Over-rated and Under-rated 2016 NFL Draft players for each round
April 27, 2016Almost a Quarter of the Way Through the Season: Where Do Columbus Crew SC Stand?
April 27, 2016Cleveland fans, in large, love their Ohio State Buckeyes, and for good reason. When Draft Day rolls around, and a Buckeye is within reach, there is bound to be a large segment of the Browns-based population starts to raise their collective antennae. Fans think of the domination. They think of the scouting of these players on signing day and getting all pumped about what a kid like Vonn Bell will do at the collegiate level, especially once a direct line from God enters into the equation. Now that that intrigue, and extrapolate it to the NFL level and things get wild.
Interestingly enough, while the Pittsburgh Steelers have landed guys like Cam Heyward and Ryan Shazier, and Malcolm Jenkins is making waves out in Philadelphia, the Browns—save for a failed signing of wide receiver Brian Robiskie—have largely avoided kids from the state’s most successful program.
But what if those tides changed? What if, by luck and a little happenstance, the Harvard degree-toting front office in Berea used their picks on one of the best draft classes to come out of Columbus?
First things first: This will never happen. But why not have a little fun and honestly, it would be a Buckeyes fan’s dream to have their NFL team draft every player from their college team, especially when that team has the most talent of in the draft than any college football program — at least according to ESPN’s Todd McShay. With 12 potential draftees, it makes sense that the Browns would also have a league-high 12 draft picks in 2016 as well. So lets use our imagination for a little bit. (All forecasts courtesy of FOX Sports)
Tier 1: Choose One
The first tier of Draft-ready Buckeyes will come at a cost: They’re all slated to be selected early, five of them potentially in the first 20 picks. Even if the Browns trade Joe Thomas to Seattle, any pick they acquire would not allow them a crack at this group of talent.
RB Ezekiel Elliott (Round 1, No. 4)
Alright, it’s not even worth mentioning anymore. Throughout his career in Columbus, Zeke proved how he can be a game-changer in the backfield. Whether it’s tallying carries, blocking, or catching the ball out of the backfield, Elliott can truly do it all as a running back.
Some say he’s the best running back since Adrian Peterson; others point to the fact that quality backs can be found late. Cleveland has the chance to take Elliott if he is available at No. 8, but many believe that they will trade down — again — if in fact Nike’s latest addition is still there. .
DE Joey Bosa (Round 1, No. 7)
One of the best defensive lineman in the draft, Joey Bosa, showed how he can dominate and change a game as a defensive end. While he has drawn comparisons to J.J. Watt, those are some mighty expectations to live up to. Bosa has the chance to be a lineman that can cause chaos in the opponent’s backfield, one of the few defensive ends in the draft that can do that alone. If the Browns want to draft him, they will have to take him with the No. 8 pick as there is way he gets out of the top-10. Baltimore is also rumored to be interested in Bosa at No. 6. Have fun with that twice a year, Browns quarterbacks.
CB Eli Apple (Round 1, No. 13)
Man, wouldn’t it be great to get one of the top cornerbacks in the draft to go alongside Joe Haden? Apple, who has the potential to be a lock-down corner, is all but certain to get taken by a team at some point in the first round.
If the Browns want to take him, they will either have to take him with their pick in the first round, wherever it may be, or trade back into the first round and nab him with a second first-round pick. Unfortunately for Cleveland, the chances that Apple is there at No. 32 are extremely slim.
LB Darron Lee (Round 1, No. 17)
It truly is amazing to think that when Lee came to Ohio State, he was a quarterback. In just three short years, he turned himself into one of the best linebackers in this year’s draft class. Like most players mentioned so far, the Browns will have to trade back into the first round or take Lee at No. 8 if they want him because there’s no way he lands outside of the first round.
The ball-hawking linebacker is not only good at reading the backfield, but is great in coverage as well. He would most likely be Cleveland’s top linebacker if they were to draft him and would tremendously improve a defense that is simply looking for talent and play makers at this point.
OT Taylor Decker (Round 1, No. 18)
The Buckeyes lone offensive lineman who is expected to be drafted, Decker is a lock to be a first round selection as he is one of the best offensive lineman in the draft. While the Browns need an offensive lineman — let’s be honest, the Browns need every position really — the chances of them trading back into the first round to grab a tackle is rare. Then again, it’s Cleveland.
For what it’s worth, Decker would have a shot to be one of the Browns’ top offensive linemen not named Joe Thomas.
Tier 2: If you want them, you can draft them
Having the 32nd pick in the draft provides the Browns with plenty of options. Not only do they effectively have what amounts to a first-round pick, they have an entire day to think about what they want to do with it as there are always players who fall to Day 2, and always plenty of intrigue surrounding a potential trade. They also happen to have picks 65 and 77, allowing for a few more Buckeyes to fall into their hands if they so choose.
WR Michael Thomas (Round 2, No. 47)
He may not be the fastest receiver, but Thomas’ route-running ability is why he will be one of the top receivers off the board.
Thomas’ size alone (6-3, 209 pounds) would be a tremendous boost to Cleveland’s current receiver situation. If they want him though, they will most likely have to take him at No. 32 because he will be gone soon thereafter.
S Vonn Bell (Round 2, No. 49)
One of the best safeties in the draft (are you seeing a trend here?) the Browns drafting the former Ohio State safety is a real possibility at No. 32. Bell would bring plenty of athletic ability to a depleted secondary, one that saw one of their starting safeties leave in free agency. The ball-hawking safety can not only help out the secondary, but would also be someone the defensive backfield could rely on.
Bell is a solid consolation prize for not having a shot at Florida State’s Jalen Ramsey at the top of the first round.
LB Joshua Perry (Round 2, pick 60)
One of the leader’s on the Bucks last season, Perry wasn’t talked about as much on the defensive side of the ball as other players, but he still made plenty of critical plays
Yet another top-75 pick, Perry could help the Browns immediately because he has an eye for the ball and has the leadership to lead a young defense. The losses of Craig Robertson and Karlos Dansby make this one a possibility.
TE Nick Vannett (Round 3, pick No. 66)
One of the top tight ends in the draft this year, Vannett’s value in 2016 will prove just how good he is considering he didn’t touch the ball too much during his senior campaign.
The Browns may already have a Pro Bowl tight end, but the Patriots (and even the Bengals under Jackson) have been known to use two tight ends throughout the game and have faired pretty well. With a weak O-line and a new quarterback under center, who says the Browns can’t do it?
WR Braxton Miler (Round 3, pick No. 72)
Arguably one of the most athletic players in the draft, Miller has so much raw talent as a receiver, since he just made the move over from quarterback a little over a year ago.
Cleveland could definitely decide to go with a player like him in the third or fourth round, especially considering the fact that they need a wide receiver and someone who can make plays happen when they have the ball.
Tier 3: The Best, The Rest
When you have a league-high 12 selections at your disposal, you not only have the ability to select a ton of players, but also the ability to jockey for position in order to obtain certain players. The back end of the draft will see as many Buckeyes come off the board as the first few picks. If Sashi and company plan to mix a little scarlet with their orange, possessing picks 99, 100, 138, 141, 172, and 173 could get it done. Picks 176 and 223 are merely pot-sweeteners at this point.
QB Cardale Jones (Round 5, No. 168)
Undefeated as a starter at Ohio State, Jones has so much upside but could be a bust as well. With the arm strength and athletic ability that the big-man has, he would bring plenty of talent to the Browns who would have the ability to provide him time to grow as he would be able to sit behind Robert Griffin III for at least one season.
S Tyvis Powell (Round 4, pick. 170)
If adding a Buckeye to the defensive backfield is paramount, Cleveland will have four rounds to make up their minds about the safety position. Imagine how awesome it would be if the Browns drafted both of Ohio State’s safeties. Hey — it could happen.
DT Adolphus Washington (Round 4, pick No. 113)
Last but certainly not least, Big Adolphus Washington will prove why every team still needs a (big) man in the middle. Washington teamed up with last year’s first-round pick in Danny Shelton could be scary proposition for opposing teams looking to exploit the middle of the Browns defensive line on Sundays.
12 Comments
It literally cannot get any worse, may as well draft guys I rooted for on Saturdays
Honestly, Noah Spence should also be on this list.
i wouldn’t be opposed to it …
No Braxton?
But seriously, I posed this same strategy to a few people. What was not mentioned in the post but I think may have a positive effect in regards to the locker room is that all of these guys would have some familiarity with each other and with top level success. For a locker room and team that has seen a lot of losing, injecting some successful players cannot be a bad thing.
https://m.popkey.co/b4809f/XgxOw.gif
And Michael Thomas / Vonn Bell are ahead of Eli Apple.
After watching his entire OSU career it is unfathomable to me how high he is on people’s draft boards.
Definitely agree on Bell; not so sure about Thomas, but I’m okay with the notion. I think Apple’s high ranking is due, in some large measure, to the relative weakness of the draft for CBs. He was okay to good, but I’m also shocked at how high everyone is on him. My impression is that he benefitted hugely at OSU from a great defensive scheme and surrounding parts, and that he’s benefitting now from combine numbers – but maybe his relative absence from my consciousness is due to his true ability (i.e., a CB you don’t hear much about is probably doing his job really well)? I find it tough to believe, because I can remember the bad plays, but I guess it’s possible.
Why not. It’s pretty much worked for the Steelers.
Once a player dons the sacred orange helmet, it matters not to me at which institution he exhausted his amateur eligibility.
Go Browns.
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Had this exact same notion about the familiarity and camaraderie easing the transition to the NFL.
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