Tribe Top Twins: A Sipp From the Victory Cup
April 27, 2009Cincinnati Bengals Add to Stable of Convicts
April 27, 2009
It was a long weekend for Todd McShay with the NFL draft and all, but I think maybe he should have taken a bit longer nap before critiquing draft performance. He had this to say about the Browns.
While teams don’t usually like to take centers so early in the first round it’s unlikely Alex Mack would have been off the board in the next few picks had the Browns not traded up to No. 21 overall to get him. You can’t fault them for bringing Mack into the fold, but they had other priority needs including wide receiver and a pass-rush upgrade that could have been addressed there.
Can someone tell me when, exactly, the Browns traded up over the weekend? I’ll cut him some slack. McShay was quite busy over the weekend.
You can say the Browns shouldn’t have drafted a center, but knowing that they did and how many times they traded down, I don’t think you can say they overpaid for him. They didn’t get tons of compensation for dropping two spots twice, but they did get compensation from the Jets by getting presumed starters. They also saved money on the salary cap. If I had to guess based on last year’s rookie contracts, I would say that the Browns probably saved somewhere in the realm of $2 and $3 million per year in guaranteed money assuming they negotiate their contracts well. The rest of McShay’s criticism sounded fine.
Cleveland got its receivers in the next round, though I think Robiskie was a reach because he likely won’t turn into anything more than a possession-type No. 3 receiver. I expect Massaquoi to emerge as the bigger playmaker of the two. I also liked the way the Browns hankered down on Day 2 and found versatile, instinctive playmakers like DE David Veikune, LB Kaluka Maiava and DBs Don Carey and Coye Francies.
I do agree with McShay that Robiskie was a reach at that spot in the second round. None of that matters now. I expect Robiskie to be a great citizen in the locker room. I expect him to be a hard worker in practice. I expect him to catch more passes than he drops. I expect him to almost instantly pass up Syndric Steptoe on the depth chart. The only question is whether or not Mohamed Massoquai will be better than Robiskie or not. Considering the unknowns of Stallworth, it is good to have bodies to compete at wide receiver.
McShay also doesn’t mention the Browns’ selection of RB James Davis. Davis looks like a medium prospect, but if he works out and is coachable, he appears to me that he could end up like Derrick Ward or the healthy Ruben Droughns that played in Denver. That’s what is so great about the draft. We can all hope today.
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Other related reviews:
Browns Draft Review [Cleveland Frowns]
Browns 2009 Draft: Initial Reaction [No Logo Needed]
Quickie Look at Browns Draft Weekend [The OBR]
23 Comments
“I expect him to almost instantly pass up Syndric Steptoe on the depth chart.”
But Steptoe’s legacy as the greatest name for a Browns wide receievr since Fair Hooker will remain untarnished.
Mark my words: James Davis will be a solid contributer to the Browns. The guy was TOTALLY underrated coming out this year; you dont become a 3 year starter at a school like clemson and rush for over 1000 yards twice if you’re not good.
According to PFT, the Browns just signed Harrell (the gun slinger) from Texas Tech. QB moves a-coming?
http://www.profootballtalk.com/2009/04/27/harrell-lands-with-browns/
Ya, I also like Davis, and it really helps that him and Jamal already had a mentor like relationship before the draft. I think through trades and the draft picks the browns really filled in a lot of missing holes in their roster.
I predict the emergence of a blog called “www.theghostofreymalualuga.com” within 2-3 years. someone snatch up the domain!
I say the Browns should keep all four QB’s on their roster.
@Humboldt
My buddy sent me an article that possibly explains why he dropped so much:
If teams simply drafted on talent alone, Rey Maualuga would have gone in the first round. He probably would have been the first of the celebrated USC linebacker trio to get selected. As it was, not only was he the last to be selected, he also fell all the way to the second round before Cincinnati picked him and reunited him with former Trojan teammate Keith Rivers.
The problem with Maulauga is that as much of a wrecking ball as he is on the field, he’s a bit of a space cadet. I’m not just talking off the field, where he reportedly scored a 15 on the Wonderlic and didn’t know who Vice President Joe Biden was, but on it as well. No one frustrated USC coaches more than Maualuga. He looked like he was running around with his head cut off and looking to hit anything that moved. The more tape pro coaches watched on Maualuga, the more times they probably saw him being saved by his teammates on missed assignments.
Huge hits might make for great highlights in college but if you can’t play within the confines of a structured defense in the NFL, you might end up on the other end of those highlights.
–Arash Markazi (Follow on Twitter.)
@ Humboldt… I’m on it. Maualuga was my man crush and was devastated the Browns didn’t take him.
As far as McShay goes, I’m not sure if it’s lack of sleep or ineptitude. I got this e-mail from a buddy last week who copy and pasted the first part from a McShay article.
“Cleveland Browns
Top three needs: OLB, WR, CB
Raji is the best player on the board at this point and would provide the Browns with a stout nose tackle in their 4-4 defense. He has the size and strength to anchor against double-teams in the running game and the burst and quickness to collapse the pocket and get to the quarterback as a pass-rusher.
First we have a nose tackle, second there is no nose tackle in a 4-4, which the Browns, nor do any teams in the NFL run….Lost a lot of respect for McShay.”
I too like the Davis pick, and if he doesn’t pan out, who cares, it was just a 6th rounder.
Same with Harrell, minus the draft pick
Not only does McShay need sleep, but I heard Michael Smith mention a couple times last week that the Browns need players to help our transition to the NEW 3-4 that we’re going to start running.
Either he’s clueless, or doesn’t count what we ran under Romeo a 3-4
I caught that too Lyon. I was laughing. Great analysis.
I think Michael Smith probably spent too much time with that pointless touch screen.
Was the touch screen supposed to do more than scroll up and down in the drafting order? John King laughs at his touch screen.
Maybe Smith meant new 3-4 as in the fact that it is slightly different than the Romeo version of the 3-4. Let’s hope this “new” 3-4 is different than the old 3-4 in that it works!
I am excited for Mangini because he isn’t Romeo. We are going to find out this year that Romeo truly was one of the worst head coaches in the history of the game. Again, Mangini might not be Belichick, but he is going to be far and away closer to Belichick than Romeo has ever dreamed of being.
Both Robo and Mass will give us at least 5x’s more than Stallworth did last year, and at a fraction of the price. I easily see them getting more than 140 yards and 1 TD a piece. Also, Coy Francis does have some character issues, but he’s supposed to be a great player, and only had 1 issue not an entire rap sheet ala every cincy player they took.
And please get off Maualuga, we didn’t take him 5th nor did anyone else take him in the 1st round and into the second round. Stop saying he’s going to curse us because if he is good then he is, we weren’t the only one’s to pass. We also passed on Beanie and Robert Ayers and Brandon Pettigrew and everyone else that went after #5 so if their good do we have a curse of Michael Oher!?!?!?!?!?
S-Dub, how dare you spout logic and sense in the face of voodoo and superstition!
I like the Browns draft, I have to admit I was caught off-guard by the front office not panicing. The plan to trade down and add Colemand and Abram seemed thought-out and well-executed.
I like Kiper and McShay. Those guys didnt get those sweet jobs by not knowing their business. They have to deliver goods on hundreds of players so I’ll give them a pass for a few misspoken words.
Can WFNY get a forecasted roster and/or 2-deep?
As a transplant in ACC country, I’ve watched Davis for years. Last year, he was hampered by a bad offensive line but beyond that, I don’t think he will be a great pro.
He can’t run over anyone and he doesn’t have the explosive speed or hands of a third down specialist. And he took alot of plays off. Alot.
@ 16- heres the offense
QB- DA/ BQ
RB- Lewis, Harrison
FB- Vickers, Ali
WR- Edwards, Robiske, Massaqoui, Patten
TE- Royal, Heiden, Rucker
RT- Tucker, St. Clair
RG- Porkchop, Fraley
C- Mack, Fraley
LG- Steinbach
LT- Thomas
(20 players)
Defense:
RE- R Smith, Williams
NT- Rogers, S Smith, Rubin
LE- Coleman, Mosley
ROLB- Wimbley, Bowens
MLB- Jackson, Barton, Williams
LOLB- Hall, Veikune, Maiva
CB- Wright, Mcdonald, Ivy, Poteat, Francies
SS- Elam, Sorenson
FS- Pool, Adams
(24 players)
Special Teams-
Dawson, Zastidil, Cribbs
Thats 47 players that will likely be on the roster. I think these guys actually have done what Savage and Romeo always tried, getting depth and competition. except for the OL and DBs there’s a ton of competition on this roster.
@Craig: Ya who would’ve thought some common sense would actually be good in this world haha.
@Bobby: I’d sure like to see LeRoy Hill added to that roster for the LOLB spot. Although, he was offered 6 year $36 million from Seattle and turned it down, I don’t know that I’d give him that much but we should see if there’s any more help (Derrick Brooks) come June cut downs.
There’s also bound to be a third QB. One of those CBs won’t be active out of the gate.
Here’s hoping that Alex Hall progresses…
*** Thanks Bobby ****
Hopefully we can get a lot more pressure on the QB which takes tons of pressure off the secondary. That’ll be on Mangini this year.
Might as well put Soreson on the special teams area, as he cannot play on D at all…
mcshay is just another useless voice in espn’s nauseating draft coverage.
the guy really doesn’t know what the heck he is talking about and is just trying to take Kiper’s job.
not that I like kiper but Mcshay is really bad.
Not sure that Mack will start over Fraley just yet.