Looking Back At the Cleveland Browns' 2006 Draft

(Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

This the the second of a two-part series on reviewing the Cleveland Browns 2005 and 2006 drafts (part one is here). As before, I'm comparing each player's performance to that of the next player drafted at the same position.

This assumes the Browns correctly determined two things: 1) Its needs 2) The relative strength at each position (e.g. WR was a top-heavy position in the draft, and there was depth at DT). 

So arguments that the Browns should have taken Justin Tuck over Charlie Frye don’t cut it here.  The Browns weren’t looking for DE in that round.

First Round

Browns Pick: Kamerion Wimbley

Next OLB Drafted: Bobby Carpenter, Manny Lawson

Summary: Before getting in to the evaluation of Wimbley compared to the other two options, I'm compelled to dissuade a popular criticism of this selection, that the Browns should have selected Haloti Ngata instead. This argument has a few flaws, first and foremost being, NT was no longer the Browns greatest need.

In taking very aggressive action in the free agency period, the Browns went hard after Maake Kemeauto, a NT, but were unable to sign him.  Simultaneously, the team also tried to sign Kalimba Edwards, an OLB, but were unsuccessful in that attempt as well.

That left the team with two big gaps to fill.  Thus, the team signed Ted Washington to be a stop-gap solution to the NT position, prior to the draft.

The second issue with the argument relates to the depth at the NT position in the draft. The likely reason the Browns signed Washington has to do with Ngata and Broderick Bunkley being the only two interior lineman with first round grades.  

Based on this, leaving the hole at OLB makes more sense, as Lawson and Carpenter, in addition to Wimbley, had the size to fill the position. Ngata had been projected to go higher, and the Browns likely couldn’t count on him being there when he picked  Further, it was well known that the Browns didn’t like Bunkley (a great assessment)

The next comment is directed to Browns fans that think the team should have taken Laurenitis, Jenkins or Wells in this year's draft because they're "great." You were likely the same people pushing for the Browns to select Bobby Carpenter, and the truth is, Carpenter is terrible. He's made one start, and doesn't see a lot of time on special teams.

Lawson, has outplayed Carpenter by a long shot, which is really saying much, but has come nowhere close to putting up the same production as Wimbley. Also, Wimbley doesn't get enough credit for his ability to stop the run. Thus, with OLB as the team's most pressing need, the Browns selected the right player.

Second Round

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