Cleveland Browns 2012 First Round Picks

The Cleveland Browns selected RB Trent Richardson at pick #3 and QB Brandon Weeden with their pick at #22. Here are two videos with some highlights of those two players:

Cleveland Browns Draft Picks Greg Little and Owen Marecic

When the Browns traded down with the Atlanta Falcons so that they could draft WR Julio Jones the Browns received Atlanta's 2nd and 4th round picks (amongst others). With those picks the Browns selected WR Greg Little from UNC and FB/LB Owen Marecic from Stanford.

Cleveland Browns Draft Pick Phil Taylor Feature

Last night was the first round of the NFL Draft. The Cleveland Browns had the sixth pick and many thought they may draft WR Julio Jones or DE Robert Quinn. Instead the Browns traded down, acquired 5 picks for that 6th pick and drafted DT Phil Taylor at pick #21. The Browns now have two picks in the 2nd round and have the opportunity to fill some of the many holes that they have.

Drew Pomeranz, LHP

Last night was the MLB Draft and with the 5th pick the Cleveland Indians selected Ole Miss LHP Drew Pomeranz. Here is a video from before a game against the Arkansas Razorbacks where Drew Pomeranz was going up against Drew Smyly.

Things To Watch in Tonight's NFL Draft

The 2010 NFL Draft begins tonight and continues on Friday & Saturday. Here are a few things that I'm looking forward to in this draft.

1. The Browns have 5 of the first 92 picks in the draft. Who will Mike Holmgren & Tom Heckert go after? Will they be involved in Draft Day Trades?
2. What will New England do with their 3 picks in the 2nd round?
3. Will any "big name" player get traded?
4. Who will be the 3rd Quarterback drafted?
5. Carolina & Chicago have no first round picks, What, if anything, will they be able to do?
6. Who will draft Tim Tebow?
7. Who will draft Legarrette Blount?
8. Who will draft Myron Rolle?
9. Who will draft Stafon Johnson?

Now here are some players who are projected to be late round picks who can make big impacts with whatever team drafts them.

1. Mike Kafka, QB, Northwestern
2. Andre Roberts, WR, Citadel
3. Javier Arenas, CB, Alabama
4. Monterio Hardesty, RB, Tennessee
5. Arthur Moats, LB, James Madison
6. Jimmy Graham, TE, Miami
7. Jermaine Cunningham, DE, Florida
8. Cody Grimm (Son of former NFLer Russ Grimm), S, Virginia Tech

New York Jets Draft Blunders

2010 NFL Mock Draft

This year the NFL Draft starts on Thursday night April 22nd. Here is how I see the first round playing out. Of course there are no guarantees, but that's the fun of doing these things.

1. St. Louis: Sam Bradford, QB, Oklahoma - St. Louis has passed on other young quarterbacks in the past couple drafts and there is no way that they can pass on Bradford.
2. Detroit: Ndamukong Suh, DT, Nebraska - Suh is possibly the best player in this draft. There is a possibility they take an Offensive Tackle like Okung or Trent Williams and move Jeff Backus to Guard.
3. Tampa Bay: Gerald McCoy, DT, Oklahoma - Tampa Bay was a good team in the late '90s and it started with the 1995 Draft when Tampa Bay drafted a DT named Warren Sapp. Tampa hopes that McCoy can be their new Sapp.
4. Washington: Russell Okung, OT, Oklahoma State - The Redskins no longer need a QB after trading for Donovan McNabb. So they will probably use this pick to help their Offensive Line and Okung is the best OL in this draft.
5. Kansas City: Eric Berry, S, Tennessee - Kansas City gets a play-maker in the secondary which will make new Defensive Coordinator Romeo Crennel very happy.
6. Seattle: Trent Williams, OT, Oklahoma - New Coach Pete Carroll has two 1st round picks and can go in many different directions. Williams will bring youth and athleticism to the O-Line.
7. Cleveland: Earl Thomas, S/CB, Texas - The big question is "What will Holmgren do in this draft?" Thomas will fit a big need for the Browns. Others who can go right here include: Jimmy Clausen, C.J. Spiller, Joe Haden, Dan Williams or Dez Bryant.
8. Oakland: Bruce Campbell, OT, Maryland - Oakland has a tendency to reach on early picks and Campbell is definitely a reach at #8.
9. Buffalo: Jimmy Clausen, QB, Notre Dame - The Bills may take an Offensive Tackle with this pick but they need a new "face of the franchise". Also Clausen, who went to Notre Dame, played in a Pro-Style Offense.
10. Jacksonville: Jason Pierre-Paul, DE, South Florida - Teamed up with newly acquired Aaron Kampman will definitely help Jacksonville's pass rush.
11. Denver: Derrick Morgan, DE, Georgia Tech - Denver may go after some Offensive fire-power, especially after trading away Brandon Marshall and Tony Scheffler but Morgan will help Denver's defense which had problems holding onto leads late in the season.
12. Miami: Sergio Kindle, DE/OLB, Texas - Kindle will step in for Joey Porter (who left for Arizona) and Jason Taylor (Free Agent) as a pass-rushing OLB in Miami's 3-4 Defense.
13. San Francisco: C.J. Spiller, RB, Clemson - SF has 2 1st round picks and will use their first one to get a play-maker. Spiller can run, catch and be a return man.
14. Seattle: Everson Griffen, DE, USC - Griffen can step in for Patrick Kerney who retired earlier this month. Also Coach Carroll is familiar with Griffen's style of play.
15. New York Giants: Rolando McClain, ILB, Alabama - The Giants will be ecstatic to pick up McClain with the 15th pick.
16. Tennessee: Dan Williams, DT, Tennessee - The Titans need help on the D-Line and they'll go after a in-state talent.
17. San Francisco: Joe Haden, CB, Florida - Nate Clements is getting older and Joe Haden would be a great replacement once he's gone.
18. Pittsburgh: Mike Iupati, G, Idaho - Pittsburgh needs some bulk in the interior and Iupati can be an instant starter.
19. Atlanta: Brandon Graham, DE, Michigan - Atlanta needs a pass-rusher and Graham had a good college career and did great at the Senior Bowl.
20. Houston: Anthony Davis, OT, Rutgers - Houston has gotten to that point where they can draft the best player available instead of filling a specific need. What the Texans really need is for the players that they already have to take the next step.
21. Cincinnati: Jermaine Gresham, TE, Oklahoma - Gresham will supply the Bengals with a play-making TE.
22. New England: Kyle Wilson, CB, Boise State - With the Dolphins getting Brandon Marshall and the Jets getting Santonio Holmes the Patriots will need some extra help in their secondary.
23. Green Bay: Brian Bulaga, OT, Iowa - Chad Clifton and Mark Tauscher are well into their 30's and the rest of the players at that position are weak.
24. Philadelphia: Taylor Mays, S, USC - After losing Brian Dawkins before last season the Eagles need to get a safety and Mays will be their guy.
25. Baltimore: Devin McCourty, CB, Rutgers - Cornerback is a big need position for the Ravens and McCourty can make a big impact.
26. Arizona: Jerry Hughes, OLB, TCU - Arizona's Defense needs a big face-lift. Hughes will help that cause.
27. Dallas: Dez Bryant, WR, Oklahoma State - Bryant is a flashy wide-receiver who can help the Cowboys make it back to the Super Bowl.
28. San Diego: Ryan Mathews, RB, Fresno State - Darren Sproles can't carry the work-load by himself, and Mathews has great vision.
29. New York Jets: Terrence Cody, DT, Alabama - Cody is a proto-typical NT in a 3-4 Defense and Kris Jenkins has had some injury issues.
30. Minnesota: Maurkice Pouncey, C, Florida - Pouncey will bring much needed youth to the Viking's O-Line.
31. Indianapolis: Jared Odrick, DT, Penn State - The Colts need an big defensive lineman to help Freeny and Mathis get to the QB.
32. New Orleans: Sean Weatherspoon, OLB, Missouri - Scott Fujita left to go to the Browns so Weatherspoon can fill in right away.

NFL Draft Losers

Here are some of the losers from this past weekend's NFL Draft:

1. Tennessee Titans - They drafted Michael Griffin from Texas. He's a good player but they needed to give franchise QB Vince Young some weapons on the Offense.
2. Miami Dolphins - Brady Quinn fell into their lap and they decided to draft Ted Ginn Jr. I like Ginn but if you are a team that needs a QB and Brady Quinn falls into your lap you have to take him.
3. The Underclassmen - Many underclassmen enter the draft because they think they will get picked in the first couple of rounds and end up being drafted in the 6th or 7th round (if they're lucky. Many don't even get drafted). If they would have stayed in college for one more year they would get drafted earlier next year. Hopefully other will learn from the mistakes of guys like Notre Dame RB Darius Walker, and stay in school.

NFL Draft Winners

Here are some of the winners of the 2007 NFL Draft:

1. Cleveland Browns - They got Joe Thomas, Brady Quinn, a slew of defensive players who will add much needed depth to the team.
2. New England Patriots - Getting Randy Moss for a 4th round draft pick is highway robbery. They also picked up some good players in the picks that they kept.
3. San Francisco 49ers - They got LB Patrick Willis, OT Joe Staley and WR Jason Hill.

Day 1 of the NFL Draft

Although my "Official Draft Recap" post will not be till next week, I did however want to bask in the glory of the Browns drafting Joe Thomas and Brady Quinn.

ENJOY!!!

NFL Mock Draft

On April 28th & 29th will be the NFL Draft. So here is the first round of the Draft as I see it. I was going to do this later in the month, but after yesterday's trade between Atlanta and Houston, in which they swapped first round picks, I decided to just do it now.

1. Oakland: JaMarcus Russel, QB, LSU - Oakland likes the strong armed QB to turn the Raiders' woes around.
2. Detroit: Joe Thomas, OT, Wisconsin - Although they picked up George Foster from Denver I still think they will take Thomas instead of Brady Quinn because Detroit's Offensive Coordinator is Mike Martz, who has proven in the past that he does not need a top of the line QB to win with (Kurt Warner was an undrafted player who Martz made into a Super Bowl MVP).
3. Cleveland: Brady Quinn, QB, Notre Dame - Firstly, Quinn grew up as a Browns fan and has said he would love to play for them. Secondly, Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis is very close with Browns coach Romeo Crennel, and Weis has told him to trade up to get Quinn. Lastly, the Browns have good receivers, picked up RB Jamal Lewis and OL Eric Steinbach so now they need a big time QB to put in the mix.
4. Tampa Bay: Calvin Johnson, WR, Georgia Tech - Possibly the best player in the Draft, Tampa Bay will be giddy to get Johnson.
5. Arizona: Alan Branch, DT, Michigan - Arizona allowed an average (how is that for alliteration) of 119 yards and a touchdown on the ground per game last year. The running backs in Arizona's division are Shaun Alexander, Frank Gore, Steven Jackson, so Arizona needs to shore up the defense.
6. Washington: Gaines Adams, DE, Clemson - Washington needs a pass rush and adding Adams' 13.5 sacks will help.
7. Minnesota: Ted Ginn Jr., WR, Ohio State - Since Moss and Carter left Minnesota has not had a deep threat. Ginn needs to work on his route running, but he can still make the big play.
8. Atlanta (from Houston): Amobi Okoye, DT, Louisville - He is quick, strong, and gets penetration in the backfield. One other thing to think about is Atlanta's new coach Bobby Petrino used to coach Okoye in Louisville.
9. Miami: Levi Brown, OT, Penn State - Miami needs to address an inadequate offensive line. If they get 36-year old QB Trent Green then they will need someone to protect him.
10. Houston (from Atlanta): Adrian Peterson, RB, Oklahoma - Houston needs a RB. It's just as simple as that.
11. San Francisco: Jamal Anderson, DE, Arkansas - They have signed an elite CB, a couple of solid LBs, but their defense still needs help, and Jamal Anderson is a complete player.
12. Buffalo: Leon Hall, CB, Michigan - Hall can step in for Nate Clements who was lost to San Francisco.
13. St. Louis: LaRon Landry, S, LSU - Some of the leagues best WRs are in their division, so St. Louis could use the help in their secondary.
14. Carolia: Dwayne Jarrett, WR, USC - Keyshawn Johnson hasn't played well, plus he is mulling over the idea of retirement, so Carolina should take Jarrett to team up with Steve Smith.
15. Pittsburgh: Charles Johnson, DE, Georgia - New coach Mike Tomlin is moving to the 4-3, and they could use Johnson's 19 tackles for a loss.
16. Green Bay: Marshawn Lynch, RB, California - The fact that he can catch as well as run makes him a good fit for the Packers.
17. Jacksonville: Reggie Nelson, S, Florida - They are looking for an impact defender in the secondary and Nelson would be a good fit.
18. Cincinnati: Aaron Ross, CB, Texas - The Bengals were vulnerable at corner last year.
19. Tennessee: Dwayne Bowe, WR, LSU - When you have a franchise QB (Vince Young) it makes sense to surround him with playmakers.
20. New York Giants: Lawrence Timmons, LB, Florida State - His production and consistency are what jump out at you about him. Also the Giants have had issues at linebacker in recent years.
21. Denver: Adam Carriker, DE, Nebraska - They need help along the defensive front and Carriker is good against the run and the pass.
22. Dallas: Patrick Willis, ILB, Mississippi - He's a fierce tackler who will add a lot to the middle of the Dallas defense.
23. Kansas City: Sidney Rice, WR, South Carolina - They need a threat outside to help the passing game.
24. New England (from Seattle): Brandon Siler, ILB, Florida - The Patriots picked up OLB Adaulis Thomas in free-agency, but their inside linebackers, Teddy Bruschi and Mike Vrabel are getting older, so it's time to draft a young guy.
25. New York Jets: Greg Olsen, TE, Miami (FL) - They have gotten little from the tight end position in the passing game and Olsen can change that.
26. Philadelphia: Michael Griffin, S, Texas - With Michael Lewis going to SF and Brian Dawkins getting older they need youth at the safety position.
27. New Orleans: Daymeion Hughes, CB, California - With Fred Thomas getting scorched most of last year the Saints need a good corner to "march in".
28. New England: Robert Meachem, WR, Tennessee - I know you are thinking, wait a minute didn't the Patriots add 3 wide receivers this offseason, well yes they did but the Donte' Stallworth deal is really a one year contract.
29. Baltimore: Anthony Spencer, DE/LB, Purdue - With losing Adaulis Thomas to the Patriots, Spencer would be the logical pick because he can play defensive end or outside linebacker.
30. San Diego: Anthony Gonzalez, WR, Ohio State - San Diego needs a total makeover at the wide receiver position and Gonzalez would be a good fit because of his combination of speed and good route running.
31. Chicago: Quinn Pitcock, DT, Ohio State - Their defense had problems on the interior part of the d-line.
32. Indianapolis: Darrelle Revis, CB, Pittsburgh - Revis can step in for Nick Harper who left for Tennessee, plus he can return kicks and punts.