I hope so. I honestly won't be shocked if he falls though...Not just because of this report, but also the very real and completely understandable bias because of the fact Ohio State isn't known for producing QB's....The Dwayne Haskins flameout in DC doesn't help.
You could be right. I hope not, but Haskins was definitely a disappointment. One hit wonder in school. Haskins still has a chance, he’s still only like 23 or 24 years old and learning. Fields has a longer college resume and it seems shows more maturity. I liked Haskins when he came out, because he had such a huge year, but I have a lot more confidence in Haskins just because of his game film he produced over a longer period of time. There is some merit in tOSU bias though. They have some of the top athletes in the country and tend to make QBs look better than they really are. Let’s hope Fields is the real deal and get the monkey off their back...again, still hoping Haskins can become a reliable starter as well. He has time. (edit) I just hope it doesn’t develop in Pittsburgh... hopefully Ben gets hurt after they start 1-7, Haskins comes in and goes 4-5 but still can’t beat the eventual Super Bowl champ Browns. But shows such potential that he lands a starting gig contract in free agency and leaves the AFC North for the rest of his career.
How is this not being said for Clemson or Alabama, then? I'm not delusional enough to think Trevor Lawrence isn't going #1 overall, but he's not going to be some transcendent QB talent and history shows us he's probably not going to get a second contract with the same team after his rookie deal. If San Francisco is trading up for Mac Jones of Alabama, then my heart breaks for those fans. He's barely a third round talent at the position and we're talking about a Crimson Tide squad that will likely have three first round offensive players in the upcoming draft excluding the QB. And not hating on you fellas because I agree the Ohio State bias is real. I just don't understand it.
The simple answer IMO is, because they aren't Ohio State. The OSU brand is unmatched, so we are always under the microscope. Remember when the Buckeyes traveled across the country for an early season match-up with Cal a few years ago? It was a home game for the scarlet and gray 2400 miles away. I've never seen anything like it. What other school has that kind of following and power? None...So Ohio State goes under the microscope and gets the chatter on a broader scale. It is hard to believe that Ohio State, which has been a NFL factory forever, somehow hasn't produced a superstar at the games' most pivotal position, but I think that's coming to an end very soon anyway. Then they'll have to try and find something else to nitpick us about...
Also on this note... Carolina (who coached Mac Jones in the Senior Bowl) made the determination that a broken Sam Darnold was better than a shot at the rookie, so either don't expect him to be there (he should be) or don't think he's got more potential than the reclamation project from New York. Easy to say that 4-5 QBs will go in the Top 10 or 12 picks this year, and recent history shows it can happen (2018: Mayfield - 1; Darnold - 3; Allen - 7, Rosen - 10), but it could be a rush on the Top 3 (Fields, Wilson, Lawrence) and a slow trickle through the first for Lance and Jones.
Browns Targets for #26 Following are guys I wouldn't hate us adding: Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, LB Jamin Davis, LB Zaven Collins, LB/EDGE Jaycee Horn, CB (if he slides) Caleb Farley, CB (if he slides) Terrace Marshall Jr., WR Kadarius Toney, WR ... noticing a pattern all of a sudden.
IMHO . . . It's because for decades, OSU's offense revolved around the RB. Only when Tress and Meyer arrived, did they add the QB who could also run the ball. Up until Lamar Jackson arrived on the scene in Baltimore, running QB's weren't exactly the rage in the NFL.
For sure that plays a part, it wasn't a fancy passing game, but most of college football was that way. IMO that's just the evolution of the game. I must be ahead of my time because I've always had the love for the QB's that can run. There is no question that it puts more pressure on a defense. Back in the day they would have probably have asked Fields to play a different position. It's not like OSU doesn't put QB's on rosters, but then you look at the ones that have come from say Purdue, and it kinda makes ya scratch your head. How can that be? Then you look at the two highest drafted QB's out of OSU in the last 50 years, Art Schlichter and Dwayne Haskins, and it's quite underwhelming. You mention Lamar Jackson. Even as good as he was at Louisville, all the way up to the draft he was still fielding questions about switching to a different position in the NFL. They asked him if he'd run WR routes at the NFL Combine, which he declined....
My 2 cents on this year's QB draft class; Make no mistake . . . Lawrence will be a Jaguar. He was penciled in as the #1 O/A pick since his freshman year at Clemson. We will simply have to wait and see how his NFL career pans out as he (like Fields and Jones) was surrounded by NFL talent. Except - (unlike Fields and Jones) he lit it up against teams in possibly the weakest collection of teams (the ACC) in the entire country. Now that Darnold met my expectations and got booted by the Jets, and the Niners traded up into the #3 spot - it's fairly certain that QB's will go 1 - 2 - 3. Both Fields and Jones were also surrounded by NFL talent except they played in the two premier conferences in college football. IF the Jets want to emulate the Ravens' offensive model, they'll pick Fields. If not, they have the pick of the liter not named Lawrence. I'm obviously higher on Jones than most. I don't know shit about mechanics, ceilings or floors. I only know (and trust) my eye test watching him play against some of the best talent the NCAA had to offer. Shanahan in S.F is hard to gage. IF Fields makes it past the Jets, he could very well try to implement the Ravens' offense with the Niners. Even if Jones makes it past the Jets and 49ers, he won't last beyond Denver.
Can't say. Never saw a game in which he played. (No eye test) He could be Trevor Lawrence, Lite. Great numbers against shitty competition.
After a little thought . . . He didn't have nearly the surrounding talent as did Lawrence, Fields or Jones. Given that - he probably belongs in the top 4 group.
Mock Draft 3.0 | Penultimate Edition Second-to-last mock of the season, here. Round 1 + YOUR Cleveland Browns, picks 1-16. Let's gooooo!! 1.1 Jacksonville Jaguars: Trevor Lawrence, QB Clemson. Locked. 1.2 New York Jets: Zach Wilson, QB Brigham Young. Locked. After the Jets moved Sam Darnold (don't look now, but they got more for him than Philadelphia did for Wentz) to Carolina, this became a lock. 1.3 San Francisco 49ers (f/Miami via Houston): Justin Fields, QB Ohio State. You don't trade up to get a QB and walk away with a Mac Jones or Trey Lance. Fields is my QB#1 and has the highest ceiling of any QB in this class. 1.4 Atlanta Falcons: Trey Lance, QB North Dakota State. This is where the draft starts and it's sure to get interesting. They're allegedly shopping the pick now. There's also a reported struggle between GM (win-now) and head coach (draft his QB of the future). With Matt Ryan restructured but still counting a TON against the cap, I don't see how they can move him. If you think he has 1-2 seasons left, get yourself a developmental guy like Lance who needs to marinate. Atlanta has to hope they aren't drafting his high next season. 1.5 Cincinnati Bengals: Penei Sewell, OT Oregon. Locked. Joe Burrow approves. 1.6 Miami Dolphins (f/Philadelphia): Jaylen Waddle, WR Alabama. They really can't go wrong here with their choice of wide out. I am giving Waddle the edge now just due to the familiarity with Tua. 1.7 TRADE!! Denver Broncos (f/Detroit): Mac Jones, QB Alabama. Whomever wants the last of the consensus round one QBs is going to have to get ahead of Carolina to do so. For Denver, the cost isn't too prohibitive. Drew Lock was terrible in college and continued that into the pros... I cannot see Denver going with him another season. Not a big fan of Jones, but he's definitely better than Lock. Detroit gets: #9, #114, #152, 2022 sixth round selection Denver gets: #7 1.8 Carolina Panthers: Kyle Pitts, TE Florida. Carolina, desperate for a quarterback, just misses out on the "Big 5". The consolation prize here is the best non-QB in the class. Pitts is phenomenal and looks to be the next great TE. 1.9 TRADE!! Detroit Lions (f/Denver): Ja'Marr Chase, WR Louisiana State. Detroit can move back a few spots and still grab the top wide receiver in this year's class. Too bad they've got that JAG, Goff (see what I did there?) throwing him the football. Goff regressed with an offensive guru like McVey calling the shots and it will be interesting to see him in Detroit when his head coach isn't calling the audibles for him. 1.10 Dallas Cowboys: Patrick Surtian II, CB Alabama. Dallas has to take a cornerback, don't they? I would have said Caleb Farley, but it sounds like he's poised for a bit of a slide come draft day. 1.11 New York Giants: Tevin Jenkins, OT Oklahoma State. Jenkins is my favorite o-lineman in this class -- the dude is just relentless. I don't see New York not adding a tackle in Round 1. 1.12 Philadelphia Eagles (f/Miami via San Francisco): DeVonta Smith, WR Alabama. If the Iggles really are "all in" on Jalen Hurts (ouch) then it makes sense to get him some weapons. Here, they reunite Hurts with his former teammate who's a helluva player. 1.13 Los Angeles Chargers: Rashawn Slater, OT/OG/C Northwestern. Los Angeles grabs the versatile Slater here to protect rookie phenom Justin Herbert. 1.14 Minnesota Vikings: Micah Parsons, LB Penn State. Vikings have to address their offensive line, but not necessarily here. If they stick with their "best player available" mantra, that could very well be the troubled but talented linebacker. 1.15 TRADE!! San Francisco 49ers (f/New England): Caleb Farley, CB Virginia Tech. Bill's spending spree in free agency says "win now". After his ex was thriving elsewhere, he may try to rekindle some magic with "the one that got away". For San Francisco, it's a win. Here, they can stop Farley's slide and get a Top 5 talent. All it costs them really is their second round pick. New England gets: Jimmy Garapolo, QB; #43 San Francisco gets: #15 1.16 Arizona Cardinals: Jaycee Horn, CB South Carolina. I think Arizona would have taken Farley if their division rival hadn't hopped them to get him away from them. They can take solace in drafting Horn who pairs elite measurables with a ferocious attitude.
Mock Draft 3.0 | Penultimate Edition (cont.) 1.17 Las Vegas Raiders: Jeremiah Owusu-Kormoah, LB Notre Dame. While they should be looking to add to the offensive line, their new DC could have something to say about their atrocious defense. JOK can play three positions, which is good because they need all the help they can get. 1.18 Miami Dolphins: Christian Darrisaw, OT Virginia Tech. With their first selection, they get Tua a playmaker. Here, they get him an ascending tackle to protect him. 1.19 Washington Football Team: Alijah Vera-Tucker, OT Southern California. What do you get the team that needs everything? They cannot hope to get the QB of the future here, so it makes sense to add a young, left tackle to help protect whomever that ends up being. 1.20 Chicago Bears: Greg Newsome II, CB Northwestern. Another team that needs everything -- they cannot be serious going into 2021 with Andy Dalton, right? -- and as their window is shutting, they look to add cornerback talent here in the local kid, Newsome. 1.21 Indianapolis Colts: Kwity Paye, DE Michigan. Raw, but showing promise, this could be a good fit for Paye. Indy lost some talent along the defensive line. 1.22 Tennessee Titans: Jackson Carman, OT/OG Clemson. Tennessee really needs to add a complementary wide receiver, but since this is the Derrick Henry show, adding players along the offensive line could help. They could go with Carman here who, while maybe a bit of a reach, can fit into the OG or RT spot and shore up their weaknesses there. 1.23 New York Jets (f/Seattle): Travis Etienne, RB Clemson. New York has a lot of holes, but their running back room may be the worst in the league. Etienne is undersized, but versatile and surely the scouts would have seen plenty of him while they were watching Clemson back when they had a shot at Trevor Lawrence. 1.24 Pittsburgh Steelers: Jayson Oweh, OLB Penn State. While every fiber of my being wants to give yinz another rapey signal caller (trade for Deshaun Watson), I held off this time. Bud Dupree is gone and T.J. Watt is just okay, so it makes sense to add a rush linebacker like Oweh who's supremely gifted physically. Being blanked in the sack total is a bit of a concern, but he could have been playing out of position. 1.25 Jacksonville Jaguars: Trevon Moehrig, FS Texas Christian. The true deep safety from TCU would be a good fit here where the Jags desperately need a talent injection to their secondary. 1.26 Cleveland Browns: Jamin Davis, LB Kentucky. Davis is one of the biggest risers during the draft process, and for good reason. He's always around the football and absolutely destroyed his Pro Day (4.37 40 yard, 42" vertical, and 11 broad jump as a 6'2" 234 pound linebacker). The Browns' linebacker corp is the weakness of the team and I don't think they can feel comfortable without addressing it. 1.27 Baltimore Ravens: Jaelan Philips, DE Miami. Playing against an ascending second-year pro like Burrow and a Top 3 like Mayfield, Baltimore is going to need to add players who can get after the quarterback. 1.28 New Orleans Saints: Elijah Moore, WR Mississippi. The Saints without Drew Brees will be interesting to watch. While their secondary remains a concern, I think losing Michael Thomas revealed just how thin their wide receiver group was. Moore is a speedster who can do damage from inside at the slot position and take a high number of targets. 1.29 Green Bay Packers: Zaven Collins, LB/EDGE Tulsa. Green Bay is tough to pick for since their team is so solid. I was leaning cornerback here, but they play against arguably the league's worst quarterback division, so maybe some help in the running game and as a situational pass rusher is in order. Collins exploded onto the scene and once he has a true position in the NFL, should be pretty good pro for a long time. 1.30 Buffalo Bills: Christian Barmore, IDL Alabama. Buffalo would have to be thrilled to get a player like Barmore here where big needs meet high-rated prospect. 1.31 Kansas City Chiefs: Walker Little, OT Stanford. Chiefs have to rebuild their offensive line and it can start with Little who should step into the LT spot right away. After watching Mahomes run for his life, is there any doubt about the direction of this choice? 1.32 TRADE!! Chicago Bears (f/Tampa Bay): Kyle Trask, QB Florida. A team with few holes and poised to repeat can afford to move out and let someone who wants that extra year on a rookie QB deal get in under the gun. Trask isn't a QB for every scheme, but has the arm talent to be good in the right spot. Chicago has to be thinking about an upgrade after they were linked to so many QBs in the offseason. Tampa Bay gets: #52, 2022 second round selection Chicago gets: #32
Mock Draft 3.0 | Penultimate Edition (cont.) Since I don't see Cleveland keeping nine rookies, I'm going to assume they don't make nine picks. Doesn't feel like they'd move up from #26 but I do think they'd move up in R2 and R3 for the right prospects if they happened to be there. 2.42 TRADE!! Cleveland Browns (f/New York Giants): Terrace Marshall Jr., WR Louisiana State. Browns move up to the top of round two and nab the deep threat from LSU, adding the the LSU wide receiver room. I think this is a spot they have to address because Odell and Jarvis are going to account for a ton of cap space next year -- at least one will need restructured. Odell has shown an inability to stay healthy. Then, you've got Hodge and Higgins who're both facing free agency again in 2022. Marshall gives them positional flexibility as well as adding a dimension to the offense they're missing, but that Baker excels at. New York gets: #59, #91 Cleveland gets: #42 3.75 TRADE!! Cleveland Browns (f/Dallas): Eric Stokes, CB Georgia. Browns again move up the board to secure a position of need. Stokes has good speed, can play on the perimeter, and showed the ability to not only generate turnovers, but points off of them (four interceptions, two touchdowns last season). He's got good size which makes his tackling concerns a bit lessened -- in my mind -- since he can be taught to take on runners once he hits the NFL. Dallas gets: #89, #132, 2022 fifth round selection Cleveland gets: #75 4.110 Cleveland Browns: Milton Williams, IDL Louisiana Tech. An undersized interior lineman here to help push the pocket. Browns should get Andrew Billings (2020 opt out) back, but losing Ogunjobi means less rotational depth than ideal. 5.169 Cleveland Browns: Tommy Tremble, TE Notre Dame. The TE position is the only question mark offensively for Cleveland. They could look to add a developmental player here in the event that David Njoku isn't retained after 2021. Tremble has a good athletic profile, so there's an upside to work with. [Note: PFF.com had him available but was the #105 overall prospect, so this may be a bit farfetched.] 6.211 Cleveland Browns: Janarius Robinson, DE Florida State. Athletically gifted (was a Top 10 prospect coming out of high school) but who underwhelmed at the collegiate level. Developmental pass rusher here who could see a few opportunities in a rotation as a rookie. 7.257 Cleveland Browns: Brenden Knox, RB Marshall. The Columbus, OH native returns to the Buckeye state as a backup running back and potential return man for the Browns. He feels a bit like a poor man's Kareem Hunt - a multifaceted weapon who didn't test particularly well but who looks the part, never fumbles, and can add value in multiple areas as a runner, receiver, and special teams.
Assuming we stay at #26, here's a list of prospects that I wouldn't hate winding up with. (hopefully at least one gets that far): 1. Jaycee Horn - Stud. Doubt he gets there. Might be worth moving up for. The more I think about it, the more I love the idea of another star CB in the pound. 2. Azeez Ojulari - Raw talent. Ascending football player. 3. Gregory Rousseau - I wish we could have seen him play last year, but he really has an exciting set of traits and skills based on what I saw on tape from previous season....Worth a shot at #26 all day IMO.. 4. Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah - Hardest hitter in the draft IMO...Another guy that might be worth moving up for. 5. Zaven Collins- Enjoyed watching his film as much as any. Talk about a playmaker. When you watch, it's easy to see why he was DPOY in college football. 6. Christian Barmore - This would be an upgrade to Ogunjobi, and make me forget all about losing him to Cincinnati. 7. Trevon Moehrig - Tenacious. Probably the second most fun tape to watch after Collins and Owusu-Koramoah. Gonna be a star for sure. He's #7 on the list, with a bullet. 8. Kwity Paye - I'll put him in the category with Horn and Owusu-Koramoah. Doubtful he gets to #26, but great prospect that might be worth moving for. 9. Jason Oweh - Obviously I'm big on EDGE rush possibilities, and I wouldn't forget about Joseph Ossai either 10. Christian Darrisaw, Alex Leatherwood, Tevin Jenkins - We only have Conklin for 2 more seasons. If CLE thinks one of these guys is elite, it makes a lot of sense IMO. And therein lies the beauty of the position the Browns have put themselves in. If they have a top 10 grade on one of these guys, pull the trigger. Same goes for the top OG's if you have them rated that high. We all saw firsthand what a profound difference Wyatt Teller made whe he was in. I could also live with a WR, but didn't include any simply because I think it's a deep class and talent can be found at that position later in the draft. Pretty sure neither Chase, Waddle or Smith are getting to Cleveland's pick.
CB#1 for me... I would be 100% on-board with trading up to get him. Just don't get the vibe that this front office would be aggressive at the #26 spot.
IMHO, Berry has positioned this roster to allow the draft to fall to his pick at # 26 (and perhaps beyond). He doesn't need to burn assets to move up nor does he need to accumulate assets by moving down. With the way things are shaking out across the league at the QB position, pick # 26 in reality becomes pick # 21 and the 1st round talent pool is stocked with CB's, DT's and EDGE. Throw in OT and WR needy teams (we're not one of them) and pick # 21 now becomes pick # 16.
