Mike Freeman's 10-Point Stance: Is This the Draft the Browns Finally Get Right?
Cleveland might be on the verge of getting it right, lots of pot talk, and a potential draft pick says his past doesn't define him.
1. Is This When the Browns Finally Get It Right?
It first needs to be said that the odds of the Browns not screwing up this draft are the same as me co-starring in the next buddy flick with Denzel Washington. Hell, Denzel might have done a better job drafting had he been running the Browns all these years.
.png?w=256)
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
The Browns have been a disaster. There's no need to get into their long history of draft mistakes. Why pull the wings off a fly? We know how terrible the team has performed in April. It has been positively Brownsian. We get it.
Interestingly, though, with the draft set to begin Thursday night, numerous team officials around the league said the Browns might actually pull this draft off, that Cleveland might have a great draft.
Those are not words you will often read. It's like reading that the Earth is flat.
Team officials who have contacted the Browns said Cleveland likely will walk away with defensive end Myles Garrett and quarterback Mitchell Trubisky.
The belief among a half-dozen front office executives is the Browns will take Garrett with the first overall pick, then package their No. 12 pick to move into the top five to seven to take Trubisky.
(Note: This is your friendly reminder that during the run-up to the draft many teams lie. Every team lies. There is so much fog right about now it would cover a seaside town.)
Still, what I'm being told is the Browns—for now—want to stay at No. 1. They'll only move from that top spot if they get an offer that's impossible to refuse.
But that 12th pick is different. They are making calls, and entertaining them, about moving up. That is a fact.
The hitch in this scenario is that analytics dudes—and they now run the Browns—generally do not believe in using draft picks to make significant moves up. Yet if it is accurate that the front office wants Trubisky and the coaching staff wants Garrett (as I've heard as well as hearing the opposite), it also goes against analytics to take a quarterback who's so raw.
There is agreement among other teams, though, that it will be difficult for even the Browns to mess up this draft (knock on wood). If Cleveland keeps both picks in the first round, it can still get a quarterback, even if it's not Trubisky. And walking away with Garrett and a quarterback of the future would make for a successful draft.
Some in the league think if the Browns emerge from the draft with only Garrett, their draft would be a winner. That may be a view based on low expectations, but a handful of people in the NFL feel Garrett is the type of talent who comes along just once every five years.
So, buckle up: The Browns may not be a laughingstock by the end of the weekend.
That's not something you read every day.
2. The Niners May Move Down…
It's difficult to find a team official who believes the 49ers will stay at No. 2. There's no one who they love at that spot, goes the thinking, and the team wants to move down several spots and draft wide receiver John Ross.
These same sources also don't buy the talk that the 49ers will pick a quarterback. But remember, it's draft time, and everyone lies about everyone.
3. ...And the Patriots May Trade Up
It's difficult to find a team that does not think the Patriots will trade into the first round. New England doesn't have a first-rounder, but many around the league think Bill Belichick has at least one huge draft move up his sleeve—possibly to be followed by several smaller ones.
4. Good Advice for Any Player
One of the better interviews I've ever had was with trainer Abdul Foster, brother of four-time Pro Bowl running back Arian Foster. Arian is a smart guy. So is Abdul. There's a lot of brain power in that family.
Abdul has written a book called Next Generation Football Training, which for training nerds like me offers good insight if you want to know how professionals prepare. Abdul has worked with his brother, the recently retired Andre Johnson, wide receiver Brandon LaFell and 40 other college and pro athletes.
Abdul said he learned a lot while training his brother and Johnson, whom he called "one of the great physical specimens I've ever been around."
"Arian kept me and the other trainers on our toes," Abdul told B/R with a laugh. "Arian was stubborn. The main thing was Arian wanted to know why we were doing things."
Arian, intelligent and curious, was one of the hardest working players in the sport's recent history. He went undrafted in 2009 yet rose to become one of the best backs of his generation largely because he maximized his talent. He was also tough, but like many great players, he didn't take a lot of time to recover from the brutality of the sport. Foster suffered from various injuries, including to his back and Achilles, during his career.
"I think a lot of injuries Arian suffered were because of his stubbornness about recovery," Abdul said.
This is not unique to Arian. It's the mentality of most players. It keeps them hungry in a sport that tries to do everything to sap their abilities.
The culture of the sport breeds an almost automated response to physical trauma that runs counter to proper recovery. Arian told his brother how on several occasions, after he was hit hard in the head, he would go to the sideline for a few plays, go back in the game and later not remember doing any of that.
Maybe that's why Abdul said, "If there was one thing I'd tell any player entering the NFL, it's to take your recovery time seriously."
Smart man.
Follow your favorite teams and leagues in the new B/R app. Get the app and get the game.
5. A Lesson for All
It's a subject being talked about in NFL draft rooms. It's a subject being discussed by coaches. It's a subject being talked about by draft picks and their agents. It's a subject being discussed in the NFL's offices in New York.
Of all the cautionary tales that will be told throughout this draft and beyond, none will be as widely analyzed as the life of Aaron Hernandez.
From players to coaches to agents, Hernandez, who ended his life last week in a Massachusetts prison, has become an example across the league of how quickly things can go horribly wrong.
6. Bill Polian Said What?
On Monday's Mike and Mike show on ESPN, Hall of Fame executive Bill Polian said that no player who tested positive for marijuana at the combine ever succeeded in the NFL.
Whoa. Almost choked on my cereal after hearing that. Say what?
Polian, perhaps realizing how ridiculous a statement that was, backtracked a few minutes later, saying it was an "overwhelming majority" of players who never succeeded.
Even that likely is wrong. Just off the top of my head, I can recall a handful of NFL success stories after those players tested positive for marijuana at the combine. There was Justin Houston; he's done OK. Percy Harvin tested positive at the combine, and while the latter part of his career hasn't been good, he was the Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2009. He also made the Pro Bowl that season at kick returner.
During combine interviews, now-retired receiver Calvin Johnson said he'd used marijuana. He turned out pretty well.
Failing a combine test does show a lack of smarts, since players know when the test is coming, and that may be Polian's point. But extrapolate that. Le'Veon Bell has missed multiple drug tests as a professional. He knew he was going to be tested and still failed to show. And yet he is arguably the best back in football.
Randy Moss said he'd used marijuana during his career, and there may have been no better pass-catcher in league history outside of Jerry Rice.
Polian's statement is troubling not so much for its inaccuracy but for what it reveals about the attitude of team executives on marijuana use.
While polls show marijuana use is becoming more accepted by the general public, the NFL isn't there yet. Many team executives view marijuana use as some sort of evil. It's an archaic take but not a minority opinion, as Polian's words suggest.
7. One Other Thing on Marijuana, Dude
The report by ESPN's Adam Schefter that Michigan's Jabrill Peppers had a diluted sample at the combine was one of the first big draft-week stories.
Peppers' agents said he had been ill and drank eight to 10 bottles of water before taking the test.
There are some problems with that explanation.
First, drinking that much water in a short period is dangerous. I checked in with Dr. Benjamin Wedro, an emergency room physician who has helped me understand medical issues over the years, and he expressed some concern after reading about Peppers:
"Drinking eight to 10 bottles of water...in a short period of time is potentially dangerous," he wrote to me, "causing water intoxication and low sodium levels in the body. Keep in mind that for adults who weigh 220 pounds, the daily fluid requirement is about 75 ounces."
Second, few in the NFL, based on interviews I've done with front office executives, believe Peppers' excuse.
Come draft day, Peppers is likely to drop from the late first round into the early second, according to those sources. And that could cost him a fair amount of cash.
8. D'Onta Foreman's Story Is One to Watch
One of the more impressive draft stories you will see comes from the NFL.com, and it's on D'Onta Foreman of Texas.
I don't want to say a whole lot other than you should watch it. It's an example of great mental toughness and what players sometimes overcome. And how little we know about them.
9. Players Keep Paying in Concussion Settlement
If the threat of brain trauma isn't a sobering enough story in NFL circles, the Dallas Morning News reported April 17 that some players have found themselves not only fighting for their health but also fighting with their lawyers over fees related to related court cases.
Days before that story was published, I got the following email from a former player who is part of the concussion settlement. He's one of the more honest and good men I've ever covered, and he explained the entire sordid situation as well as anyone. It's a bit lengthy, but it's worth it. (He requested anonymity.)
"As you may know, a lot has been made of these financial companies getting players to take these high interest loans against their settlements and then placing liens against their money, [while] the attorneys and firms that are supposed to be representing players are robbing players of millions of dollars.
"The terms of the settlement allow any player that retired before 2014 to file a claim. This means the thousands of players that signed up for the class action suit thru the law firms that recruited them are paying up to 30 percent of their claims for doing so while the players that didn't participate can hire an attorney to just help them with their claim.
"Most of the firms that signed up hundreds of retired players to the class action suit, and are being paid from the $112 million dollars set aside by the settlement for legal fees, are also charging players an additional 30 percent of their settlement claims despite many of them doing nothing to help them understand the levels of diagnosis and help them thru the claims process. Most players rarely heard from their attorneys. So when the settlement was finalized many players hired attorneys to help them with the claims process with the understanding the firms that signed them to the class action got paid from the $112 million dollars.
"These firms are now placing liens against player settlements claiming they should be paid on the claims as well as the fees set aside for them.
"In addition, two weeks ago these same firms got the judge to approve an additional five percent be taken out of each individual claim for ongoing fees they might incur. We received notice of this on March 24th and were given a deadline of March 27th to file an objection. That's less than three days.
"The way things are set up, firms stand to make millions on this triple charging [of] players. ... There is very little we can do except let the public know what is happening."
10. Devonte' Fields: I'm a Different Man Now
The accusation against former TCU and Louisville linebacker Devonte' Fields is an ugly one. In 2014, Fields was arrested for allegedly punching his ex-girlfriend and threatening her with a gun. The charges were later dropped.
Fields is, without question, one of the most talented players in the draft. He was the Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year in 2012. But the incident, from what I'm hearing, is having an impact on his draft prospects. Some teams have removed Fields from their draft boards; some have not. So it's hard to say what will happen.
But teams that have spoken to Fields say he's been contrite and apologetic.
I spoke to Fields this week and asked him what he wanted people to know about him.
"I'm a hard-working guy, and you won't see me get into any trouble off the field," Fields said. "I'm not that guy anymore. I've grown up. All I want is a chance to prove myself, and I hope I get that chance. Any team that drafts me won't regret it."
Mike Freeman covers the NFL for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter: @mikefreemanNFL.
Get the best sports content from the web and social in the new B/R app. Get the app and get the game.
.png?w=480)
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
