Michael Crabtree: Cleveland's Rookie of the Year

With the NFL Draft quickly approaching us on April 25, lets take a look at the team that really needs to hit a home run this year—the Cleveland Browns.

Cleveland has many holes to fill especially on the defensive side of the ball, but now with the Donte' Stallworth fiasco brewing, we are starting to see a glaring need at wideout as well.

The Browns would love to get Wake Forest linebacker Aaron Curry in the first round of the draft, but with the Chiefs acquisition of quarterback Matt Cassel in the offseason, Curry is looking to be snatched up at the No. 3 pick. Barring a trade, Cleveland will likely miss out on the Curry sweepstakes.

For Cleveland's sake, however, all hope is not lost. The linebacker class in this year's draft is deep, and it's going to be possible to get a potential starter with one of our two second round picks.

The question to be made is what should the Browns take with the No. 5 pick? The answer is Texas Tech receiver Michael Crabtree, for more then one reason.

Most analysts have Cleveland taking Texas hybrid defensive end Brian Orakpo here, but my problem with this pick is what happened the last time we took a hybrid end. We thought we got a winner with Kamerion Wimbley, who had a rookie record 11 sacks, but has since seen his production decline.

Orakpo is supposed to come in and be able to provide a pass rush so Wimbley can come in and get the quarterback, which we need, but can you pass a talent like Michael Crabtree? No, not with our second reciever likely facing jail time and Braylon Edwards in the last year of his contract, meaning he will not likely be back for the 2010 campaign. 

Crabtree possesses all the tools to be a successful receiver in the NFL—good hands, great route runner, decent speed—but is being considered a potential injury concern.

I make only one argument. Adrian Peterson was passed on by several teams in the 2007 Draft, only to win Rookie of the Year, and won the rushing title in 2008. 

Crabtree garners many comparisons to the Cardinals' Larry Fitzgerald, and as far as football goes, he is one of the best, if not the best, in the league presently.

Kellen Winslow was traded in the offseason, Stallworth is likely out, and Braylon may even be gone by draft day, leaving Syndric Steptoe as our potential No. 1, but more than likely our No. 2 receiver. Crabtree has to be the pick here. We can't miss out on 2009's Rookie of the Year (you heard it here!).

Other team needs are linebacker, defensive back, and a running back—but linebacker is most important. For all the OSU fans out their, James Laurinaitis is looking like he is going to fall into the second round, and Cleveland would be begging for that to happen.

If Laurinaitis makes it to round two, look for a potential trade for Cleveland to move up a few picks to grab him. Cleveland is holding the 36th and 50th overall picks in the second round, so they can pair them to move up a few spots and take Laurinaitis.

Assuming that Laurinaitis doesn't make it out of the first round, look for USC linebacker Clay Matthews to be the pick with No. 36. USC's linebackers proved at their pro day why they were one of the top defenses in the NCAA, and all three—Maualuga, Matthews, and Brian Cushing—will be starters in the league for years to come. 

Analysts are making a case for the Browns to take a cornerback here, but running back is a bigger concern. Frankly, safety is a bigger need the CB, and barring a miraculous season, Cleveland will pick high again in 2010. Save the safety position for Taylor Mays.

Running backs are also pretty deep this year, with Knowshon Moreno from Georgia and Beanie Wells from OSU looking to be picked in round one. The talent pool runs through the third or fourth round, however. 

Look for the Browns to grab the best available back with the 50th selection. Be it Donald Brown of UConn, LeSean McCoy from Pitt, or Shonn Greene from Iowa, Cleveland is in need of Jamal Lewis' replacement.

With no pick in the third round, I am throwing out a gut pick with our fourth round selection—Pat White from WVU. White makes sense for a few reasons, mostly because Eric Mangini wanted to get Cribbs more touches on the ball.

White has the speed to be a returner, and could grow as a receiver, but will give the Browns a chance to see Cribbs get more playing time.

Look for the best available cornerback with our sixth round pick. I don't have a specific player, but we will be looking for late round value, something we haven't had in a long time.

Cleveland needs to be wary of a few players for this year's draft. First is obviously B.J.  Raji Boston College, due to a failed drug test. He also missed all of the 2007 season with off-field issues. One that may surprise is OSU running back Chris "Beanie" Wells (sorry OSU fans).

Wells isn't known for being a work horse, and has often times taken himself out of a game for several plays. It has been noted that after long gains, Wells would remove himself for two or three plays, and he also lacks true blocking and pass catching skills. Word is still out on pass catching, as in his two seasons starting at OSU, he caught somewhere between 13 and 15 passes. 

Cleveland could be looking closely for trades in hopes of picking up a few more picks this year. It's very likely that only one of our potential starting quarterbacks (Quinn and Anderson) will be on the team come training camp, so look for a draft day trade, maybe to move up in round one to get Curry. Another trade possibility lays with Braylon Edwards. With his contract up at the end of the season, Cleveland may try to shop him and get some value out of him in the form of more picks this season.

I would like to thank my good friend Jon Moffett for giving me some extra input on my column...he really added some depth.

Let the comments role!