NFL Draft: Cleveland Browns Transform Team with Richardson and Weeden Picks

There are moments in just about every person’s life that are transformative. A moment that shapes who you are or who you will be. It might be getting married, having a first child, getting that big promotion or beating the latest Modern Warfare game on XBox.

In sports, there are also a slew of transformative moments.

I think about the “tuck” play for the Patriots. I think about the Red Sox coming back from down 3-0 to the Yankees. I think about the Cleveland Cavaliers winning the draft lottery in 2003. All of these moments had a transformative effect on each franchise.

The Cleveland Browns had a transformative day on Thursday, April 26, 2012.

I’m not predicting that they are going to win the Super Bowl or even make playoffs (yet).

But what cannot be mistaken is that this team has gone from an afterthought in the NFL to a legitimate franchise.

The talent of Trent Richardson cannot be denied. Some smart people have even gone as far as to say that within three years he’ll be the best running back in the league. He’s fabulous and about as “can’t miss” of a prospect as there is.

But more than anything else, he gives the Browns an identity. He gives opposing defenses a guy they have to worry about.

I wasn’t on the Richardson bandwagon. I still believe that top five is probably too high to draft a running back. But I when I heard his name called and saw him put on that Browns hat, it brought a smile to my face. At that moment I was proud to be a Cleveland Browns fan.

And it’s not just that we got Richardson that I’m excited about. It’s how we got him.

There’s a part of me that’s actually excited that the Browns had to trade up one spot to get him. It gave Mike Holmgren and Tom Heckert a chance to prove that they actually had some stones for a change and could be aggressive and get the guy they wanted.

In 2010 they wanted Eric Berry, but he didn’t fall to them. In 2011 they wanted A.J. Green and Patrick Peterson, but neither of them fell to the Browns either. In both those drafts, Holmgren and Heckert were content to sit back and let the draft come to them.

Earlier this offseason they went soft in their pursuit to trade up for Robert Griffin III and fell short.

Not this time. This year it was time for a transformation, if you will.

They targeted the guy they wanted and went out and got him. No waiting for him to fall to them. No trading back to acquire more assets in the hope that they could still get him.

No, this year they were proactive and got their guy in Richardson.

And for those of you who think they gave up too much…chill out. After about pick No. 100 it’s just a giant crapshoot. You have just as good a chance to get a decent player in the sixth round as you do in the fourth.

This all made me think about how in basketball you’ll often see teams in possession of the ball with about 30 to 35 seconds left in the quarter and they jack up a long three-pointer in an effort to get a “two-for-one,” i.e. two shots at the end of the quarter instead of just one. But what usually ends up happening in those situations is that you end up taking two bad shots when instead you could have taken your time and got off one good shot.

Tell me which is smarter—two crap shots or one good one? I’ll take the one good shot every time.

That’s what the Browns decided. They decided that it was better to get the one great player instead of taking one good player and three crappy ones.

I think we all had a feeling that the Browns would get Richardson in the end, but it didn’t change the fact that it felt great when it actually happened.

The player many Browns didn’t see coming, though, was Brandon Weeden.

I knew that there was a distinct chance that this would happen, but I can’t lie that I was surprised when it did. I had Weeden pegged to the Browns at No. 37 in my mock draft.

That said, I love the pick.

I’m not a draft expert. I haven’t broken down every throw that Weeden made in his college career. But what I do know is that for starters he’s more talented than Colt McCoy. He’s bigger, taller, stronger, more accurate and just a better thrower of the football.

I also know that this past season he led him team to wins over Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III, Ryan Tennehill and Landry Jones.

I’m also aware that he’s 28 years old. And I’m also aware that Kurt Warner also made his NFL debut at age 28.

I don’t know that Weeden can have the kind of Hall of Fame career that Warner had. But I think he’s going to be very good.

At the very least, I think he’s good enough to win the Browns a Super Bowl. I don’t think I can say the same for McCoy.

And what’s more is that we know that Holmgren didn’t deem McCoy worthy of drafting until pick No. 85, but he felt that Weeden was worth No. 22. In fact, the Browns actually had Weeden at No. 13 on their board.

So today I’m excited because the Browns not only got an identity and a face of the franchise in a potential All-Pro running back, but they also solved the gaping issue of the not having a player for the most important position in all of sports.

What more could you ask for out a first round of a draft?

A wide receiver?

Well, OK. But beggars can’t be choosers, right?

And there’s still several good receivers left on the board that should be there at No. 37 (I believe, and Adam Schefter also reported, that if Kendall Wright hadn’t gone earlier that he would have been the Browns' pick at No. 22).

And I can hardly believe that the Browns still have nine more picks in this draft!

I can’t help it, I’m just so excited to be a Browns fan right now. I couldn’t help but smile all night tonight.

It’s a good day be a Cleveland fan. The Indians are tied for first place in the division. The Cavs are going to get another high lottery pick. And the Browns transformed their franchise.

Dare I say that the playoffs are on the horizon for all three teams?

OK, so the horizon is a little farther away for some of our teams than others.

But I wrote in my draft preview piece that every year without fail a team in the NFL goes from last in their division to making the playoffs.

And when you look at the Browns from 2011 and see how they actually were very close in many of loses (including both Bengals games), it's not a stretch to think that Cleveland could be that team in 2012.

Heck, if the Bengals did it last year, why can't the Browns do it this year?

I'm not ready to pick the Browns for the playoffs in 2012 (yet), but I believe if they can grab a couple more good picks in the next two days, especially on offense. Then, with the development of the players currently on the roster that we could be rooting for a team that's in the hunt come December.

And how much fun would that be?

I can't wait. I wish the season started on Sunday.

I love the draft. Nothing gives us new life in Cleveland quite like a draft.

I'm just excited to be a Browns fan today. I know I've said that like a dozen times already, but it's not too often we get to say it so I'm going to relish it while it lasts.

Go Browns!

Believeland.

You can follow Benjamin Flack on Twitter @ClevelandFlack.