A peek ahead: 2006 NFL Draft

[LyXo]

I know it's early, I'm not jumping the gun, I'm not going to cease watching Browns games, I'm just curious.

Given that we WON last Sunday... that puts us above scrappers like Houston, San Francisco, NYJ, Tennessee, Baltimore ( ), Green Bay, New Orleans, and Arizona. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 ... teams.

That puts us at #10. Damn, are we really an average team now? Interesting. We will probably win 2-3 more games this season.

But what does this do? Put us in even WORSE draft position. We could end up ahead of Detroit, Oakland, and Philadelphia, St. Louis, Washington... darn!

We need DEFENSE. An elite linebacker, or a great defensive tackle/end. Gimme a disciplined, hard-nosed defender and I'll give you a Browns playoff team.

Who do we have to choose from?

Mario Williams: DE (North Carolina State)
"Best Defensive End prospect since Julius Peppers"
AJ Hawk: OT (Ohio State)
"Hawk is as productive of a linebacker as you will find with tremendous instincts, a nose for the ball and much better athleticism and physical tools than he is given credit for. Simply put, this guy is all over the field and will instantly become the leader and captain of whatever team is lucky enough to bring him into the fold"
Ahmad Brooks: ILB (Virginia)
"It isn't often you see a talent like Brooks come along and if not for an injury that kept him out of the first half of the season he probably would be mentioned as a possible Top 3-5 overall pick. With his blend of size and speed Brooks is a rare difference maker on defense and just to give you an idea of what a phenomenal athlete he is Al Groh actually had him returning kicks for the Cavs at 6-4 and 249 lbs. One of the keys to any good 3-4 defense is great linebackers and Brooks fits the mold perfectly. Whether it be on the inside or outside, this guy is an impact player"
Chad Greenway: OLB (Iowa)
Haloti Ngata: DT (Oregon)
"Enter Haloti Ngata, who at 6-5 and 338 lbs. has a freakish blend of size, speed, strength and athleticism. In fact, there is a chance he could be long gone by this point because based on upside and potential he would rate as one of the premier players in the entire draft should he come out early."
Mathias Kiwanuka: DE (Boston College)
"The man they call "Kiwi" is an imposing physical presence with excellent athleticism who excels at terrorizing opposing quarterbacks"
Rodrique Wright: DT (Texas)
"Early in his career Rodrique Wright looked like a future Top 5 overall pick, but since then his career has been marred by inconsistency and unmet expectations which is why he is still available this late in round one. Make no mistake about it though, Wright has the ability and upside to become a force at what the pros consider a premium position so at this point he is worth a roll of the dice"
Claude Wroten: DT (LSU)
"Wroten is a player who doesn't get a lot of attention but is quietly one of the better defensive prospects in this draft. Despite his lack of sheer physical tools Wroten is active and very disruptive which could lead to him going much higher than casual college football observers would expect"

http://www.nfldraftcountdown.com/sub/mockdraft.html

Right now, they have us at #10 drafting Ahmad Brooks. Linebacker would be a great addition to the 3-4, especially a versatile one. Either Brooks or Hawk would make me a very happy camper. I also wouldn't mind "Kiwi" or "Ngata."

This first round is flush with defensive talent, we better nab some up!

 

[cdt]

Our defense isn't the problem. It's the offense..specifically getting the ball to our receivers...I doubt Winslow has much of an impcact he has lost some 30 lbs of muscle. So who can we get on the offensive side?

 

[PIP]

K2 will be fine CDT... The dude will be motivated.. He has to make some of that cash back.. Sure, he might not be able to pack on all 30 pounds of muscle (he could) but, he should be able to get about 20lbs of muscle back....

It will be like adding two 1st rounders...

Perhaps our offense will do much better with Frye out there next season... If anything else (brain, arm strength ect....) the dude makes plays out there...He makes something out of nothing.. You don't see that alot..He just seems relaxed out there.

I would love to have one pass rusher on this team though...

 

[LyXo]

What do you mean, our defense isn't the problem? Sure, we had a great outing against Miami... but that was against a scrappy QB. We've been fortunate not to let up a bunch of TD's, but we still lose the game. Right now, we are a mediocre defensive team, and a mediocre offensive team. Choosing the right defensive player capable of the pass rush, capable of putting our offense out there longer, that is what we need. I want to see more passion out there, outside of Andre Davis and Orpheus Roye. I don't want to see more mistackles.

Our CB's our set with Gary Baxter, Leigh Bodden, and Daylon McCutcheon. Hopefully Brodney Pool will come along, and the rest of the safeties.

In terms of our offense and getting people the ball:
I think Charlie Frye is set to be our starter. We're just bringing him along slow. So we don't want to draft a QB in the first round.

RB/FB: Reuben Droughns has more than proved to be a viable starter. The question is, once we pay him, will he continue that same effort? And Terrelle Smith... that dude can block. I like him blocking for Ruthless Reuben.

WR'S: Braylon Edwards is the future. Antonio Bryant should be back, if guaranteed a #1 spot. Northcutt will be good for decoying and a couple plays here and there. And Frisman Jackson can turn into something special.

TE'S: Heiden is good, but got playing time because Shea was hurt. Shea is good. They more than suffice for the TE spot. But then we got Winslow coming back, laying huge blocks and plowing through people? Do we need anyone else?

The only place we can draft in offense is our O-line. But I think it's near being set, with Andruzzi slowly getting comfortable with the guys. A couple FA pickups, or a few late rounders would suffice.

 

[cavincali]

our offense is not the problem. our quarterback is the problem, plain and simple.

the players at the skill position as lyxo just talked about are very good. edwards and bryant are very good recievers, you can tell edwards is going to be something very very special.

our o-line isnt terrible, rube is have the best year of any previous backs since we have come back.

we need to put pressure on the quaterback. what happened when we did that against the dolphins, we dominated. putting pressure on the qb is the biggest problem with this team.

we need to draft a defender in the draft and sign lecharles bently, former buckeye, from the saints to revamp the line. with that we will compete for a playoff spot next year.

 

[hughes1988]

winslow is not losing anything hs going to be bigger and stronger when he comes back and is going to be one hell of a player.

 

[Snoopy8832]

You guys are looking at this entirely wrong. We need to draft an olineman or a LB. If Hawk is available, it is a no brainer. I doubt Duhhhhbrickshaw will so that is a moot point. I believe we will be drafting between 8-12. This is a good enough position to go after Greenway/Hawk. Also, since Carpenter messed up his leg, he can be had in the 2nd, perhaps the 3rd. Another player i want to look at is Ngata. He is Casey Hampton times triplicate. Also, Kiawanaku is intersting, seeing that he is 6'8 and 260. But he isn't a prototypical 3-4 end

 

[LyXo]

That's precisely what I'm saying, so I don't see how I'm wrong...

Draft of need, but also draft the best player available. By the time our pick rolls around, Matt Leinart, Vince Young, and Reggie Bush will be gone. D'Brickshaw Ferguson won't be on the table either.

Other than that, it doesn't seem like there is much offensive talent out there. There's Santonio Holmes, but we need not another receiver.

Since our pick will be around 8-12, we have to draft the best player out there. If I were to choose between AJ Hawk and Mario Williams, it would be a tough, tough decision. But, out of the need of an elite LB, and the fact that he's from OSU, then we pick him up, no questions asked. But the 8-12 range is a big, big difference. This is the range where all our marquee players are going to be picked up. If we can't get these defensive studs, then we have to look a bit further back.

Face it. Romeo is a good coach. He's about creating a winning atmosphere. That means our draft pick is going down to dust, unfortunately. We're going to win at least 6 games this year, possibly propelling us to the #15. At that point, we will miss out on AJ Hawk and Mario Williams. That's when the man they call "Kiwi," Ngata, and perhaps even Wroten, those names get called up to attention. But we must draft defense, no matter what anyone says.

We're no longer at the bottom rung of teams, people! No longer scrapping, so get some pride in that! Phil Savage will draft well, no worries.

 

[PIP]

Well, I agree with you...

I want the pass rusher. Williams is the man.. Take him and don't look back. I am not a fan of our linebackers. However, it's much easier to plug in a solid LB as opposed to finding that blue-chip DEnd

 

[cavincali]

im not for getting an o-lineman in the draft. bentley has said that he wants to play close to home, and he is a very very good lineman. get him with all that cap we have.

 

[Mac]

I think we need to find DL in free agency. People that are proven in the system we want.

If we are drafting at the ten spot, we have a legit change to get Hawk. Who Id love to have next to Davis, getting Taylor the hell out of the starting lineup and with Stewert and Thompson on the outside, th at is a solid LB core.

At the ten spot, we are too far out to grab one of the elite LT, unless we make a move up, but the draft is supposed to deep in OL so we may be able to snatch one up in round two.

We also need secondary help and Id like to see a DL in the middle rounds to groom to replace Roye.

 

[cdt]

How much bank to we have to spend next Free Agency? I think we have quite a bit not sure...I'd like to get like a big time FA.

 

[Mac]

CLose to $30 million.

 

[LyXo]

If we are drafting at the ten spot, we have a legit change to get Hawk. Who Id love to have next to Davis, getting Taylor the hell out of the starting lineup and with Stewert and Thompson on the outside, th at is a solid LB core.

I think Crennel is grooming Kenard Lang for the OLB. I see Chaun Thompson being the odd man out.

But AJ Hawk right next to Andra Davis? Nastiness. We'd have a solid pass rushing core in the linebackers.

 

[Mac]

Chuan is not the odd man out, he is getting better each and every week. He is young and what he is doing on the field just gets me more excited every week to what he could be.

Lang is an older DE turned LB who is making a pretty good amount of money. Odds are, he wont be on the team next year.