Did Browns Make a Mistake Not Addressing WR in First 3 Rounds?

Less than 24 hours after energizing the fanbase—to the tune of more than 2,300 new season-ticket subscriptions sold, according to the Akron Beacon Journal's Malcolm X Abram—thanks to drafting cornerback Justin Gilbert and a little quarterback no one has ever heard of, Johnny Manziel, bad news leaked about the Cleveland Browns.

According to a report from ESPN.com's T.J. Quinn and Don Van Natta Jr., Browns star receiver Josh Gordon is facing a potential one-year suspension for violating the NFL's drug policy with a failed drug test. This comes after he failed a drug test that netted him a two-game suspension to start the 2013 season.

The Browns were already considered to be in the market for another wide receiver—someone to take up the No. 2 job that has been held recently by the drop-prone Greg Little. But the Gordon report seemed to make the position that much more important.

Gordon would represent a huge loss for the Browns, regardless of who else landed on the roster. He led the league in receiving yards in 2013 with 1,646 and put together a league-record back-to-back 200-plus-yard games while dealing with constant quarterback change.

However, the Browns did not take a single receiver in Round 1 or on Day 2, using two picks Friday to address other positions of need—offensive tackle, with Nevada's Joel Bitonio at 35th overall, and a speedy, versatile linebacker in Iowa's Christian Kirksey at 71st overall. They then traded up at the end of the round with the San Francisco 49ers to grab Towson running back Terrance West at 94th overall.

Was it a mistake?

On the one hand, the Browns could be seriously thin at receiver when the season begins, especially when it comes to playmakers. Without Gordon, the Browns could face starting Little, Nate Burleson and Andrew Hawkins unless someone lower on the depth chart stands out in the summer.

Of course, there's the matter of Burleson re-fracturing the arm he broke last year. ESPN's Adam Schefter says that Burleson will be ready for training camp, but it's not a good development on the heels of the Gordon news.

On the other hand, Gordon alone won't propel the Browns into playoff contention; we saw that last year. And is a rumor—one that the team has acknowledged knowing about, according to Mary Kay Cabot of The Plain Dealer, but has not been confirmed by the league (let alone the punishment)—worth disrupting the draft board with a knee-jerk reaction?

All signs point to the Browns sticking with their plans in Rounds 2 and 3—plans that seemingly may not have included a receiver with any of their three picks.

Bitonio fits a position of need, and it's one that could not have been adequately filled later on. He'll completely take over the right tackle job held by 2012 draft pick Mitchell Schwartz or at least compete for it.

The new right tackle was asked of his being drafted instead of a wide receiver in the wake of the Gordon news and said, via Judy Battista of NFL.com:

"

Regarding the other incident, it's not my place to really talk about that. I really don't know any of the details or anything like that, so I'm not sure what exactly happened with that situation, but hopefully it works out for us, and hopefully, it's not as serious as people say it is.

"

Kirksey is a coverage specialist at linebacker, with the kind of speed that head coach Mike Pettine covets. He'll work primarily in coverage against slot receivers and tight ends. And running back certainly needed depth.

Josh Gibney/Associated Press

Sticking to the board is about conviction.

After all, general manager Ray Farmer has known about the failed drug test for longer than the coaches (they were reportedly informed Friday, while Farmer and owner Jimmy Haslam have known for weeks), and he runs the draft. Either he isn't worried about the potential suspension or simply won't forsake months of intensive work and research leading up to the draft to make up for Gordon.

Bitonio was a non-negotiable must-pick. However, the once-deep receiver class thinned out considerably in the remainder of Round 2, with seven selected after the Browns took Bitonio. That may not have been a scenario the Browns were prepared for, but they adjusted their board to get Kirksey.

And it's not impossible that the Browns could still get a receiver later—one who could make a major contribution. The Pittsburgh Steelers, for example, have one of the best receivers in the game in Antonio Brown, a sixth-round pick in 2010. 

More notable is that Farmer and Haslam knew about the failed drug test as well as Burleson's injury before Round 1 kicked off Thursday, and the team passed on two of the year's better receivers, Sammy Watkins and Mike Evans. Perhaps outside observers had receiver as a higher need for the Browns than the team did.

Still, it's hard to say what the Browns are going to do now in the passing game. Should Gordon be lost for the year, they would be unquestionably without their biggest, baddest playmaker. And Burleson's re-injury magnifies how fragile this situation is.

Sticking to the draft board is a sign of conviction and that the Browns have their needs set just right. Emergency draft response is not a smart one. But this stubbornness could have far-reaching repercussions on the 2014 season.

They might not think now that they need to add a receiver, but this feeling could change considerably after Week 1.