• Changing RCF's index page, please click on "Forums" to access the forums.

Grade the Browns 1st Round - 2018 NFL Draft

Do Not Sell My Personal Information

Grade it.


  • Total voters
    108
I gave a "C", meaning "average". I mean that very literally because the "average" draft is one in which you won't really know how well you did until your guys get real playing time. So, it's kind of a proxy for "incomplete".

I think too many people give grades based on pre-draft groupthink by pundits and fans. It's kind of odd -- some people still value that pre-draft valuation on players even when multiple teams pass on a prospect that the amateurs all thought was clearly superior.
 
I’m gonna give this 1st round a B-, only because I’m trying to be optimistic, and I honestly have no idea how these players will do.

But I will say Dorsey certainly has balls for selecting the players he did and flying in the face of what the conventional wisdom was. He’s largely putting his job and reputation on the line with these two picks. He better pray Mayfield doesn’t bust at the pro level and that Chubb isn’t an elite can’t miss talent.
 
I gave a "C", meaning "average". I mean that very literally because the "average" draft is one in which you won't really know how well you did until your guys get real playing time. So, it's kind of a proxy for "incomplete".

I think too many people give grades based on pre-draft groupthink by pundits and fans. It's kind of odd -- some people still value that pre-draft valuation on players even when multiple teams pass on a prospect that the amateurs all thought was clearly superior.

Strangely, I dislike the Ward pick more than the Mayfield pick. I had Mayfield on the same tier as Rosen and Darnold, even if I liked Rosen a bit better. I think Ward was a clear tier down from Chubb.
 
Mayfield is missing one thing and it’s height.

How would you feel if he was LITERALLY one inch taller? You’d be touting him as one of the best QB prospects of the last few years.

Simply watch the kid play. He could give a fuck if someone’s bigger, stronger, faster. He’s going to pick you apart methodically.

He is 6'0 tall and change I heard. Closer to Manziel than normal QB height.

Why does height matter in this position? Because you have to see over monsters standing in front of you coming at you.

Height is kind of important. Hand size on the other hand, not very much. But completely disregarding height is ignorant.
 
He is 6'0 tall and change I heard. Closer to Manziel than normal QB height.

Why does height matter in this position? Because you have to see over monsters standing in front of you coming at you.

Height is kind of important. Hand size on the other hand, not very much. But completely disregarding height is ignorant.

Wilson is 5’10”.

It’s disingenuous to disregard someone BECAUSE of height. He had an NFL sized o line at OU.
 
He is 6'0 tall and change I heard. Closer to Manziel than normal QB height.

Why does height matter in this position? Because you have to see over monsters standing in front of you coming at you.

Height is kind of important. Hand size on the other hand, not very much. But completely disregarding height is ignorant.

No QB over six feet tall busts because of his height.

If Mayfield busts, it won't be because he's six-foot-one instead of six-foot-three. It'll be because he's not a good quarterback.
 
Wilson is 5’10”.

It’s disingenuous to disregard someone BECAUSE of height. He had an NFL sized o line at OU.

You are naming an exception not the rule.

Do you see a bunch of Isaiah Thomas's or Mugsy Bogues running around the league? No.

I never completely disregarded him all i am saying is it is a hurdle he will have to cross.
 
No QB over six feet tall busts because of his height.

Seems like you just pulled that out of your ass. It's physical fact, if you are 6'0 tall and all the guys in front of you are 6'3 to 6'6 it's going to affect your field vision...
 
I can't give it worse than a B because the Browns aggressively addressed two of their biggest needs: QB1 and CB1.

Unfortunately, I can't give it an A because there were two other QBs I felt had higher long-term upside than Mayfield.

That said, I'm not nearly as down on Mayfield as some of the other folks on this board. I think he can be a very good NFL QB.
 
Seems like you just pulled that out of your ass. It's physical fact, if you are 6'0 tall and all the guys in front of you are 6'3 to 6'6 it's going to affect your field vision...

Meh. If you're a great QB, you're going to succeed if you're six feet tall or six-four.

I could equally argue that you're pulling out of your ass the idea that a great QB somehow couldn't overcome throwing over guys an inch or two taller than him. Mayfield had zero issues throwing over defensive linemen in college, and he played against some future NFL players, so we have no reason to believe it will become an issue at the next level. He has his faults, but I don't think anyone can reasonably argue that being slightly undersized will be the reason he busts if he does.
 
Meh. If you're a great QB, you're going to succeed if you're six feet tall or six-four.

I could equally argue that you're pulling out of your ass the idea that a great QB somehow couldn't overcome throwing over guys an inch or two taller than him. Mayfield had zero issues throwing over defensive linemen in college, so we have no reason to believe it will become an issue at the next level. He has his faults, but I don't think anyone can reasonably argue that being slightly undersized will be the reason he busts if he does.

That's the whole question. How many Great QBs are there 6'2 + and how many are there 6'0 and less.

You want to act like it doesn't matter at all that is fine I'll stop here.

Just because he is now on the Brown's doesn't mean we have to blindly think he has no flaws and was the best pick.

Only time will tell.
 
Seems like you just pulled that out of your ass. It's physical fact, if you are 6'0 tall and all the guys in front of you are 6'3 to 6'6 it's going to affect your field vision...

With helmets, that puts their effective height even higher than that, which means you'd have to be about 7 feet tall to have your eyes actually see right over the heads. Point is, even guys 6'3" or 6'4" are going to need to find seeing lanes. It's really the throwing that matters -- you need enough height/arm length to throw over the OL without balls sailing. Being able to adjust arm angle while still throwing accurately also is a big boost.

One major reason you don't see a lot of very short QB's is that they come with shorter arms, which means they have difficulty throwing over their lineman without the ball sailing. Physics also means shorter arms cannot generate the same power.
 
TBD as always.

I feel strongly that Ward is going to be a top 10 CB right away though.
 
I am not loving the fact that Mayfield is 6'0. I think anyone saying it's fine is being ignorant. He will have to adjust his game in the pros to compensate for the lack of height, it's just a fact. He will have to throw through windows and schemes will have to be developed just to allow him the ability to see/throw to routes. However; it's not impossible. My point is, Drew Brees and Russell Wilson prove it can be done in today's NFL. Height is not a disqualifying characteristic the way you are making it out to be.

The only thing that is disqualifying in a QB to me is accuracy. If you cannot be accurate at the college level you will not be accurate at the pro level. High level accuracy is mandatory to be a successful NFL starter. Conversely, you can be super accurate at the college level but that does not guarantee you will good at the pro level (see Cody Kessler)
 

Rubber Rim Job Podcast Video

Episode 3-13: "Backup Bash Brothers"

Rubber Rim Job Podcast Spotify

Episode 3:11: "Clipping Bucks."
Top