A Wonderful World: The Best Case Scenario for the Cleveland Browns on Draft Day
With the NFL Draft less than two months away, Cleveland Browns fans have been speculating like crazy who their favorite team will be selecting at the end of April. The Browns hold the sixth overall pick in the draft and will need to hit a home run if they plan on being successful anytime soon.
With the Browns, under new head coach Pat Shurmur, switching both offensive and defensive philosophies, lots of talent is needed at all positions.
It is known that Browns GM Tom Heckert believes in taking the best player available, so ahead in this slide show is two choices for who I believe would be the best choice for the Cleveland Browns moving forward.
With the 6th Overall Pick in the 2011 NFL Draft the Cleveland Browns Select....
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Option No. 1: Patrick Peterson CB
Option No. 2: A.J. Green WR
Analysis
In my opinion, this pick comes down to five players: Patrick Peterson, A.J. Green, Daquan Bowers, Marcell Dareus, and Nick Fairley. Many others would like to include DE Robert Quinn in the conversation but I'm not a fan of the athletic end.
Quinn missed all of last season due to a suspension so he hasn't played a down in more than a year and despite having the whole year to work out, Quinn didn't put on a show at the combine like expected. It's my belief that Quinn is a risk not worth taking at No. 6 for the Browns.
Whoever the Browns ultimately end up selecting will most likely be whichever one of the five players mentioned above, last to number six. With Peterson having an incredible combine he has jumped up draft boards and is in contention for the No. 1 overall pick in the draft. Also improving their stock with an impressive combine is DT Marcell Dareus.
Since it's impossible to know who will go in slots 1-5, it's hard to predict who the Browns will draft. Although when I look into my magic eight ball I see A.J. Green wearing Orange and Brown next season.
With the 37th Overall Pick in the 2011 NFL Draft the Cleveland Browns Select....
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Option Number 1- Cameron Heyward DL
Option Number 2- Stephen Paea DT
Analysis- If the Browns have the ability to land either of these two players it would be an absolute steal in round two. With the Browns switching to a 4-3, under new defensive coordinator Dick Jauron, many new defensive lineman are needed. Heyward and Paea are both players would could easily be first round selections but because of individual reasons may fall to round two.
If Heyward would've declared for the draft last season it was predicted that he would've been a top 15 pick. Although Heyward decided to comeback for his senior season his stats took a bit of a dip. But anyone who watched the Buckeyes this year will tell you that Heyward was just as dominant as last season. It remains to be seen how the NFL scouts view Heyward but GM Tom Heckert has said that he thinks Heyward could play DT for the Browns. If he's there with the 37th pick the Browns would run to the podium to draft him.
Paea is another DT who has first round talent. Paea showed up to the combine with a knee injury and was unable to particiapate in all of the events except for the bench press. However Paea impressed in the bench press when he set the combine record with 49 reps.
If Paea's knee injury causes him so slip into round two the Browns will definitely consider him.
With the 70th Overall Pick in the 2011 NFL Draft the Cleveland Browns Select...
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Option No. 1: Allen Bailey DE
Option No. 2: DeMarco Murray RB
The Browns will benefit greatly if the new CBA is figured out by the end of this weeks extension. The Browns front office and coaching staff believes the best thing moving forward is to switch the defense back to it's original 4-3 alignment. Although that may be true in the long run, the Browns don't have much at the defensive end position going into next season.
Assuming the Browns find a way to keep Matt Roth and Jayme Mitchell, they figure to be the starters at the end position next season. That's not much to be thrilled about so a DE must be drafted.
However, if Bailey or a different DE isn't available, Murray could be a good consolation prize. It was obvious that Browns RB Peyton Hillis was warring down as the season went on so he needs a serviceable change of pace back, especially if Montario Hardesty gets injured again.
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With the 101st Overall Pick in the 2011 NFL Draft the Cleveland Browns Select...
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Option No. 1: Austin Pettis WR
Option No. 2: Deunta Williams DB
Even if the Browns end up drafting WR A.J. Green in the first round, it still wouldn't be a bad idea to draft Pettis in the fourth. Pettis was highly productive in college and was a good route runner, which is a must in the West Coast Offense. The Browns wide receiving core needs all the competition it can get.
If Williams is still on the board in round four, the Browns shouldn't hesitate to consider him. Abe Elam really started to pickup the slack as the season went on but it's always nice to have a young guy pushing him to start.
With the 134th Overall Pick in the 2011 NFL Draft the Cleveland Browns Select...
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Option No. 1: Pat Devlin QB
Option No. 2: Marcus Gilbert OT
President Holmgren has already stated that he plans to draft a quarterback in the later rounds to develop and backup Colt McCoy. I believe that QB will be Devlin out of Delaware.
The Browns need a young tackle to groom into the RT position and eventually take over the starting spot.
With the 163rd Overall Pick in the 2011 NFL Draft the Cleveland Browns Select...
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Option No. 1: Greg Romeus DE
Option No. 2: Chimdi Checkwa CB
Analysis
Pittsburgh defensive end Greg Romeus played in only two games in his senior season due to injuries. His injuries caused his stock to drop drastically but the Browns should take a flyer on him this late in the draft because in the three years before the injuries Romeus registered 142 tackles and 19 sacks.
The Browns could also use some depth at corner.
With the 165th Overall Pick in the 2011 NFL Draft the Cleveland Browns Select...
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Option Number 1- Chimdi Chekwa CB
Option Number 2- Dontay Moch DE/OLB
Analysis- The Browns were given this pick from the Broncos in the Brady Quinn trade. With Checkwa the Browns would get an experienced corner who has played in the state of Ohio and under the big spotlight.
With Moch the Browns recieve a project player with outstanding athleticism.
Final Analysis
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The 2011 NFL draft is probably the most important draft since the Browns return in '99. New coach Pat Shurmur needs to get off to a fast start and will need a lot of help from his rookies to be productive.
The Browns have a lot of needs and the 2011 draft class is a talented one. The picks listed in this article are the players I believe the Browns should draft in an effort to be more successful.
Let the debate begin!
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