This offseason has been a long, ever changing one. I have been up and down and left and right on
so many different players that I can’t even keep track anymore. Now that we are 7 days away from the draft I think
I have a pretty good lock on things. I
think. Maybe.
I am 100% all in on Johnny Football. I think he is the best athlete at the
position in this draft. I think he is
the best passer in this draft. I think
he has all the intangibles it takes to be a successful QB in the NFL. The only thing he doesn’t have is size but
what he lacks in size he makes up for with intuition and the will to win. Johnny is going to bring a spark and tons of
energy to some lucky football team on May 8th and I hope that team
is the Browns.
Having said that, I realize he might not be THE guy on the
Browns radar so I move to the next best options.
I love Sammy Watkins, he is a special receiver but will he
help the Browns improve their record? I
don’t see it. I don’t see Sammy leading
this team to the playoffs next year.
Having two #1 receivers isn’t going to change the outcome of a season
by that much. Look at what happened in
Atlanta last year. Look at Detroit, where
has Calvin Johnson taken that team? If
the Browns didn’t have Josh Gordon I would be all about spending a top 5 pick
on what I think is a future top 5 receiver but we have Gordon so I’m not ready
to spend a top pick on a WR.
Now, you want to talk about difference makers? Look at Clowney and Mack! Two completely different players but two very
dominate players. With Clowney you get
the athletic freak that will eat up defenses based solely on his athletic
ability. Can you imagine if he gains the
drive to be the best and puts all his energy into his game and stops loafing
around and relying on his athletic ability alone? Now look at Mack, the kid is fundamentally
sound. His angles, his lean, his
positioning and technique can’t be matched by anyone in this draft. He came out of know where and is going to
make a name for himself.
The one problem I’ve had with drafting an OLB at 4 is the
amount of energy focused into the position the last couple of years. Mingo, Sheard and Kruger made me think twice
about adding to the position but I’m over it.
If you can add a talent like Clowney or Mack to your defense, you do
it. You can never have too many pass
rushers.
Now what if Manziel is off the board and the goal is still
to get a QB at 4?
Carr? No thanks. He is a system QB that dominated a weak
Mountain West Conference and struggled mightily when facing a decent USC team
in the bowl game. Carr does have his
perks though, calling 90% of Fresno States plays from the line put him in a class
of his own in regards to being able to read defenses but in my opinion it isn’t
enough to overcome what I think is a below average thrower.
Teddy? Not on my
watch. For starters I’ve had concerns
about his accuracy for a while and I know we shouldn’t take much from pro days
but Teddy really proved my case. Maybe
it has to do with his small hands or his tendencies to sink under pressure, I have
no idea. What I do know is I wouldn’t
touch him until the second round so taking him at 4 is completely out of the
question.
Bortles? I still see
Bortles as a project QB in terms of I think he’ll need a year or two on the
bench in order to perfect his craft. Having said that, he’s the second best option
behind Manziel and the only other QB I’d touch in the first round. He has all of the tools and the size but is
he ready for the next level?
So basically at the end of the day I want Manziel. Do I want him enough to trade up though? No. In
a draft that is this deep with talent at the top, I’m not losing future picks. Manziel, Clowney, Mack and Bortles are at the
top of my board. I want one of those
players but there are two other players I wouldn’t mind either, Watkins and
Robinson. Both are the best at their
positions in the draft and both would be great additions to the Browns locker
room but I don’t think the need is as great as my top 4.
