GUNS UP LET'S DO DIS
#1 Baker Mayfield, QB, Oklahoma
I have long known I could convince myself to love him, and now that a few days have gone by, I’m down. Darnold was my boy. He still is my boy. I believe he’s going to be a very good player. That said, I think Baker Mayfield has a number of great traits that translate to the NFL and I’ve said as much throughout.
For starters, it’s going to take a special kind of personality to lead the Cleveland Browns out of the abyss. I’m talking about the fact that we are a complete post-apocalyptic wasteland and we need someone brimming and oozing confidence, self-belief, and leadership to shepard us through the storm. No matter what they say, this locker room has a case of the “here we go agains” when things start to go wrong in a game. We expect to lose. An ultra competitor is what’s needed. A culture changer is needed. No matter how he rubs you, Baker Mayfield is that guy. Much like Cleveland, he’s been mocked. Much like Cleveland, he’s a hard worker. Much like Cleveland, he has a chip on his shoulder. Much like Cleveland, he wants to prove all the doubters wrong. He embodies us.
In terms of talent, his arm is as accurate as I’ve ever seen. He throws great on the run, from the pocket, and can change arm angles to fit balls through lanes. In terms of arm talent, he’s very underrated. For as much as I hate the stat, his velocity of 60 mph at the combine was second only to Josh Allen of the quarterbacks. On tape, you see multiple throws travel 65 yards in the air with impressive trajectory. He’s just a natural thrower. Plenty of zip when he needs it, plenty of touch when the situation calls for it.
His two knocks are system and height. I don’t mind the height, he’s a stout guy and makes a habit of throwing through lanes. All QB’s at the next level throw and see through lanes and him being 6’2 wouldn’t change that. Dorsey isn’t concerned so neither am I.
The offense is a legit concern. That said, he has the tools and his recall and football IQ seem to be generational from all accounts. Thus, with a year to learn, I’m not worried.
#4 Denzel Ward, CB, Ohio State
This pick was fantastic. Chubb/Ward, couldn’t have gone wrong here. I like grabbing the unanimous #1 corner of this draft. This was a case of taking their BPA, and I applaud it despite the noise.
He’s a tad undersized, but he makes up for it with elite athleticism and speed. His 5’11 height and 185 lb build would lead you to believe he’s a cover man who struggles in run support. If you guessed that, you’d be wrong.
This dude is very physical. He’s an outstanding tackler, he loves to mix it up, and he’s not backing down from anybody. In fact, he’s a big time hitter by corner standards. In terms of coverage, he’s elite. He was asked to lock down his man consistently in zero press man packages at Ohio State. As a result, he eliminated half the field.
It goes beyond the play with him, too. He’s highly intelligent as a football player, and his character is off the charts. He’s a great example of how to handle yourself away from the field. Humble and hard working. We found our #1 corner for the next ten years.
#33 Austin Corbett, LT, Nevada
Well, we went back to the Nevada well. This dude is so soft spoken off the field, but on the field, he’s straight up nasty. Watching his technique, balance, body control, and play strength, I have no doubts he could be a stud interior lineman. You can see that wrestling background when you watch him. He’s probably a better prospect than Joel Bitonio was coming out of school, which is saying something.
However, I really think that he’s juuuuust long enough and has solid enough feet to stay at left tackle. He was a 4-year starter there in college. We’ll see. This was a weak tackle class, and he was considered by many as a stout guard once he shifts inside. If he can stick on the outside, he’s a steal at #33. If he can’t, we can live with moving him inside to guard or center and having a solid 10-12 year career in the middle.
I went back and watched his tape of the 2015 Nevada game against Texas A&M and Myles Garrett. Remember, he's a sophomore starting tackle and it was likely an adjustment to the raw speed as Nevada had no way of replicating Garrett on the scout team. The dude was the #1 pick in the draft and "generational pass rushing talent" for a reason. In the very early stages, he gave up an ugly sack where Garrett straight up beat him on the outside with speed. This was the first offensive possession of the game.
After that, however, he adjusted and settled in and more than held his own. He got a little help at times, but he also had many one-on-one battles with Myles where he locked him out. Additionally, he absolutely pushed Garrett around in the run game. In the 2nd half, TAMU really started moving Garrett around. He had 1.5 sacks coming from playing inside away from Corbett. Then, he got Corbett one last time in the 4th on a 3rd and 19 on a deep drop. Certainly, he showed times where he struggled with Garrett's speed, but his footwork also improved from his sophomore to senior year. I'd be interested in seeing Round 2 in training camp.
#35 Nick Chubb, RB, Georgia
If you’re upset with Nick Chubb, you aren’t a football fan.
Sure, Sony Michel has that diverse skill set. However, at the top of the 2nd round, we picked up our AFC North back (to quote Hue).
Alonzo Highsmith compared him to Jamal Lewis. He compares himself to Frank Gore. Eliot Wolf raved over his balance and feet for his size. The combine showed how explosive and strong he is. From a freak standpoint, he’s probably #2 behind Saquon Barkley for his size. 4.52 forty, 38.5 inch vertical at 230 lbs, 29 bench reps... just crazy.
The difference from Barkley? He runs big. He doesn’t look to avoid the contact and get to the sideline. He looks to humiliate your entire family by running your ass over. He’s the definition of putting cleat marks up your chest when you see him enter the 2nd level.
He doesn’t get nearly enough credit for his agility or his hands. He has great vision, outstanding burst, and is going to be extremely productive in Cleveland. Further removed from his wicked knee injury, he’s back. I expect him and Duke to form the perfect tandem long term in Cleveland.
Guice is a great back, too, but with his maturity issues, I’m all aboard the Chubb train. Nick Chubb is a man of great character, a relentless work ethic, and an attitude that embodies what you want your football team to be. Little known fact, but Chubb comes from a farming family and was an agriculture major at Georgia. He’s blue collar and country strong.
#67 Chad Thomas, DE, Miami
I liked this pick. Would I have been behind Sam Hubbard, too? Sure. But it’s hard to argue with a man who can move like this at 6’5 280 pounds.
He’s strong against the run, but he’s a little predictable as a pass rusher. With a little development behind Ogbah and Garrett, I think adding to his repertoire will go a long way for him. After all, he hasn’t been playing this game very long.
He seems like a good kid and a willing worker. He’s also a guy who can kick inside in sub-packages.
#105 Antonio Callaway, WR, Florida
This pick was controversial. However, I love it. Absolutely love it. We are talking about a guy who was likely the WR1 or WR2 in this draft without the baggage.
He kind of reminds me of what we hoped Corey Coleman was going to be out of school. As a player, he’s explosive, he has strong hands, and plucks the ball out of the air. He’s a fantastic return man, and he’s a big play waiting to happen as soon as he touches the ball. He was the best thing about the Florida offense the two years he could see the field. He reminds me of Steve Smith. I know “undersized outside receiver, Steve Smith.” But no, it’s because he plays with fire on the field. He is soft-spoken off of it.
As a person, sure. We have concerns. However, there is no doubt that Dorsey and company spent a lot of time and resources vetting this situation. I trust him. By all accounts, the birth of his daughter has changed him and he speaks openly as a man who was a knucklehead and only has himself to blame. I think he’s hungry. This could be a huge boom from a 4th rounder.
He can play the X or the Z. Also, Dorsey has a history of successful gambles like this.
#150 Genard Avery, LB, Memphis
A self described “effort” player, that’s what pops off the page with him. He’s a guy in elite physical shape who is a force on the football field.
He’s going to be an outstanding special teams player, but has a shot to be much more than that.
He’s probably the best pash rushing inside backer in this draft outside of Evans. He’s a “see ball, get ball” guy, and I see him being able to play both the Mike and Sam here for us.
This is a guy who ran a 4.59 at the combine at 250 lbs. He’s a monster. But even better, in terms of work ethic and character, think the LB version of Larry Ogunjobi.
6th round duo Damion Ratley, WR, TAMU and Simeon Thomas, DB, Louisiana-Lafayette
With a filled-out roster and added veterans, these are classic “swing for the fences” style picks. I love that from Dorsey.
6th round picks are long shots to make the roster on decent football teams. We hope to become that. So, shoot your shot.
Dorsey took size, length, speed, SPARQ guys with question marks in hopes that NFL coaching makes them impact guys.
Ratley is a long burner as a receiver who was primarily a college deep threat. He has some size at 6’3.
Thomas is just under 6’4 as a DB and runs a 4.4. He’s a physical player on tape. He has questionable character, having been suspended multiple times in his career. I’m not sure if they see him as a corner or a safety, but this is a shot at an athlete.
Overall, I liked the draft. The more I get to chew on it, I like it more and more.
I think we took 5 guys who have a chance to be starters down the line (Mayfield, Ward, Corbett, Chubb, Callaway) and 2 guys who have a chance to be high-quality depth for years (Thomas, Avery).
We’ll have to wait a few years to judge, but this team definitely got better over the weekend.