While We’re Waiting… NFL Draft First Round Reactions

While We’re Waiting serves as the early morning gathering of WFNY-esque information for your viewing pleasure. Have something you think we should see? Send it to our tips email at tips@waitingfornextyear.com.

This post makes a lot of solid points. While Morris Claiborne might have been favored by some, Trent Richardson clearly fills a big need for the Browns: “Richardson is considered an all-around back, and has been pegged by many as the best running back coming out of college since Adrian Peterson. Many people here at Dawgs By Nature had made it clear that we preferred that Richardson not be the pick, but it is what it is. I’m not disappointed that Richardson is a member of the Browns, as he definitely improves a position that previously featured Montario Hardesty, Brandon Jackson, and Chris Ogbonnaya. Were any of those guys going to get it done against the Steelers’ or Ravens’ defense? A concern about Richardson is whether he can live up to the hype at the NFL level. We shall see.” [Chris Pokorny/Dawgs By Nature]

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Some noteworthy facts and figures about Richardson being the Browns’ pick: “Richardson is the first running back taken by the Browns in the first round since William Green in 2002. He is the eleventh running back selected by the Browns in the first round in franchise history, joining Ken Carpenter (1950), Preston Carpenter (1956), Jim Brown (1957), Leroy Jackson (1962), Ron Johnson (1969), Mike Pruitt (1976), Charles White (1980), Eric Metcalf (1989), Tommy Vardell (1992) and William Green (2002).” [Matt Loede/Browns Gab]

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Then, of course, the real shocker took place at No. 22 where the Browns took Brandon Weeden: “It was interesting that Shurmur pointed out that the owner had input on this decision. The pressure is on, and the clock is ticking. At his age, Weeden has to start immediately. There’s no time to let him sit and learn. And, because of his age, the expectation is to win immediately. Browns officials shrugged off Weeden’s age as being an issue. The number they concentrated on is 22, which is Weeden’s wins in 25 starts in college.” [Jamison Hensley/ESPN NFL Nation Blog]

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As this states, many fans were wondering why the team decided to gamble on Weeden so early: “The biggest question about Weeden is his age. He’s 28, only coming to play football after washing out as a minor league baseball player. Some teams were put off by spending a high pick on a player six years further along than his peers. The Browns think that Weeden will be worth the gamble. There was a thought that they could wait until the 37th pick to draft Weeden, but that gamble obviously wasn’t too their liking.” [Josh Alper/Pro Football Talk]

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Some interesting Weeden tidbits in here. Yes, this is exactly how the long-tweet began: “Cleveland selected Oklahoma State QB Brandon Weeden. He will turn 29 on Oct. 14. For his 28th birthday, teammates at Oklahoma State presented Weeden with a cane and some adult diapers. Evaluators talked about his live NFL arm throwing into tight windows. Generates zip on the ball. Needs to work on foot work.” [Chris Mortensen/WhoSay]

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On the topic of Weeden one more time, here’s another look with a scouting/fantasy edge: “At 6-3½ and 221 pounds with a big arm, Weeden is built for a vertical offense more than a timing offense. The Browns will have to work with him on his game — especially since he ran a half-field simplified offense. His mechanics also need work as he relies on his arm too much with bad footwork.” [William Del Pilar/Pro Football weekly]

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Of local interest, Akron Garfield High School product Whitney Mercilus was taken No. 25 by the Houston Texas. The Cleveland Plain Dealer had a nice profile on the defensive end earlier this week: “The former Akron Garfield standout and Plain Dealer All-Star had started just two games with one sack as a sophomore, and recorded just one sack as a redshirt freshman. It wasn’t a cornfield. It was a weight room, and the football classroom, and intense training to improve his speed and pass-rushing technique.” [Bill Lubinger/Cleveland Plain Dealer]

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And, finally, for those unable to make it to Middleburg Heights for last night’s WFNY draft party, here’s a sneak peek at what you missed. Spoiler: Shawn Lauvao must have an awesome T-shirt collection. [WFNY/Facebook]