2006
1 13(13) Kamerion Wimbley DE FLORIDA STATE
Analysis: This pick right here, makes Phil Savage look like a genius... There might not be a defensive player in the draft, who has had the effect on the defensive side of the ball like Wimbley has... Wimbley FINALLY provided the Browns the pass rushing threat we need and got us, for the first time in a long time, a double-digit sack master... His transition from DE to OLB didn't seem like a big problem and by the end of the year his run stopping skills and coverage skills didn't seem that bad...
Looking Back: I would of made this pick all day long... He was the best pick at 13..
Grade: A+
2 2(34) D'Qwell Jackson ILB MARYLAND
Analysis: Jackson seemed like he came on more as the season progressed... He might be a bit small to be playing the ILB position, but he has all the other tools you need to be a solid linebacker.. His coverage was a bit iffy, but most rookie's coverage skills are... It's something that can be corrected, so I'm not worried about it... He seems to have pretty much locked up the starting spot for next year but he had some stiff competition from Leon Williams late in the year...
Looking Back: I'll say this was a solid pick and leave it at that... It would of been nice to draft a guy like Marcus McNeil or Winston Justice and have a side of our line locked up for a while... Maurice Jones-Drew, whom I wanted, wouldn't of been a bad choice either... But right there the Browns had a pretty big hole at ILB and needed somebody who could stuff the run... So you can't really say it was a bad decision... Besides, the Browns had just signed Kevin Shaffer to a big deal and who would of known Droughns wouldn't be the 1,000+ yard back he was last year? Devin Hester was also available here... But again, looking back we didn't have a huge need for a CB, especially this early...
Grade: B+
3 14(78) Travis Wilson WR OKLAHOMA
Analysis: Many Browns fans, as well as I, were left wondering, who? I'll be honest, I hadn't really heard of him before the draft started... Sitting there in the third round, I would of thought he'd be the last choice there, but turns out he was on top of Savage's list... Wilson seemed to be a big, tall possession receiver who had solid hands coming out and he proved that in limited playing time during the regular season and some playing time during the preseason... He declared himself the best receiver in the draft and Savage said he was the "steal" of the draft... We really didn't get to see much of him due to Romeo's stubborness to play rookies... As of now, you can't really grade this pick because of his lack of exposure... It'll remain to be seen though... I have trust in Savage and his past drafs, so I am willing to to see how this pans out...
Looking Back: The thrid round really wasn't jam packed full of talent, looking back on it... I mean really there isn't anybody who has even made a little bit of a impact, so you can't really say this was a "wasted" pick... Jerious Norwood got picked right after Wilson, but again who would of though Droughns would be a dud?
Grade: C+
4 13(110) Leon Williams ILB MIAMI (FLA.)
Analysis: This pick, just like the Wimbley pick, makes Savage look like a genius... If anybody payed attention to Williams the last few weeks of the season, they would of seen we got a steal in the fourth round... His last three games of the season, he managed to a little over 10 tackles a game with two 12+ tackling games... Pretty good production from a 4th rounder, wouldn't you say? This guy had all the athletic and physical skills at Miami, but never put them all together... So far, it looks like Cleveland has managed to bring that out in him and Cleveland might even get a starter because of that... I'd expect Williams o give D'Qwell a good challenge for the starting ILB, opposite of Andra Davis...
Looking Back: This round was full of pass rushers... Victor Adeyanju, Elvis Dumervil and Ray Edwards all made some kind of impact on the opposing passing game... But, with already having drafted Wimbley, signing McGinest and drafting David McMillan last year, it just wouldn't of made sense to pick one of these guys... We also could of looked at Leon Washington, who's played well for the Jets as the scat-back we were looking for...
Grade: A
4 15(112) Isaac Sowells OT INDIANA
Analysis: By this time in the fourth round, I was about to throw something at my T.V... I mean, Issac Sowells and Leon Williams??? Some might of had low expectation for these guys, but Savage sure wasn't aiming low himself... He stated soon after the draft, that he believed that Sowells could challenge for a 2007 starting guard spot... That's some big praise for a Big-10 tackle.. But then again, who COULDN'T challenge Andruzzi and Coleman for a spot? Playing time was very limited for Sowells, as Crennel held his rookie grudge agaisnt him... When Andruzzi and Coleman failed horribly he still stuck with them and even gave Lennie Friedman a try, who didn't do awesome himself... Sowells did get to play the last game of the season, at right tackle, and seemed to do okay and didn't make many mistakes... It's hard to grade Sowells because his lack of PT, just like Wilson...
Looking Back: See Leon Williams (Although, offensive line depth was a need... Coleman is a free agent this year and Andruzzi is aging...)
Grade: C+
5 12(145) Jerome Harrison RB WASHINGTON STATE
Analysis: A good value pick at this point in the draft... The Browns were looking for a scat-back to compliment Droughns' running style... They wanted a multi-purpose threat and someone who could provide something in the passing game... Well, they pretty much got what they asked for... Previous to the Browns, Harrison racked up 2,100+ yards (receving and rushing) at Washington State and was nicknamed the "Ghost" for his quickness... Harrison really struggled to get on the field this season, due to his lack of pass-blocking skills and not being able to pick up blitzes didn't help either... And because of this he couldn't go in the game because the defenses knew that Harrison would be getting the ball... And until he can correct those things, he's not going to get on the field...
Looking Back: There are two guys who could of been good picks here... Dawan Landry would be one, who got picked up by the Ravens and is now starting next to Ed Reed for them... We defintely don't need yet another safety, but we do need some depth there... And the 5th round isn't exactly a place to find starters... Another guy I would of like to seen us take is Mark Anderson... He led all rookies with 13 sacks and provided to be a great pass rushing threat for the Bears... Although, we did have a logjam at OLB already...
Grade: B-
5 20(152) DeMario Minter CB GEORGIA
Analysis: He would of helped this year... But just like the myriad of other cornerbacks, he got injured... He didn't play all season and was on IR for the whole season... So I'm just basing the pick off what I've heard about him and what I learned about him in college... Supposedly he had the talent to be a first day pick but he just dropped for an unknown reason... Although, he did run a slow 40 time and his footwork/back pedaling wasn't the best... I could see him next year getting some work as a Dime back, so he could provide to be useful, because we know how maligned our secondary becomes before the end of the season... (Do you guys think this pick right here opened the door for Daven Holly? If so, that's raises this grade even more then I give him credit for.)
Looking Back: See Jerome Harrison.
Grade: C
6 11(180) Lawrence Vickers FB COLORADO
Analysis: Does anybody think this was Mo Carthon's pick? I could just see Carthon in the draft room licking his chops to get a fullback in the draft... He probably erased Savage's handwriting and wrote in Vickers... Anyway, I could see the need for Vickers.. He isn't the prototypical fullback but more of a multi-purpose back.. He's a guy who played running back at Colorado, caught some balls out of the backfield and did a decent job blocking... He was more here to be a goal-line back and hopefully pan out to be Terrelle Smith's replacement... The coaching staff, well Mo Carthong, wanted more a versatile FB to fit the offensive scheme... Vickers didn't really play much and if he did, didn't make a impact...
Looking Back: Nobody here I would of like to seen... I mean the 6th round was full of duds... Bruce Gradkowski would of been nice though... He seems like a guy who be a good career backup for us...
Grade: B-
6 12(181) Babatunde Oshinowo DT STANFORD
Analysis: This pick was a part of the Haloti Ngata trade... Obviously we felt comfortable trading down with acquiring ..., I won't even bring that up... Anyway, not much you could expect from this pick... Baba was a good run-stuffer in college and everybody hoped he could be a solid backup for us... But, his size just didn't cut it and is now on the PS...
Looking Back: I actually would of liked to see Montavius Stanley here.. He had great size for the 3-4 and could play any one of the positions...
Grade: C
7 14(222) Justin Hamilton S VIRGINIA TECH
Analysis: Depth, depth and depth is exactly what this pick is and what it's supposed to be... I mean, you can't expect anything from a 7th rounder... Hamilton was a big hitter in college with a lot of physical attributes... He seemed to play well in pre-season and looks to have earned a spot at the backup safety position...
Looking Back: I'm fine with this pick... Unless we could of gotten Marques Colston.. But there's no telling he would of broken out here the way he did in New Orleans... They had a QB who could get it to him, we didn't...
Grade: B
OVERALL GRADE: B/B+
My Ideal Draft
1). Kamerion Wimbley
2). Marcus McNeil
3). Jerious Norwood
4). Leon Williams
4). Issac Sowells
5). Dawan Landry
5). DeMarion Minter
6). Montavius Stanley
7). Marques Colston
But again, that's in a dream world...
Now, I know this is long, but stick with me, we're half way through...
2005
1 3(3) Braylon Edwards WR MICHIGAN
Analysis: He's got all the talent in the world, he's just got to put it together... He got injured last year and recoverd surprisingly quick in the offseason... His returned presence to the lineup gave defenses just one more threat to worry about and have Charlie Frye yet another option to look at... This year was a disappointing season, IMHO... He was poised last year for a breakout season... He seemed to be on the right track, he kept his mouth shut and played... But it's not surprising he had a sophmore slump a lot of people do... Now he was productive, don't get me wrong but for being a #3 pick, getting paid the money he gets payed and they way he talks about himself, you simply expect more... I can't say this pick is an absolute disappointment because he has time to turn himself around... I just hope he can get it together and maybe the knee was a part of the problem this season, I hope...
Looking Back: I'd take this pick back, if I were Phil Savage... There were just too many people behind him making a bigger impact than Braylon... Sure it'd be nice to have the kind of playmaker like he is on offense, but wouldn't you rather have a guy like Shawne Merriman or DeMarcus Ware? Could you imagine either one of thise guys on the opposite side of Kamerion Wimbley?
Just look at it this way, we could of done worse at WR... Both Mike Williams and Troy Williams aren't exactly #1's themselves and barely #2 WR's...
Grade: B
2 2(34) Brodney Pool S OKLAHOMA
Analysis: Pool came out his junior year and if he would of stayed some say he might of been a Top 15 pick... So Phil
might of gotten a steal here, he might of... Pool really isn't the enforcer type, that Sean Jones is, but he's more of a coverage safety, a good compliment to Sean... From what I've seen of him, it almost looks like he would be better suited at CB than S because of his corner skills... It seems like he has a future with the Browns at safety and could be a starter if Russell leaves... I just would like to see him be the quarterback of the secondary a la Brian Russell... That really gave our secondary a boost... It also wouldn't hurt for Pool to cut down on giving up big plays...
Looking Back: There's three guys who would of been solid picks here... Two of them tackles; Michael Roos and Khalif Barnes.. Both of them are having success in Jacksonville and Tennessee starting at LT... Remember this was when we had LJ Shelton, so these guys would of defintely helped... Reggie Brown is the third guy I would of liked to see picked here... If we wouldn't of gone with Braylon in the first, I could defintely see us picking Reggie Brown... Don't forget that Frank Gore was the first pick of the 3rd round, as well...
Grade: B
3 3(67) Charlie Frye QB AKRON
Analysis: At first when we picked him, I truly thought we had brought home the QB that would be the right fit for this team... Well, 2 seasons later, I'm not so much in that boat... I'm just not sure he has the type of game that this team needs... His accuracy isn't the best, he continually turns the ball over and doesn't have a strong arm... All of those things killed us this year and really limited what our offense could do... Sure you love his scrambling ability, work ethic, moxie and attitude but that's only 1/3 of what makes a quarterback great... All I wanted from him was to be a solid starter... Maybe we have one in him but didn't see it because of the lackluster offensive line and running game, maybe... But I would have to see a lot from him to conclude that he is the right fit for this team... Romeo and Phil seem content to leave him at the helm for one more season and see what he has...
Looking Back: There are a few guys who would of made solid picks (Channing Crowder, Ellis Hobbs, Evan Mathis)... But we had Trent Dilfer at the helm, TRENT DIFER!!! We needed somebody to take over for him, so I can't blame Savage for taking Frye...
Grade: B
4 2(103) Antonio Perkins CB OKLAHOMA
Analysis: This was a botched pick... Savage was looking for the type of player the Bears got in Devin Hester, but as we all know he failed... I'm not going to go on wasting my time rambling about a wasted pick... It's simple.
Looking Back: Some pretty good RB's were taken after Perkins; Brandon Jacobs and Marion Barber... Both of whom have been successful as a #2 back and goal-line back... Chris Canty also wouldn't of been a bad pick... He's a solid 3-4 LB... Todd Hereemans would have been a great pick though… He’s the starting LG for the Eagles and just signed a contract extension…
Grade: F
5 3(139) David McMillan DE KANSAS
Analysis: All this was intended to be was a pass-rushing specialist... At the time, we had no one to provide any kind of pass rush... He didn't really play much his rookie year, but showed some flashes in pre-season of what we could have on our hands... Some say he's the heir-apparent to Willie McGinest, but I highly doubt it... He's a career backup...
Looking Back: Trent Cole was the guy I wanted here... He's exactly what McMillan was supposed to be; a pass rush specialist... He got 5 sacks as a rookie and 8 this season...
Grade: D+
6 2(176) Nick Speegle OLB NEW MEXICO
Analysis: A depth pick here... He hasn't really done anything nor have I heard much about him... He's got some pretty good physical attributes, he just doesn't have the talent.. He'll probably end up being a Mason Unck; a good special teams player... Hey, I could defintely live with that... Special teams are an overlooked aspect of the game, that I think are pretty important...
Looking Back: Nobody really stands out here... Bo Scaife would of been nice, but we had Heiden and K2... Cedric Houston would of been a nice pick as well as Tab Perry... But we just picked a WR in the 1st...
6 29(203) Andrew Hoffman DT VIRGINIA
Analysis: Another wasted pick… We were looking for depth here for the 3-4, but Hoffman didn’t pan out like expected and the switch to O-Line didn’t help either…
Looking Back: Anybody would be better than him, anybody…Rob Pettiti, who I believe was starting for the Cowboys, would have been good here…
Grade: F
** Cleveland traded Luke McCown (QB) to Tampa Bay for the 203rd (6th) selection.
Luke McCown… What a QB…
7 3(217) Jon Dunn OT VIRGINIA TECH
Analysis: Another wasted pick… I’m not even sure he’s on the roster or PS…
Looking Back: Not anything attractiver here… Reynaldo Hill, maybe, for some depth in the secondary…
Grade: F
OVERALL GRADE: C
My Ideal Draft
1). Shawne Merriman
2). Reggie Brown
3). Charlie Frye
4). Todd Herremans
5). Trent Cole
6). Nick Speegle
6). Rob Pettiti
7). Reynaldo Hill
Again, that’s in a dream world…
Savage’s first draft wasn’t anything to brag about, but I can’t expect much from a guy who was hired, without knowing a lot about the current team he has… Now, I’m saying he should be given a free pass, but some more slack…
The second draft, I think is a glimpse of what he could do… The second draft is definitely the better of the two and I think that has a lot to do with his expierence with this team for one season…
For this year, I’m expecting another good draft and a better one because of his expierence with this team…
Some might think Savage isn’t a good drafter, but he was known as one of the premier talent evaluators for a reason… This man knows talent when he sees it..
(Thanks for those stuck with me throughout my post)
