NFL Draft 2011: Is Patrick Peterson Going To Be Wearing Brown and Orange?

Louisiana State cornerback Patrick Peterson is hands down the most impressive physical specimen in this year's draft.

The guy is a freak of nature. In fact, Chris Low of ESPN called him the most explosive player out of the SEC he has seen since Herschel Walker and Bo Jackson.

Yes, THAT Bo Jackson.

I think that Peterson should be the player the Browns aim for in the draft. He would take pressure off of Josh Cribbs in the return game and would aid the development of the Browns young secondary.

Playing aside to Joe Haden would give the Browns a lethal combo not seen since the days of Frank Minnifield and Hanford Dixon. It would also speed the development of T.J. Ward, who was forced to drop back into coverage far too often, mostly to make up for Eric Wright getting burned at the line.

Currently, Mel Kiper Jr. of ESPN has Peterson ranked as the No. 1 overall prospect on his big board.

Who can blame him? Peterson is an exciting prospect to watch, his blazing 4.34 40-yard dash time is indicative of his speed and quickness. He is also huge, somewhere between 6' and 6'2" and around 220 lbs, he's a sight to see.

Peterson will be a playmaker for any team he ends up on. He is so impressive that Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, arguably the best DB in history, said the only thing that needed improvement in Peterson's game was, "I’d like to see him a little quicker—took too many steps to get to a certain point."

Coming from Sanders, that puts my mind at ease about any sort of bust potential Peterson might've had; Sanders went on to say, "Peterson, he did nothing to persuade me not to think of him as the No. 1."

That's a heck of an endorsement, if I've ever heard one.

As if that weren't already enough to get on the bandwagon, Browns corner Joe Haden wants Peterson across from him saying, "If Patrick gets all the way to No. 6, for sure we should get him", and then followed up by saying, "It would almost be a no-brainer. The more talent the better. He's definitely a top-five talent. I've watched him and I really like him."

It seems like it would be a no-brainer. Haden seems to understand the current state of the team. The Browns cannot afford to draft just their needs. There are far too many holes that can be filled with talented players to not take a prospect of Peterson's caliber.

What's more, the Browns may just be able to snag Peterson. While it's possible he could be taken by Carolina at No. 1, Denver at No. 2 or Buffalo at No. 3, all of those teams have more pressing needs.

Denver, in particular, with the resigning of Champ Bailey may be out of the race. Carolina seems set on wither taking a defensive lineman or Cam Newton.

If Peterson falls past the first three overall picks, I believe he, not Da'Quan Bowers or Nick Fairley, will be the player that the Browns should and will draft.

The key to the whole thing is how set on Marcell Dareus the Panthers are and how well Blaine Gabbert and Cam Newton do at their respective Pro Days. It's no secret that Buffalo, Cincinnati and Arizona all need a quarterback.

If any of those teams fall in love with Newton or Gabbert, I think Peterson will fall to six.

Whatever happens, the Browns are in good hands under draft guru Tom Heckert.

Hopefully, he can build on the wonderful draft he had last season and hopefully, Peterson's name is called as the No. 6 overall pick.