Revisiting the Cleveland Browns' 2014 Draft

The Cleveland Browns entered the 2014 NFL draft with 10 picks at their disposal. However, a series of trades left them with six selections, all in the first four rounds.

Though it will take at least three years for the Browns' 2014 draft class to be deemed a success or failure, it is possible to look back at these six players' rookie seasons and try to extrapolate where they go from here.

So, let's take a look at the Browns' crop of 2014 draft picks to see what the 2015 season might hold for each of them.

Round 1: CB Justin Gilbert

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The Cleveland Browns traded a fifth-round pick to the Minnesota Vikings to move up to eighth overall (after trading down from fourth to ninth) in order to select cornerback Justin Gilbert with their first of two first-round 2014 draft picks.

Gilbert's on-field performance justified the pick in the limited time he was on the field, but his off-field issues make his future in Cleveland murkier than it should be one year into his professional career.

He played in 14 games in 2014, totaling 373 defensive snaps, according to Pro Football Focus. He totaled 29 tackles, eight passes defensed and one interception, which he returned for a touchdown. In coverage, Gilbert didn't look like a rookie, allowing catches on just 60.4 percent of the passes thrown his way, for 379 yards, 94 yards after the catch and one touchdown, according to Pro Football Focus.

However, Gilbert was repeatedly late to team meetings, with this tardiness coming to a head in Week 17, when he was suspended for the game for being late to the team's meeting the previous night. Gilbert's playing time was cut back the previous week for poor practices, with fourth-round pick Pierre Desir starting in Gilbert's stead.

Team owner Jimmy Haslam said that Gilbert is "clearly gifted" but that they need him to "mature and understand what it means to be a professional." Head coach Mike Pettine said at the combine that Gilbert's issues weren't just about maturity or a bad attitude but that "it's more than that. ...It's very personal, and I'm not going to get into details about it."

2015 Prognosis

Gilbert has the talent to be a starting cornerback in the NFL—otherwise he wouldn't have been a top-10 pick in 2014. But off-field and personal issues prevented him from meeting his potential in his rookie year. Hopefully, the public and private comments his coaches and teammates have made about him will produce positive results.

Gilbert has an opportunity to start in 2015, with 2014 starter Buster Skrine an unrestricted free agent. But breathing down his neck is Desir and the undrafted K'Waun Williams. Nothing will be given to Gilbert simply based on his draft pedigree. He'll have to put in the necessary work; poor reviews of his 2015 season will start to nudge him toward the "bust" column.

Round 1: QB Johnny Manziel

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Quarterback Johnny Manziel was one of the most polarizing players in the 2014 draft. There were the on-field questions: Would his style of play translate to the NFL? Can he learn how to play from the pocket? Does he have the size to take big hits on a regular basis?

Then there were the off-field questions about his hard-partying lifestyle, the cross-country trips to hang out with celebrities and the unflattering photos that followed him even after the Browns drafted him in the first round. Ultimately, the Browns believed the risks outweighed the rewards.

Veteran Brian Hoyer beat out Manziel for the starting job, though the rookie did eventually notch two starts at the end of the year after Hoyer's play deteriorated. He played 79 snaps over the course of five games, according to Pro Football Focus.

His passing numbers weren't good—35 pass attempts, 18 completions, a completion percentage of 51.4 percent, 175 yards, two interceptions, three sacks and zero touchdowns—though he did have a rushing score and 29 rushing yards on nine carries.

After admitting to having a lack of maturity in his rookie season, he said, "I brought this on myself...So I'm sorry to these guys that are veterans in this locker room and know what it takes, that I'm having to learn the hard way. At the same time, I'm either going to learn, or I'm going to be finding something else to do." He then entered treatment for alcohol use, where he remains presently.

2015 Prognosis

The Browns are yet again at a crossroads at the quarterback position. Hoyer is an unrestricted free agent, though his return is possible. Head coach Mike Pettine, owner Jimmy Haslam and general manager Ray Farmer have all claimed to "leave no stone unturned" in their search for a starting quarterback in 2015. Manziel will be in the mix, but nothing is promised.

Even if he gets the help he needs in rehab and returns to the Browns refocused on football and nothing more, it's not a given he wins the job. His scrambling style and often inaccurate arm need to be tamed, and his 6'0" size is still a concern. 

Manziel will compete to start with whatever quarterbacks the Browns amass over the coming months. But, like Gilbert, his draft pedigree will be the last thing considered when Cleveland decides its Week 1 starter.

Round 2: OL Joel Bitonio

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There were no lingering questions about the Browns' 2014 second-round pick, offensive guard Joel Bitonio. He was touted as one of the best offensive linemen in the draft, and the Browns stole him in Round 2, plugging him in as an immediate starter.

Bitonio started every game in his rookie season at left guard, playing all 1,078 of the Browns' offensive snaps and allowing just one sack, three hits and 11 hurries, according to Pro Football Focus. In fact, he was Pro Football Focus' fifth-ranked guard on the season.

Bitonio's addition only made one of the NFL's top offensive lines even better. The line took a hit when center Alex Mack went down with a broken leg, but Bitonio posted positive grades in all aspects of his game. He might have been one of the best performing draft picks in the 2014 class.

2015 Prognosis

Bitonio has the left guard job secured, and it's possible he holds it down in Cleveland for a decade or longer. Given what he accomplished as a rookie, it is hard to see his ceiling from here. With Mack back healthy, that should only help Bitonio in his second season. Make no mistake—he is a star. 

Round 3: ILB Christian Kirksey

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The Browns brought Christian Kirksey aboard in Round 3 of the 2014 draft to boost the interior run defense while also supplying pass coverage help in the middle of the field. Though not a full-time starter, with eight starts on the season, Kirksey played in all 16 games, swapping time with fellow inside linebacker Craig Robertson.

Kirksey played 693 snaps, according to Pro Football Focus—289 against the run, 66 as a pass-rusher and 338 in coverage. He was the team's fourth-leading tackler with 81, and he also had five tackles for a loss, two sacks, three passes defensed and one forced fumble on the year. He also had one additional quarterback hit and five hurries.

2015 Prognosis

Kirksey's 2015 should play out much like his 2014 season—depending on what the Browns do with Robertson, an exclusive-rights free agent. Typically, exclusive-rights players stay on for at least one more year, and given Robertson made just $570,000 in 2014, he's affordable and just talented enough to be part of the interior linebacker rotation.

As such, Kirksey's snaps will skew slightly more toward coverage than run-stopping, while the opposite will be the case with Robertson. It's likely that Kirksey's pass-rush duties expand, given he had seven pressures on just 66 pass-rushing snaps. He's a piece of the Browns' defensive puzzle who, given one more year of experience, should improve as expected.

Round 3: RB Terrance West

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Given the Browns' considerable struggles running the ball in 2013, it was no surprise that they used one of their 2014 draft picks to address the position, taking Towson's Terrance West in Round 3.

West was the Browns' leading rusher in 2014, carrying the ball 171 times for 673 yards and four touchdowns. He had one lost fumble and averaged 3.9 yards per carry. He also caught 11 passes on 13 targets, for 64 yards and an additional score.

West's numbers were held down for two reasons. First, there was the broken leg suffered by center Alex Mack in the middle of the season, which served to grind the Browns' run game nearly to a halt. The second was undrafted rookie Isaiah Crowell, whose stats seem to imply he's the better of the two backs.

Crowell rushed 148 times for 607 yards and eight touchdowns, averaging 4.1 yards per carry, though he did have two lost fumbles. Further, ESPN.com's Pat McManamon reports that the locker room is in Crowell's favor, writing "[Crowell] has the greater respect of his teammates, who feel he is a talented and dedicated player who simply needs to learn," while "West never seemed to master the playbook, as whoever was playing quarterback often had to tell him where to line up and where the play was going."

2015 Prognosis

West's struggles to master the playbook are understandable, given his rookie status. It couldn't have helped him, either, that the glue of the team's run game, Mack, suffered a season-ending injury. Still, Crowell is breathing down West's neck. The two will at least share time in 2015, though it is also possible that West is the clear No. 2 behind Crowell (or vice versa).

It will be interesting to see how new offensive coordinator John DeFilippo views the two backs. West is also trying to slim down to 215 pounds after playing 2014 closer to 230, in hopes it will help his speed and agility. West isn't in danger of losing a roster spot, though he does have a battle to prove to his coaches and teammates that he's better than Crowell.

Round 4: CB Pierre Desir

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The Browns' fourth-round 2014 pick, cornerback Pierre Desir, easily had the most inspirational story of the draft. A Haitian immigrant who arrived in the United States at age four, Desir picked up football in high school then quickly thereafter found himself a young father.

He wasn't academically qualified to play for the Big Ten schools that recruited him, so he opted to play for Division II Washburn College before leaving the school and the program to help care for his growing family of two children, plus his fiancee. He worked as a laborer before going back to college, this time at Lindenwood.

There, he thrived on the football field, with nine interceptions in his junior year. He then went on to win the Cliff Harris Award, given to the nation's best small-school defensive back. A strong showing at the East-West Shrine Game suddenly thrust him onto many teams' draft boards, with the Browns fortunate enough to select him.

Desir appeared in the final four games of his rookie season and had one start ahead of first-round 2014 pick Justin Gilbert. He played one on special teams and three as a defensive back, for a total of 120 snaps on defense. He totaled nine tackles and two passes defensed. He gave up six catches on 10 targets for 61 yards, 13 yards after the catch and no touchdowns.

2015 Prognosis

Desir has a major opportunity ahead of him if the Browns do not re-sign free agent Buster Skrine. He'll firmly be in the competition to take over Skrine's starting job with Justin Gilbert and K'Waun Williams. If he doesn't win it, however, that won't be it for Desir's 2015 season—he'll likely spell Gilbert or established veteran Joe Haden on a situational basis and will be in the mix to be the go-to nickel cornerback.

Desir's high character and motivation to succeed at his craft are in stark contrast to how Gilbert's rookie season played out. While Gilbert had the benefit of playing against higher-level talent in college, their two skill sets are similar, and Desir—at least as of now—has the edge when it comes to work ethic. That will go a long way toward his starting bid in 2015 and to possible longevity in the NFL.

Advanced stats courtesy of Pro Football Focus.