The Browns made two picks in the first round. Cleveland traded some later round picks to go from #4 to #3; given that we got Trent Richardson out of the deal and lost only a 4th, 5th, and 7th round pick, I’m totally okay with that. Given one of the categories for this post — RTFBS, or Run the Fuckin’ Ball, Stupid — I’m delighted that we received the only true every down back in the draft. There is a small part of me that says “Tony, you know the Browns needed a right tackle, and Matt Kalil would have been dynamite.” Still, running backs that touch the ball 25-30 times a game don’t grow on trees, and so I give the Browns a thumbs up on that pick.
I’m a little more concerned about the second pick, QB Brandon Weedon. He’s 28, or about two years younger than I am. He’s immensely talented from a drop back and pass standpoint, although he’s supposedly “meh” outside the pocket. That’s fine. So why aren’t I more excited? Simple: Colt McCoy.
I’ve defended McCoy a number of times on this blog. I think he’s a product of bad circumstances, not a bad QB, and there is a difference. McCoy isn’t Tom Brady or Peyton Manning; he is also not Charlie Frye or Derek Anderson (minus 2007). I think he can still be a very competent starter. He’s no “franchise QB”, but he is extremely competent, and it still kind of bothers me that the Browns have given up on him so quickly.
I also really wanted to see the Browns get an elite WR or OT in the first round. Riley Reiff would have been a tremendous choice. I like the guard that fell to Pittsburgh, too. A couple of picks earlier, Kendall Wright was available. I understand there are plenty of superb options for both in the second round, and maybe that’s true. I admit I’m not quite as knowledgeable about college ball as I was in the past, and apart from the first round, I’ve not examined many mock drafts.
Weedon may very easily defeat Colt McCoy in training camp. This may even end up good for Colt; he was forced to start before he was ready, and he’ll get a little bit of seasoning behind Weedon. Weedon may totally surprise me, start for 10 years, and give the Browns a Super Bowl. I’m just hesitant to sign off on the pick now (not that I need to, since I don’t work for the Browns.) I also think he would have been available in the second round
So, thus far: Richardson, A+ — Weedon, C+ (possibly as high as B+ depending on his performance).
[...] was happy with last year’s draft. I didn’t want to jump the gun like our resident Penguatroll, so I waited for all of the picks to come [...]
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[...] I’m not sure what to think of Tom Heckert as a drafter. He seems to get fixated on certain guys and takes them whenever he can get them, which means that he’ll get slammed a lot for reaches. That strategy can work great in Madden if you’ve scouted somebody nobody else has, but a couple of his picks are head scratchers. Coverage of the first round is here. [...]
Pingback by The remainder of the Browns’ draft « 36 Chambers – The Legendary Journeys: Execution to the max! — April 29, 2012 @ 3:37 am