Payne was dominant in the college playoffs, no doubt. Hurst disrupts everything with his power and penetration...Much like demolisher said, he's like Aaron Donald. He just blows it up, and wrecks plays. For all the quick 3 step drops QB's are doing in the NFL these days, Hurst is going to be a big problem..You can't teach that quickness.
Seahawks fired Derrell Bevell. He's been their OC for the last 7 years....I wonder if we try to get him in here for an interview? Sure seems like a better option than Ken Zampese...
I'd say good, since they didn't fire their front office. They - unlike Cleveland - thought the problem was more with the coaches. Wolf was only available because he was passed over internally for Green Bay's new GM position. Previously, Green Bay denied several teams approval to interview Eliot Wolf for their open GM positions.
... and we're giving the best F/O in the business a lame duck head coach with a 1-31 record and only player regression in his tenure here.
There's still a small part of me that hopes Hue gets "Sashied" here. Remember, Sashi was interviewing potential GM candidates that he thought were going to work for/with him and instead ended up replacing him once the deal was in place.
Hurst is a good player. I probably like Kendrick Norton (Miami, FL) better but I think both have a shot at being Day 1 guys. I don't think you're wrong about Hurst being the consensus top interior D-lineman, but Top 10 is dicey with four franchise-caliber QBs available. The plethora of QB options is going to push some quality players down boards like it did in 2011 (the only misses from that first round were QBs not named Cam Newton and the Browns' pick, Phil Taylor). If I'm adding depth to the defensive line this season, it's happening at the rush end spots and probably via free agency. Addressing the run defense in Kansas City was part of Dorsey's downfall there. Fortunately, the Browns are really stout there. Inside, Larry Ogunjobi has the making of a Top 10 interior NFL lineman and that's not hyperbole. Caleb Brantley came on nicely during the season and Trevon Coley is a solid rotational option. Danny Shelton is a disappointment but this is likely his last season for the team. I'd look to upgrade the interior later in the draft or next season. If they can get a guy like Marcus Davenport (UTSA) at #33, then you've built yourself a Top 3 defensive line in the NFL.
I like the new terminology...Life can be tough. I know lots of guys that were "Sashied" in the car business over the years.
Here's a scenario for the first couple rounds, involving a couple trades, that I could live with.... 1.1 - Baker Mayfield 1.4 Trade to Buffalo for picks #21, #22 and 3rd rounder and future 1st...... (gotta make them pay to move up like that) 1.21 Josh Jackson 1.22 Maurice Hurst 2.1 Bryce Love 2.4 Calvin Ridley or Mike McGlinchey 2nd rd pick from Eagles traded pre-draft for Alex Smith....
Mocking the Draft | Cleveland's Options Still a lot of ground to cover between here and April 26th. Rather than weekly mock draft updates, I figured it'd be beneficial to take a look at the way they could approach it by pick (sort of like the mocks previously but without nailing down a player, per se). Looking at the draft history for Green Bay with Highsmith/Wolf and Kansas City with Dorsey, you can start to sense patterns. I don't think they've ever gone out and said "best player available" - even while being in perennial playoff mode. They very much approach the draft - it seems - with an eye for value and best available for need. With in mind, here's how I view Cleveland's needs: Spoiler: Cleveland's Needs 1- Quarterback ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 2 - Free Safety 3 - Interior (slot) Receiver 4 - Coverage Linebacker 5 - Boundary (split) Receiver 6 - Boundary (zone-cover) Cornerback I'll go with three scenarios in each case and follow them through (e.g., #1 in Round 1 will inform/impact #1 in Round 2). Round 1 (Picks #1, #4) Browns should be able to do some franchise-changing magic on Day 1. The flip-side is that they could also irreparably cripple the team with bad picks. There needs to be one guarantee coming out of those two picks and it's a potential franchise-caliber quarterback. You can take the guy at #1 and trade out of #4, you could take a guy like Josh Rosen #1 and trade him to a team he wants to play for (NYG), but it seems unlikely that they'd wait until #4 for their guy. My top choice (pretty obviously) is Baker Mayfield. He's a guy I think is NFL-ready and mostly coach-proof. Regardless of who the guy is, he'll be starting sooner rather than later. For that reason, I'm inclined to avoid players like Josh Allen and Sam Darnold because even if they do have higher ceilings - which is debatable - it will take much longer to reach them. And that time is a luxury the Browns don't have. Here's a couple scenarios: 1 - Baker Mayfield (QB)/Minkah Fitzpatrick (FS): first choice and fills the two largest needs on this team. Baker almost immediately fixes the offense and Minkah does the same for defense, allowing Peppers to play a more natural fit closer to the line. Two biggest needs filled and two of the premier players. Somewhat of a long shot to draft a 6004 QB at No. 1 overall, though. 2 - Josh Rosen (QB)/Saquon Barkley (RB): a decent consolation prize. I don't see Rosen as a guy who carries a franchise, although he has excellent tape and is a terrific, polished passer. If you take a Rosen at #1, you almost have to pair him with an elite back like Barkley. Barkley could be asked to carry an offense, although we'd certainly wreck him after his rookie deal was played out. Rosen is the next-closest QB to "coach-proof", but comes with desire and injury concerns. 3 - Josh Allen (QB)/Mike McGlinchey (OT): don't discount this "long shot" from happening. If your'e an old school scout/GM and draft players like Bill Walsh would, Josh Allen will be the top pick. He's got the best arm in the class as well as the best speed/size combo at the position - problem is he's trash in every other aspect of his game. This picks is made under the thought of "I can coach the bad out of him". The tackle, while not a sexy pick, is safe and GM's like safe. They also have a huge question mark around Joe Thomas' immediate future and even if he returns, there's got to be a succession plan. Round 2 (#33, #35, #60) The Philly pick could be as low as 58 if they lose this weekend. Until they announce the trade for Alex Smith or A.J. McCarron, I'm going to assume we simply sign a "bridge" guy in free agency. Otherwise, they'd be parting with one or more of these picks. 1 - Marcus Davenport (DL)/Sony Michel (RB)/Anthony Miller (WR): the "Dream Draft" continues and we get a first round prospect in Davenport who's built like Garrett and plays like Ogbah. Don't discount the small school product. Add a multi-faceted running back to pair with Duke Johnson and an interior receiver like Miller who's got the speed and route running to immediately contribute on offense. 2 - Brian O'Neill (OT)/Christian Kirk (WR)/Jerome Baker (LB): O'Neill is a premier pass blocker who could take the torch from Thomas, Kirk and Miller are both solid options at wide receiver, and Baker fills the coverage linebacker spot. 3 - Ronnie Harrison (FS/SS)/Ronald Jones (RB)/Marcell Ateman (WR): following the line of thought above, they're adding the guy who "flash" or fit the profile. Ateman, at 6'4" and 220 is a match up nightmare, Jones is lightning fast, and Harrison is another R1 slip guy. Round 3 (#65) 1 - Jamarco Jones (OT): Browns need to fill that LT spot eventually and can't go past R3 without addressing it. This would be made with the thought Joe Thomas plays through his contract and maybe beyond. 2 - DeShon Elliott (FS): huge position of need that they cannot continue to pass over. 3 - Micah Kiser (LB): biggest question on Kiser will be his timed speed. Round 4 (#97, #119) 1 - Josey Jewell (LB)/Trey Quinn (WR): tackling machine and pass catching machine. Browns could add multiple wide receivers, especially if they don't land many (any) in free agency. Quinn is another interior guy but he's excellent at it and that's really been the weakness. 2 - D.J. Moore (WR)/Carlton Davis (CB): wide receiver is definitely a weakness of the team worth upgrading and cornerback needs addressed. 3 - Deandre Baker (CB)/Josh Sweat (DE): under-sized but a gamer corner and a prototype-sized rush end.
No, no, no, no......... Pick #22 is completely unacceptable given the Browns' recent history with that pick.
One of the argument's I've heard - and am almost starting to side with - is why would we give up second round picks for a QB who isn't guaranteed to start even all 16 this coming season? It's almost universally believed that the Browns are taking a QB at #1 overall and the last time #1 overall QB sat was 15 years ago. There's a good chance - especially if we have another struggle season - that whomever is the pick gets live game reps as a rookie. So does it make sense to trade #35 or #60 to the Chiefs for a guy (whom I really like) but who's likely only going to play a handful of games? If you hit that pick, at worst it's a four-year contributor to your team.
