#6: Barkevious Mingo, DE/OLB, LSU

[Smooth]

My impressions of the pick:

Mingo itself is a solid pick... I would have preferred them to trade down (they said they had a deal in place; I'm guessing it was the Rams) but was okay with them staying and picking with who was on the board at the time... I would have liked Star and would have understood Milliner as well...

This was a pick that fit the words that Horton & Chud used: attacking... They want to be aggressive, get after the QB and this pick represents that... Give Lombardi some credit because this was far from a safe pick... This is one that could work out decent but also has the upside to work out extremely well... He coulda went safe but chose to sack up and go for a guy who could be the highest impact defender in the draft when it's all said and done... Will he? I don't know... But he has that potential and was viewed as that coming into his junior year...

So what happened? Mingo had a down year this year... Some attribute it to lazy play in some aspects... Some attribute to the way he was used (was asked to contain a lot rather than rush the pass rusher)... Some attribute it to how he was played (was chipped & doubled a lot)... Some attribute it to who he played (take a look at their SEC schedule)... Whatever the case may be is he didn't produce like some expected and some had hoped... This isn't an indictment against him personally it just seemed like a perfect storm of factors contributing to his decline in production...

About Mingo: the dude is a freak athlete... He's explosive off the edge, very fast in general and is a very good athlete.. He strikes me as very much a linear athlete but does flash some sideline-to-sideline skills... He's also got some pop for a guy his size and it shows in his hands in some of the videos you'll watch with him..

The thing with Mingo is that he's very raw... He's very much still an athlete that needs refinement on the finer things of the game... Things such as his hand placement, footwork and moves/counter moves... These are all things he's going to need to work on and improve on to become a better player... He's also going to need to bulk up some from the high 230s, low 240s, to consistently take the pounding and hold up well from at the POA..

But the first and last word to describe Mingo is havoc... When he's on, he creates problems with his ability... He makes splash plays and can be a high impact defender...

Right now, honestly, he came into a great situation for him to develop... In Cleveland, he's not going to be asked to start from Day 1, produce 10 sacks and be the impact player that some other teams might have asked him to do... He's going to be able to sit behind Sheard and Kruger, develop more and be put in certain situations to succeed... He's not going to be a 60 snap guy from the get-go, probably more like 35 or so... Horton and Baker are going to work and develop him while putting him in situations where he's best fit, like in passing downs... Like Chud said, he's going to be a OLB in the base and a DE in the sub-packages.. This is a guy who Horton is going to move all-around and use as a his toy, with his athletic ability and potential versatility... I can see him having a similar impact as Bruce Irvin did this year... All they asked him to do was pin his ears back and get to the QB and it worked... They let him do his strength while they developed him and furthered him in other areas...

How does this impact the Browns: it creates a damn scary front 7... The LBs are the lifeblood of the 34 and the Browns are set, with the exception of the ILB spot next to DQ... Don't automatically assume that this means Sheard is gone... Mingo is still raw and needs to develop.. Sheard could be gone if he fails to transition this year but for the time being, he's going to be the starter... This pick was taken with getting a guy who they saw as having the most upside and potential... Like the Giants, the Browns want to have a deep rotation so they can consistently keep the pressure on....

So overall, I thought it was a solid pick... Not in love with it but understand it and will go along with it... I certainly don't hate as I would have Geno Smith or any OG at #6, so be glad of that...

 

[MalTalm]

They went for play maker over extremely solid.

I can respect it. It's really fucking risky, taking a 240 pound pass rusher, but they are making a statement.

Lombardi has taken a bigger risk than Heckert ever has, sans the Weeden debacle. Mingo is a better bet, though, and could become an absolute monster with the proper coaching.

I'd say giving up a 2nd round pick for a WR who hadn't played football in a year and a half with a history of drug problems was a bit riskier than drafting a consensus top 10 pass rusher at 6. :chuckles:

I am okay with this pick. Not thrilled, but the two guys I wanted were already off the board, and I'd much rather have Barkevious on our roster than Geno Smith. The only guy who we passed on I might have wanted more was Star, but we need far more help at OLB than DE.

Mingo is raw, and I'm not sure he'll be showing us much in week 1. I'll be interested to see if he can be an every down player early on, or if he'll be more of a specialist like Pierre-Paul or Osi at first.

EDIT - Just read Smooth's post above me, he says most of this but better lol.

 

[CornerThree]

16/46/222 would have been assumed to be the rams offer for pick #6. It seems like Jarvis Jones at #16 and that extra #2 would have been as intriguing.

 

[Real Deal]

Warmed up to the pick. It is all about the pass rush in this league if you want to be a contender. Although I do hope to see us get a weapon on offense, specifically TE in the 3rd.

 

[Damage]

I'm curious to see how much weight he can put on whilst maintaining that athleticism.

Chavis runs 4-2-5 scheme with fast edge rushers and a lot of stunts from the DL and LB's. Sure, having a great secondary helps with the press, but the DL makes it function. Bark wasn't asked to play rush end this year. Maybe the thought Montgomery was essentially a one trick pony and couldn't stop the run well (which he can't) - whatever the reason, Bark had to wear so many hats.

Drafting Bark gives the Browns much more flexibility in this draft, meaning they don't necessarily have to get a CB in round 3. The front 7, in theory, should generate such a pass rush that the game should slow down for our backfield. In fact, I'd submit to you that FS is a much more pressing need than CB - this permits Ward to play his natural SS position, helping in the run, and allowing our FS to roam in the backfield.

Should be fun to watch. Should be...

 

[Smooth]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>What's Mingo's upside? Tremendous athlete. Non-stop motor. Smooth in space. Has great first step ability. Should be ideal fit in 34 scheme</p>&mdash; Brent Sobleski (@brentsobleski) <a href="https://twitter.com/brentsobleski/status/327753543589175297">April 26, 2013</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Why do I have concerns about Mingo? Inconsistent, lacks violent hands, trouble disengaging at times, didn't finish, poor setting edge.</p>&mdash; Brent Sobleski (@brentsobleski) <a href="https://twitter.com/brentsobleski/status/327753208783065088">April 26, 2013</a></blockquote>
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[Damage]

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The one thing I noticed about Bark (note - from a very amateurish perspective) was he didn't seem to have that mean streak in him.

The good news? Everything Sobodawg pointed out in the 2nd post, which is all accurate, is 100% coachable. The better news? Everything Sobodawg pointed out in the 1st post, which is also all accurate, cannot be coached. <iframe id="rufous-sandbox" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" style="display: none;"></iframe>

 

[Soda]

Montgomery just skated along, which is a testament to Mingo's work ethic. Not that Montgomery isn't an animal naturally, but those kind of guys can drag fellow guys down in the locker room. We'll see how he fits in the Browns' locker room. Hopefully he's a leader type.

 

[Smooth]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>One reason why Browns were so high on Mingo is due to analytics. Team is big proponent of that eval now, and Mingo a favorite in that realm</p>&mdash; Brent Sobleski (@brentsobleski) <a href="https://twitter.com/brentsobleski/status/327779663046905856">April 26, 2013</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>New <a href="https://twitter.com/search/%23Browns">#Browns</a> OLB Barkevious Mingo is scheduled to address the media at 2 p.m. today in Berea. <a href="https://twitter.com/search/%23NFLDraft">#NFLDraft</a></p>&mdash; Nate Ulrich (@NateUlrichABJ) <a href="https://twitter.com/NateUlrichABJ/status/327774446683299841">April 26, 2013</a></blockquote>
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[Seiklis]

OK with the pick. Would have preferred Milliner and then a trade down, but after that Bark was the choice.

The only thing that bothers me about this entire offseason is what myself and other predicted would happen as soon as we went to the 34D... The entire offseason has been dedicated to getting players that fit the 34. I PRAY we don't switch back to the 43 again anytime soon, because Mingo and Kruger will be gone, and if we do trade Sheard, we will be wishing we still had him.

I feel like if we stayed in a 43 defense, we could have been so much better because we would just be adding talent to what we already had. With the switch to a 34, I feel like we are just replacing guys to make things fit.

Hope we grab the best available CB/FS in the 3rd round. I'd try to package our 3rd and any of our later picks to get back into the 2nd round. I also hope we end up getting Bess if the price is right.

Kruger I agree with you on but Mingo's most natural fit imo is SSLB in a Rosie Colvin type, Mathias Kiwanuka type of role. Personally I think the Browns and Dolphins took the better scheme fits for each other as Jordan is an off fit unless they switch to a 3-4

 

[DJTJ]

Analytics. Someone explain, please. Do they mean how drill times relate to on-field play? Or seemingly like Metric stats?

 

[natedagg]

Analytics. Someone explain, please. Do they mean how drill times relate to on-field play? Or seemingly like Metric stats?

Pretty sure they mean unconventional game-related stats, e.g. - most negative plays generated with spin moves against sub-.500 teams on 3rd down:chuckles:

 

[Wine and Gold]

I hate the pick, personally. Doesn't appear to have many defined skills, or counter moves. Just an athlete trying to play football. Longterm developmental project before he'll have any effectiveness in NFL games. Much like Wimbley, but not as good a football player. Mingo is a really great athlete, though .. I just don't see where it's ever transcended to actual performance on the field. He's one of those guys that's always running around near the play, but never making the play.

 

[MalTalm]

Analytics. Someone explain, please. Do they mean how drill times relate to on-field play? Or seemingly like Metric stats?

Likely means some sort of advanced stats, which can be far more effective at rating a player's ability and game impact than raw stats like sacks or hurries. The one growing pet peeve of mine is how people lump the term advanced metrics in one category.

There is no book of advanced metrics. These concepts are invented. The Browns could, theoretically, employ mathematical calculations which grade out a guy like Mingo favorably because they put emphasis on speed, but another team could grade him out average or below average if they favored consistency or growth over time.

This leads to some teams rating players poorly due to busted algorithms, and fans drawing conclusions on how analytics is flawed. A bad formula is leads to poor evaluation, but it isn't an indictment on the process.

None of this is to say the Browns are right or wrong, no one knows yet. Time will tell. They could have done a lot worse than Mingo's upside.

 

[Wine and Gold]

Warmed up to the pick. It is all about the pass rush in this league if you want to be a contender. Although I do hope to see us get a weapon on offense, specifically TE in the 3rd.

Actually, as much as football; has changed through the years, to ultimately become a winning team, the two things you have to do, to win games is stop the opponent from rushing the football, and you actually have to be able to run the football on offense. Doing these things allows you to win the close games down the stretch. It happens, not surprisingly, to be the two things this team has been about the worst in all of football at since '99 return. Not a coincidence. BTW, we've done nothing in the least to address those two issues this offseason. Which should portend the same results we've grown accustomed to..