too much money, he can be replaced by a player who is just as talented. Now lets look at the rookie tackles. Wow what a day at the combine on Friday. All of the big names, Wirfs, Thomas, Wills, Becton and Jones graded incredibly well. Not only did the big names do well, so did some lesser names. Boise State’s Ezra Cleveland, Fresno State’s Netane Muti, Kansas’s Hakeem Adeniji, USC’s Austin Jackson, TCU’s Lucas Niang and UConn’s Matthew Peart. For once the draft is playing into the Browns biggest need. They could take a tackle at pick 10 and still get another tackle in the third round. The Browns could trade down a little and still get a starting tackle. If a certain beast of a player (Simmons) somehow dropped to the tenth pick, the Browns could select that player and still get a starter at tackle in the second round. Not even the Browns could screw this one up right? Right? Okay, they could still screw it up, but the possibilities of them doing that are slim. Right?

Draft Buzz. It’s a forgone conclusion that Cincinnati will take Joe Burrow with the first pick. The Bengals have to negotiate a new stadium lease with the city, so they need a big name to sell tickets. After that it’s starting to get tricky. Washington is letting it be known they might want to take a quarterback at pick number two. Or they might want teams like Miami to think they like QB Tua Tagovailoa to force a trade up. If a QB is taken at two, then teams who are quarterback needy, like the Chargers or the Raiders or the Colts, might get a little antsy. After Tua, the next highest rated QB’s are Oregon’s Justin Herbert and Utah State’s Jordan Love. Love is starting to garner first round buzz because of his big arm. He’s not very accurate, but still has a strong passing arm. Think of Derick Anderson. At pick three, the Lions have to either make the right pick or get the the trade of a lifetime. Their coaching staff is on a short leash this year. At the fourth pick I think the Giants will take the first tackle off the board and I’m hearing they love Tristan Wirfs. His combine numbers will only solidify their feelings.

So, basically, if you’re a Browns fan, four quarterbacks taken in the top nine would be a dream situation. After the Giants, I really don’t see another team taking a tackle in the top nine. Maybe Arizona at eight, but they just signed their LT D.J. Humphries to a three year 45 million dollar contract. So if they take a tackle, it would be a right tackle, possibly Bama’s Jedrick Wills. That would leave the Browns with the choice of Becton, Thomas, Jones or Johnson. Nice choices. As for possible free agents, Atlanta announced they would not be signing TE Austin Hopper. He would make a great target for Mayfield, but I’m not sure the Browns are going to over spend on the TE position. At the cornerback position, besides Chris Harris, the Saints Eli Apple is available and at safety, besides Anthony Harris, there’s Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and Tre Boston. I think the Browns will spend big for the secondary, but they still need defensive linemen so Pittsburgh’s Javon Hargrave and the Cowboys Maliek Collins are nice DL depth.

So in summary, if the CBA passes, you’re going to see big name players wait till next year to sign extensions. Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes comes to mind. Why sign this year when there’ll be more cap money next year. The Browns are going to let LB Joe Schobert go in free agency. You have to wonder why two different front offices, John Dorsey and Andrew Berry, didn’t want to sign Schobert. Very curious. So far Browns fans are bashing Berry and DePodesta for the decision to let Schobert walk. I’m going to maintain my wait and see attitude. Browns fans are stilling waiting to see if Olivier Vernon and Chris Hubbard will be cut. If they were, that would add 20 million to the Browns cap money. The Browns will be active and aggressive, but not with big name splashy free agents. I personally think they’ll spend big money on the secondary, safety and cornerback. All this will lead to more twitter meltdowns by Browns fans. Man, the next two weeks are going to be fun. My advise would be to watch how the Browns spend their cap money, not on the individual players, but on the position groups. Remember the legal tampering period starts on March 16 and free agency starts on March 18. The illegal tampering period will begin in full swing when the CBA passes. Have fun and Go Browns.