Aaron Goldhammer, The Matrix, and Pearl Jam Unplugged
March 17, 2017Tribe, Tunes and Transport, One Fanâs Memories: Circa 1986
March 17, 2017Even after the Cleveland Browns signed starting caliber players at center, offensive guard, and wide receiver, the team has a great number of needs throughout the roster. Having a strategy of picking based on need marry one that also happens to select the best player available could well work for this barren 53-man set. The opening of free agency is in the rear view mirror as is the NFL combine with college pro days and private workouts taking over the final phase of the prospect evaluation period. Much can change between now and Day 1 of the 2017 NFL Draft (a big-time trade perhaps), but for now the Browns picking based on need does not seem the worst method.
The Rules
- No trades unless the strategy is specifically geared around trades.
- Demonstrate multiple options at each pick within the confines of the strategy.
- Use a MSM Big Board to demonstrate feasibility of picks.
- Select picks at the Browns four picks in Round 1 and Round 2.
Using the Walter Football Big Board for this week.
The Draft Strategy
Certain positions are of more importance on the football field than others, so the need is greater to fill them. Quarterback, left tackle, pass rusher, and cornerback are often the three hardest positions to fill. The Browns have a HOFer at left tackle, so that is not a need, but the other two positions are critical to fill if the Browns ever want to be a consistent contender. Other positions of great need on the roster include free safety, right tackle, strong safety, and a three-technique defensive tackle. They wonât be able to fill all of their needs with their first four picks, but they can certainly get a good start on checking off those boxes.
The Picks
No. 1 Myles Garrett, DE, Texas A&M
The best pass rusher available also happens to be the best prospect in the draft, and the Browns hold the first overall pick. A perfect happenstance for a draft focused on filling need.
Again, playing hurt, Garrett just pushes the tackle back into Dobbs to force the game-ending INT in overtime. pic.twitter.com/u51qQBoe9b
— Dan Labbe (@dan_labbe) March 16, 2017
No. 12 Patrick Mahomes, QB, Texas Tech
WFNY has been touting Mahomes all offseason. He has the strongest arm, is the best athlete among the quarterbacks (though Mitchell Trubisky is right there with him), and he is known to be an incredibly hard worker with a very strong (i.e. wind-cutting) arm. Hue Jackson might prefer the pocket presence of Trubisky over the creativity of Mahomes. Either would be fine in this slot.
Very first snap of Mahomes for the review. Tries to go through progressions, bails at the right time, eyes up, accurate on the run. Oh. pic.twitter.com/sBzvsfcy6g
— Seth Keysor (@RealMNchiefsfan) March 16, 2017
No. 33 Quincy Wilson, CB, Florida
The Browns picking based on need will still have quite a few corners to sort through here. TreâDavious White isnât physical enough, Cordrea Tankersley doesnât have good enough technique, and Desmond King isnât quite the athlete as the other corners. Wilson is a first-round talent that should still be here due to a loaded corner class.
Teez Tabor stole headlines in Florida, but Wilson was the steadier corner. He is big at 6-foot-1, 211 pounds. He is confident as he has no issues letting people know when he makes big plays. And, he is a physical, competitive freak who has great energy at all time. Wilson will help in the run game and make it horrific for receivers to get a clean release. His release and hips could use some work or heâll get called for more penalties in the NFL (not uncommon needs), but he should be a solid starter.
https://twitter.com/recruitvidzapp/status/840011325896024064
No. 52 Marcus Williams, FS, Utah
Free safety is an under-valued position in the NFL. A good one can break up multiple long plays a game or even make a game-changing interception, yet free safeties tend to drop in the draft. The Browns could take advantage if that trend continues because Williams has the characteristics of a top-flight free safety. He has great instincts and ability to read the play or the quarterback. He is also a former standout high-jumper who will not let receivers win the jump balls (sorry A.J. Green). Heâs not the biggest of players, so he wonât be pulled near the line, but he is a willing tackler who uses great form. A complete steal in the mid-second round.
Witherspoon, at S Marcus Williams pic.twitter.com/mqZrUIXopn
— Keith Mullins (@KeithDeuces) March 15, 2017
Last Word
- No. 1 Myles Garrett, DE, Texas A&M
- No. 12 Patrick Mahomes, QB, Texas Tech
- No. 33 Quincy Wilson, CB, Florida
- No. 52 Marcus Williams, FS, Utah
The Browns would still have a ton of needs after this draft, but thereâs no two ways around that issue. A draft like the one above would make Gregg Williams smile and be a huge step towards respectability for the franchise.
29 Comments
the longer draft season goes along, the more I talk myself into Mahomes. And please, NO TEEZ TABOR. Id take Wilson over Tabor in a heartbeat. He talks a lot of smack, but backs it up, and is not an off-field knucklehead.
I think this is my favorite mck draft of all the WFNY mocks so far. Dare i say its the mock draftiest?
I really like Mahomes, but have been operating under the assumption he would fall to 33 because he’s a project. What I really don’t want is for the Browns to take a not-good-enough QB with a 1st round pick because they “have to,” but taking a project with a ton of upside is a different story. I just don’t know about doing it at #12, where there should be nearly surefire contributors available still.
NO QB AT #12!
They have us taking Solomon at #12. Him and MYLES together…wow.
But, using their board, I like Adoree’ Jackson or Mike Wiliams at #12.
But, I don’t think we’ll be drafting at #12. Traders gonna trade.
I feel very confidently they won’t.
Garrett / Howard / FS Utah/Washington / CB
That’s your first 4 picks
I view TEs as luxuries.
A $500 Corolla doesn’t need a $5000 stereo system.
tell that to the Patriots …
They won the Super Bowl without the league’s best TE. Didn’t miss a beat.
Wait til Bode does his Astrology Strategy Mock Draft.
looks to me like FS is the biggest glaring weak spot on the roster as it is right now … yes , even more than QB or CB.
if they follow-through & draft Garrett , the front 7 on the defense will actually look pretty dang good … they’ve got to find a way to end-up with Adams or Hooker … will Reddick play LB in the nfl , or is he safety material ??
MG doing his mock …. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/1a7797c0a2c5c9ee1321ac319558f49221b7ba00475d1fa4b3732d5ac3149daf.jpg
… yes , then there’s Peppers.
“oh , hell … sorry , Craig … ” https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/70fcca3cf1fc6d8eeeb25521c9d95aafac7afc3f419cc0a9d094e57db8119acf.jpg
“oh , man … sorry Andrew !! … ” https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/e5d9c15db1e5e259a109a81271289f357c1c571be8f74921f93c74736384eb31.gif
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/2db1254809885ab2258794d0c1cfa92c481929a8024c1890aa834d44eaf311ff.gif
I am so far on the Mahomes train now that his dad follows me and his agent thanked me.
I don’t know about Solomon as a 3tech and Ogbah is on the other side.
I keep hearing how the Pats try and obtain guys who “love football”. I am becoming convinced that this should factor in. We have all seen guys with talent drafted by the Browns, but what was missing was the love which translates into a genuine work ethic. The radio guy Cherry, the former Pats DB places a lot of stock on this approach and I am inclined to agree.
I like this list.
There are a lot of bad NFL players taken 10-20. I think Howard has a high basement and high ceiling, he’s going to be a solid NFL player and TE isn’t a lesser position like it was 1977.
I think he or Foster have the most likely Pro Bowl material there at that spot. Just my 2 cents.
okay , i’m starting to get the feeling we’ll be trading for Grop … i don’t think NE is super-confident in Brisett , so , maybe we will end-up sending Osweiler to NE , but we will be paying most of his salary & then possibly the #12 overall … would that be enough ?? or we could send them Osweiler , #33 overall this year & one of our 2nd round picks next year.
NE currently has no 1st or 2nd round pick … i think we’re in the better bargaining seat than they are.
Solomon doesn’t fit at 3T unfortunately. Who knows maybe they bulk him up though. No mike Williams. We can look at receiver in future drafts if the young guys don’t develop. give them a chance this year.
National media seems convinced we are obligated to give them five draft picks for whatever reaosn
That’s the best draft I have seen and it’s realistic.
Thanks
I’ve given this a lot of thought. I’m thinking Hooker might be the guy who drops due to his medical.
Who was the last player to be a top 10 pick that missed the entire pre-draft season due to medical? I’m sure there’s been an example.
I think the plan is that if Trubisky is not there at 12 then the Browns will be ready to roll with Kessler/ Osweiler. That is if Billychuck doesn’t relent for the 2 deuces offered during the draft. Don’t be surprised if he does relent. He has no 2’s in 2017 and BB loves him some 2’s.
There’s more to the whole Osweiler thing than the 2 plans that are overly discussed. Sashi and Hue have to have considered what they will do with him should those plans fail. They did cut Bob Griffin almost immediately which now makes Brock an 8 mil. option.
A trade like this had to have been on the table for much longer than we have suspected. It’s just too complicated to call it a rash decision on March 9th. I think that is the reason Josh was let go well in advance, too.
In essence, the Browns have cut 12 mil. in QB’s and took on a 16 mil. one year option plus gained a second in 2018. In my feeble little mind it makes more sense that the Browns HAVE considered the fact that they may have to keep Brock and let Hue try to finish him off.
I would take this draft. Can’t really argue with Garrett at #1…unless of course Tennessee comes calling with an offer of #5 and #18. Then you have a ton of other options, also need based such as the LSU Safety, Hooker, Bama TE, Mahomes, Trubs, etc. With a draft like this, it would be nice to have 3 1st rounders. Again, I do like this mock!
Love the way the draft actually went đ
1-1-1 DE Myles Garrett – the obvious pick, but Trubinsky smoke was starting to scare me… back to a hybrid 4-3 (4-2-5) with Garrett added to a young talented line that needed a pass rushing presence – I love this “easy” pick…
1-25-25 SS Jabrill Peppers – I’ll start by saying trading down from 12 to 25 with both Hooker and Howard available was hard to do, but gaining an extra 1st next year made it to good to turn down, factoring that sweet deal into this pick, I love adding Peppers… even though he’s a hybrid project that played 15 or 16 different positions in college, he was the 2nd ranked SS, the 3rd ranked safety, and the 4th ranked DB in this talented draft class – that says a lot about his potential – love the pick…
1-29-29 TE David Njoku – trading back into the 1st with picks 33 and 108 for an extremely talented 20 year old mis match nightmare of a TE is OK with me…. I was one that was OK with Howard at 12, so I have no problem with this pick at all – I thought Njoku was the 2nd best TE in an extremely good TE class, I was surprised he was available so late in the draft so if he was the main target, waiting till 33 coulda easily backfired, we had the picks to spare to secure young David, I like the move…
2-20-52 QB DeShone Kizer – I’ll start by saying I love we didn’t reach for a QB too early, but that said, when Kizer fell to 52, he was an easy pick…. Kizer is a project and is no where near NFL ready, he has accuracy issues, didn’t always make good decisions, and built a rep for forcing the ball – but his physical attributes, arm strength, and long term potential are all extremely high… I like this pick, but that doesn’t mean I’m sold he will be the long term answer, he needs work but has potential and fell to a bargain price so I like it ;)….
3-1-65 DT Larry Ogunjobi – switching back to a 4-3 base means adding depth and competition for guys to play beside and relieve Danny… Larry adds depth to a talented young line, I like this pick as well although I was eye balling a corner here myself…
4-20-126 CB Howard Wilson – loved it til he got injured… I do think he has decent long term potential once he is healthy, but the early injury does kinda suck….
5-16-160 OT Roderick Johnson – intriguing pick to mix into an intriguing battle with Cameron Erving and Shown Coleman for RT, the only OL position still with some need after revamping the interior… good value pick at this stage…
6-1-185 DT Caleb Brantley – awesome pick here, this kid was crucified in the media based on false allegations, we took a great late round gamble on him and it has paid off… now if he can focus on football, he could become the steal of the draft – before the allegations against Brantley, he was a better DT prospect than our 3rd rounder I like (Ogunjobi)… adding more young talent to a young talented DL – I love it, and again with the switch to a hybrid 4-3, we needed some more DT depth, great pick…
7-6-224 K Zane Gonzalez – I would rarely be impressed with a 7th round kicker, but this kid is good – he has a strong and accurate leg, he is expected to win the starting kicker job for next season…. I actually love this pick, who’d a thought, loving a 7th round kicker :D…
7-34-252 RB Matt Dayes – not bad talent for a 7th rounder – but I don’t expect much outta him… he’ll need to earn a role on special teams if he wants to hold a spot on the 53 man roster, and he’s probably an underdog to do it, but at the same time, he does have some impressive highlight reels, so I can’t hate the late gamble – good value pick…
Great draft, especially when combined with revamping the OL, re-signing Collins, giving Kirskey an extension, adding DB McCourty, trading for former 1st round S C Pryor, going back to a 4-3 hybrid (4-2-5) and bring in Greg Williams….
Browns still have a ways to go, but we are finally doing it right :D…. evaluating Kessler on the field and Kizer behind the scenes will be important this year with a stockpile of picks for a 2018 draft that is suppose to feature some elite QB prospects…. evaluating our WRS is also important – I think Corey and Kenny could be a legit duo if they stay healthy, but after that we have a young group of lesser knowns that need to step up… staying healthy is a concern with Coleman’s hamstring as well… WR might still need some help in the future…. we could use a beast to play MLB as well as some LB depth in the future too… our secondary is another position to evaluate, we have lots of potential and talent their, I love drafting Peppers, adding McCourty, and trading for Pryor – but their is still some questions and we still likely will be drafting one or more defensive backs in 2018 when they happen to be the BPA when we have one or more of our many picks – the question will be how big of priority it is when the BPA our close in multiple positions of need…
Happy Browns fan, but not expecting too much just yet…. 3-13 floor, 8-8 ceiling – I’m thinking 5-11… but still fun to watch develop, and with a stockpile of picks for 2018 as well – I’m looking forward to the future đ