I think our reluctance to take receivers early in the draft is a byproduct of not having a franchise QB that we know is going to be steering the ship for years to come. Good organizations surround their franchise QBs with receiving corps that reflect the signal caller's strengths.
Manning and Brady have really smart, crafty receivers who can adjust at the line and read coverages perfectly.
Roethlisberger has speed demons who are excellent with hot reads and can improvise when he extends plays.
Romo, Cutler and Rodgers have always had the deep ball threats who can score at any moment.
We have... nothing. No quarterback and, in turn, a hodgepodge of a WR corps. Unless it's a can't miss guy (which we've also passed on, fwiw), it might make some sense to focus on other areas until we find a longterm answer at QB.
Just a thought.
Patriots also have never taken a receiver in the first round, since Ohio State's Terry Glenn. Shit, they developed a former QB from Kent State into their best receiver today.
Sure, some of these other QBs have some really nice receivers. Peyton Manning for years has had some of the best receivers in the game, he's obviously an elite QB, but still has just one Super Bowl to show for. I think it's just one of the least important positions in football.
The first thing is to always have a QB, okay, we've not done that part yet. Good QBs will make receivers better, that's just a fact, it's hardly ever the other way around unless you get a rare talent like Calvin Johnson, or AJ Green.
You definitely ALWAYS build up a good defense, when given a chance. It's just preposterous not to consider that one of the most critical parts to building a successful team.
Second, you build up a strong, physical offensive line. Then get an adequate running game. Lastly, you start worrying about the skill positions.
The Browns don't always make the right picks, but at least they're putting majority of their eggs into building an elite defensive unit, and having a physical team in the trenches.