Draft Madness

Is it just Joe Cleveland, or do you wish the NFL Draft would have already happened?

With not much else to care about in the world of Cleveland Sports (even if the Indians suddenly found their winning mojo under the cover of 10 p.m. starts on the West Coast), the main topic since March has been the upcoming NFL Draft and what the Browns will do with their two first round picks, three picks in the top 37, five picks in the top 100 and 13 overall picks in the seven rounds.

The draft will finally begin this Thursday night with the first round, and Joe Cleveland cannot freaking wait for it to happen. Because all the speculation about who the Browns should take (or shouldn't take) and whether or not they'll trade up or down or stay put or do something to move from No. 22 is driving me insane.

Joe Cleveland does not help his "insanity" by listening to Cleveland talk radio during my daily commutes to my sportswriting gigs or food runs or whatever else I'm doing in my vehicle. No matter if it's WKNR or WKRK (92.3 The Fan) or WTAM, the only topic that seems to be discussed is the draft.

The talk didn't die down after the Redskins made the Rams an offer that they couldn't (and shouldn't) refuse for the No. 2 overall pick and the right to take Robert Griffin III (or, as I'll be referring to him after hearing about his selfishness, RG-Me), especially since every talking head in this town believed that RG-Me was going to be the answer to all of the Browns' fans prayers.

Because this town is so hell-bent on QBs (we love them and then devour them, just as we're starting to do with Colt McCoy), talk turned to the next two guys on the draft depth chart, Texas A&M's Ryan Tannehill (not to be confused with poet Lord Alfred Tannyhill, although I think the Browns might as well draft the wordsmith if they're going to waste the fourth-overall pick on this project) and Oklahoma State's Brandon Weeden. Tannehill, who was nowhere near the first-round converastion when the college season ended back in January, has suddenly rocketed up the draft boards, to where suddenly draft "experts" like "Chicago" Mike Mayock and Todd McShay were thumping their chests and proclaiming that the Browns "have to" take Tannehill at four.

Suddenly, the possibility of QBs going 1-2-3 appeared to be realistic, as the Vikings were supposedly shopping around the No. 3 pick. The Dolphins, who may need a QB even more than the Browns do and also have the advantage of Tannehill's college coach (Mike Sherman) as their offensive coordinator, may try to move up to No. 3.

Joe Cleveland is praying to whatever God or Higher Power there is for this to actually happen. Because without Tannehill on the board, the Browns won't be tempted to screw the pick up by taking him.

And, with Tannehill off the board, suddenly four top-notch players are there for the taking -- Alabama RB Trent Richardson, LSU CB Morris Claiborne, USC tackle Matt Kalil and Oklahoma St. WR Justin Blackmon. You can bet the Browns' phone will be ringing off the hook with trade offers.

Even though trading down with Atlanta last year was the smart thing to do (they gave up a fortune for Julio Jones, who I still am not 100 percent sold on as the "next-big thing."), fans are afraid about trading down this year. They want playmakers, not nice players.

Phil Taylor was a definite need, but he's not a playmaker. Jabaal Sheard can be a playmaker from the DE spot, but that's not really the definition of a "playmaker."

Richardson = playmaker.

Blackmon = playmaker.

Claiborne = playmaker (even if fans want offense first, a backfield of Haden-Claiborne would harken us old-school Browns fans to the days of Dixon-Minnifield).

Kalil is not a playmaker, however, he makes the playmakers you have do their job a little bit easier.

I believe the Browns have whittled it down to Richardson, Claiborne and Blackmon as their top three choices, with Tannehill on the outskirts. Honestly, I believe the Browns are more sold on "old-man" Weeden instead of Tannehill, and I could not be happier with that thought process.

Richardson is probably the best RB prospect in the NFL Draft since Darren McFadden, although he's more can't-miss than McFadden was. Richardson may be the best "can't-miss" prospect since Adrian Peterson came out. The Browns passed on Peterson and took Joe Thomas (a great choice). A few years before that, they passed on LaDanian Tomlinson and took Gerard Warren. A few years before that, they passed on Ricky Williams and took Tim Couch. I'd still argue for the Couch pick. The Warren pick was a huge mistake (thanks a lot, Butch Davis).

The knock is that so many teams are finding good running backs late in the draft, or not in the draft at all. Those same people also want to say that finding a Tom Brady in the sixth round is an anomaly, so you can't have it both ways.

Also, running backs have an average shelf-life of five-to-seven years in the NFL. Once a running back reaches the age of 30, they suddenly magically start to regress. Jim Brown retired at the age of 29, for Christ-sakes, and he was the best running back of ALL-TIME. So, critics wonder if it's worth taking a guy that high when he has a short shelf life.

With Blackmon, the knock is his size and his attitude. Blackmon gave an interview on Cleveland radio last week that seemed to indicate that he really didn't want to be in Cleveland. He didn't come right out and say it, but some read between the lines and his demeanor on air. The last time the Browns took a WR high who wasn't 100 percent sold on Cleveland, that WR did more to turn off the fan base during the expansion era than arguably any other player (and there have been quite a few). He dropped a lot of passes, screwed around off the field, was a destraction in the locker room and, upon leaving, let Cleveland know how he REALLY felt about them. Today, that receiver is a free agent, and not a lot of teams are lining up to sign him. That receiver was Braylon Edwards.

Do we really want another Braylon Edwards on this team? I sure as hell don't.

Besides, the WR crop is so deep, you can find good guys at No. 22 (Stephen Hill, Kendell Wright, Alshon Jeffrey, to name a few). Unless I trade down, I pass on Blackmon.

Kalil makes sense because right tackle is such a glaring weakness. However, do you want to take a right tackle with the fourth-overall pick? How about a right tackle who primarily played left tackle in college? The draft is also deep in quality offensive linemen. Offensive linemen that could be on the board at No. 22, or No. 37, or in the third round. I love Kalil, but I'd have to pass. However, I'm not going to cry a river if he gets taken.

I mentioned earlier why Claiborne would be a great pick. With the NFL being, mostly, a passing league, you want two great cornerbacks to thwart that. Joe Haden appears to be on his way to becoming a top-notch cornerback. Morris Claiborne is a shut-down cornerback who also has the ability to help in the return game (Cribbs isn't getting any younger). You see two good QBs twice a year in Rapist Roethlisberger and Porn-stache Flacco, and Ginger Dalton had a solid rookie season last year. Yes, the Ravens have Ray Rice, but the Steelers are definitely pass-first, as are the Bengals. Sometimes, your best offense is a good defense.

Of course, you have more glaring needs on offense, and there will be a large portion of the fan base not happy that the Browns went defense. But, here's the biggest thing:

You're not going to please everybody at once. No one is going to be 100 percent behind the pick, regardless of WHO it is. There will be critics if it's Richardson because of the shelf-life thing. It's just the way it is.

The Browns have to do what's best for the Browns. If that means trading down a few spots and adding an additional second round pick (or more), then by all means.

To be honest, the only pick Joe Cleveland will be steamed about is if they stay at No. 4 and take Tannehill. Tannehill is not ready to play this year. He could be a great QB, but he also could be a bust. If you take Tannehill fourth-overall, the pressure is there to play him over McCoy. What does it say if the fourth-overall pick can't beat out a guy who wasn't taken until the third round a few years ago and who many are ready to run out of town?

Griffin would have put more asses in the seats. Tannehill will not.

Which brings me to Mr. Weeden. Yes, he'll be 29 during the regular season. Yes, he injured his arm while pitching in the Yankees organization. Yes, you probably have about a seven-year window on the guy for success.

However, I think Weeden has the most talent of ANY quarterback in this draft. Yep, that includes Andrew Luck.

I think Weeden comes in with a veteran's mentality off the rip. I think he allows you to tell that cancer Seneca Wallace that he can go elsewhere if he wants to be a starter, and best of luck to him in that quest.

I think he's the one QB pick you can make that doesn't damage McCoy's psyche. McCoy is still young enough to be in the future plans. You have Weeden, but Weeden's not under any pressure to beat McCoy out. He COMPETES with him, which is what Holmgren, Heckart and Shurmur want anyway.

If Brandon Weeden is still there at No. 37, you take him. If you select Justin Blackmon in the first round, you HAVE to take Weeden at No. 37, because that's the only way Blackmon will be happy in Cleveland.

Here's who Joe Cleveland predicts for the first two rounds (not factoring in potential trades, which I believe there will be a few):

4. Trent Richardson -- Makes the most sense, and is the least PR-damaging selection you can make.

22. Stephen Hill -- At 6-4 with great speed, he could be the breakout star wideout the Browns have been seeking. Keep an eye out for Jonathan Martin, the OT from Stanford, at this spot as well.

37. Weeden -- I think Holmgren and Heckart really like him, as does Shurmur.

In the later rounds, look for the Browns to address the offensive line (Mike Adams could fall to the third round due to his marijuana test), cornerback (Chase Minnifield would be PERFECT here), receiver again, and the defense (they could use an athletic linebacker on the outside, especially if Scott Fujita gets suspended for Bounty-Gate). If they don't take Weeden, I expect them to take a QB in the third or fourth round (Brock Osweiler, Kirk Cousins and Kellen Moore are three likely names). And, if Richardson isn't the choice, Doug Martin or LaMichael James are almost locks for that No. 37 pick.

Tom Heckart said in January that it would "hard to screw this up." I hope he's right.

This draft holds the key to whether or not the Browns will sniff a Super Bowl in the next 5-10 years, or if they'll continue to be NFL laughingstocks. Since I believe the Browns will be in a Super Bowl (or two) during that span, I am leaning toward the former. Please, make it so!

***

I alluded to the Indians earlier, and how their 7-2 road trip couldn't have happened so quietly. This is what happens when you start your homestand 1-4, blowing a three-run ninth inning lead in the home opener before falling in 16.

I firmly believe, though, that the Indians thrive at this "under the radar" thing. Remember, after they got destroyed in last year's home opener that everyone (including Joe Cleveland) had written them off, that they suddenly went 30-15 through the first two months of the season? Then, when people started paying attention, they folded like the cheap accordians they are.

It will be interesting to see if there is any spike in attendance at home this week. I predict that there isn't.

The Indians went from the largest home opening crowd in many years to back-to-back crowds under 10,000 by the time that homestand came to a close. This is what happens when you have a penny-pinching owner that fans don't trust who has the audacity to criticize them for his own shortcomings.

Joe Cleveland is declaring all crowds under 10,000 to be "Dolan Specials." When you turn a $30 million profit and still cry the poorhouse blues, this is what happens, Larry.

Do you see what happens, Larry? This is what happens, Larry! (yes, I'm quoting The Big Lebowski, but it's apt).

I hope the Tribe can keep winning, but I doubt it.

***

The Cavs have two more games left in their season.

YAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYY!!!!! Then we can move on to their draft madness.

Perhaps the NBA will rig the draft lottery in our favor for the second straight year. It's payback for having evidence that LeBron colluded with Pat Riley while under contract with the Cavs. Make it so, Stern!

Until next time, remember that Cleveland Rocks!

Follow Joe Cleveland on Twitter @JoeCleveBlog