Draft Thoughts

Joe Cleveland does not like this new Blogger format. But, here goes the latest installment of "Joe Cleveland":

The most anticipated draft in Browns history -- debatable, but I've never remembered such hype and buzz about it, even during the expansion year -- came and went Thursday through Saturday, and the Browns did not disappoint in their spashy moves.

Well, at least for the first round. The remaining six rounds were pretty pedestrian by most standards, only because there weren't any "sexy" picks (by the way, Joe Cleveland hates when people describe draft picks as "sexy." To me, there's only one definition of "sexy" and it involves women. Of course, that's just my opinion. Some men think other men are "sexy," not that there's anything wrong with that. But, I digress ...)

The Browns entered the draft with 13 picks and wound up selecting 10 players and signing 11 others as undrafted free agents. Here are your new Cleveland Browns:

First Round:
3. Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama
22. Brandon Weeden, QB, Oklahoma State
Second Round:
5. Mitchell Schwartz, OT, California
Third Round:
25. John Hughes, DT, Cincinnati
Fourth Round:
5. Travis Benjamin, WR, Miami (FL.)
25. James Michael-Johnson, LB, Nevada
Fifth Round:
25. Ryan Miller, OG, Colorado
Sixth Round:
35. Emmanuel Acho, LB, Texas
36. Billy Winn, DT, Boise State
Seventh Round:
38. Trevin Wade, CB, Arizona
40. Brad Smelley, TE/FB, Alabama
Undrafted:
Josh Cooper, WR, Oklahoma State
Jermaine Saffold, WR, Missouri St
Andrew Sweat, LB, Ohio State
Matt Cleveland, OT, Idaho
Antwuan Reed, CB, Pitt
J.B. Shugarts, OT, Ohio State
Jake Anderson, OT, Akron
Johnson Bademosi, SAF, Stanford
William Green, DE, Florida
Tashaun Gipson, S, Wyoming
Garth Gerhart, OL, Arizona State

Well, let's start at the top. The Browns moved up one spot (from 4th to 3rd) to select Richardson, who many believe was the best football player in this draft. They also gave up the fourth round pick they received from Atlanta and their sixth and seventh-round selections to move up. Richardson was the first running back taken in the top 10 since Darren McFadden, and the first Browns first-round running back selection since William Green in 2002.

In fact, he's the highest draft pick the Browns have spent on a running back since they acquired the No. 1 overall pick in 1962 and took Heisman Trophy winner Ernie Davis. Davis, unfortunately, was diagnosed with leukemia and died without ever playing in a single NFL game.

Some are lamenting the high price the Browns paid to move up to take "The Kraken," but it pales in comparison to the price Washington paid to select Robert Griffin III. In fact, it also pales in comparison to the time Butch Davis moved up from No. 7 to No. 6 in 2004 to select Kellen Winslow Jr. Davis also gave up his second round pick to move up one spot, meaning it was the only time Matt Millen ever pulled the wool over someone's eyes in the draft (Butch was gone by the next draft).

I give the Browns a ton of credit to go out and get their guy. Many fans (unjustly, I might add) lambasted them for trading down with Atlanta last year. The Falcons gave up a king's ransom to move up to take receiver Julio Jones, who had an up-and-down rookie season where highlight-reel plays were augmented by drops and injuries. Suddenly, those same fans (fans who cried about the Browns not giving up a king's ransom to take RG-ME) were now complaining that the Browns gave up too much.

WHICH IS IT?????!!!!!!

God-damn, I love being a Browns fan, but you people are ridiculous sometimes. I know we're jaded from years of losing football, but come on! Give the front office the benefit of the doubt. They did what they had to do get the one player that everyone wanted (after Luck and RG-ME). And, to be honest, other than the fourth-round pick (which was a low fourth-rounder at that), the other picks were junk picks. For every sixth- and seventh-rounder that emerges, there's about 50 others that fade into obscurity.

The next pick drew even more controversy, even though every Browns fan cried and complained that they needed to replace Colt McCoy. Brandon Weeden's lone knock is his age -- 28. He became the oldest player drafted in the first round in many years.

Skeptics immediately brought up the last 28-year-old who had a good college career and went to the NFL -- Heisman winner Chris Weinke. Weinke went in the fourth round, started his rookie year in which the team went 1-15, and then spent several years as a backup and mentor. He was the backup when Carolina reached it's lone Super Bowl, and he now has made a name for himself as a QB guru, running offseason camps for prospective pros.

People like Joe Cleveland brought up guys like Kurt Warner, Steve Young, Roger Staubach, Rich Gannon -- players who didn't do much in their 20s but emerged in their late 20s and 30s to become great. Staubach and Young are Hall of Famers; Warner could very well be one; Gannon will not, but had a fine career, nonetheless.

Weeden has a great arm, a great head on his shoulders, is a natural leader and is a proven winner. Sure, Colt was a natural leader and proven collegiate winner as well, but his lack of size and arm strength caused him to fall to the third round and were exposed last season -- his first full season as a starter.

All the so-called draft experts felt that Weeden was a lock for the Browns, but at No. 37 -- the fifth-overall pick in the second round. The Browns made it clear that Weeden was their guy when they lost out on RG-ME and Luck, and they feared that another team would swoop in between 22 and 37 to take him. They didn't want to gamble.

That essentially became the theme of their draft. The Browns saw the person they liked and, draft gurus be damned, they didn't want to gamble and took them regardless.

Did they reach on a few picks? Probably.

But did they fill a ton of needs? Absolutely.

You could argue that the Browns should have filled the right tackle spot in free agency, that Eric Winston could have been had and been affordable under their cap, which would have allowed them to take a receiver. However, the sad reality is Cleveland is just not a desirable place for free agents.

Part of it is the teams, but a larger part is the area.

We get angry about it because we love our town and we're fiercely protective of it's image (a big reason why I LOVE Cleveland), but the national perception is what it is.

The only way the Browns, Cavs and Indians will lure players is if they overpay them. Tom Heckert and Mike Holmgren made it clear they weren't going to overpay to bring anyone in. They may have overpaid Frostee Rucker a bit, but Heckert and Holmgren believed Rucker would bloster their 30th-ranked run defense.

So, for us outsiders to complain that the Browns didn't do anything in free agency, we're overlooking the fact that free agents may not want to come here.

That could change once the casino gets up and running. It will add to businesses and add other attractions that should appeal to professional athletes. The fact that Cavs owner Dan Gilbert is one of the main proponents behind the Horseshoe Casino should tell you that he's trying to make Cleveland attractive to pro athletes.

It will also change once the culture changes and the teams begin winning. The Cavs won with LeBron James, but many players believed LeBron was going to leave so they stayed away (they were right, what a surprise). The Indians just can't afford to spend money on top-flight talent and have made a habit out of letting their own top-flight talent go, which doesn't help the outside image. And the Browns have been a perennial loser for so long.

You have to break the bank on a player if you're a losing team, like the Bills did with Mario Williams. The Browns did that when Phil Savage was running the show, but Holmgren and Heckert made it clear that they won't operate that way.

Now, back to the draft ...

If any player will be nominated for the Montario Hardesty Award, named for the running back Heckert traded up for in the second round of his first draft but never panned out, it will be Cincinnati defensive tackle John Hughes.

Hughes, who shares the same name as one of the best movie directors of the 1980s (The Breakfast Club, Home Alone, Sixteen Candles, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, etc.), was pegged to be a very late round pick by the so-called experts. The Browns traded down from their fourth-overall spot in the third round to add another fourth (making up for the one they lost in the Richardson deal) and took Hughes.

Fans screamed that they didn't add a wide receiver in the first three rounds. They felt that defensive tackle was the least of their worries. They wondered who the hell this John Hughes guy is.

When the Browns decided right tackle was more of a glaring need than wide receiver (it was, Browns fans, it was), they were gambling that a wide receiver may fall into the third round. They almost got their wish, as LSU's Ruben Randle plumetted like a stone to the third round. However, once he was taken just four picks ahead of the Browns, I believe that gave them the excuse to trade down.

From that point on, the Browns drafted for need. They added another guard (Colorado's Ryan Miller) to push Shawn Lavauo and Jason Pinkston for one of the starting spots. They added Hughes and Billy Winn to add to the depth of the defensive line. They added Wade to add depth to their defensive backfield (which was one thing they were trying to do). And, Smelley's versitility will aid their special teams and give Owen Marecic a challenger for the fullback spot.

Browns fans will complain about their ignoring of wide receiver again. The only one they took was speedy Travis Benjamin out of Miami. Benjamin is small, but has breakaway speed that could be an asset in the return game (Cribbs isn't getting any younger). Then again, the player they may have been targeting at 22 (Baylor's Brandon Wright) is also speedy and smaller, so what does that tell you.

I was hoping the Browns would take a flyer on Western Michigan's Jordan White, a North Ridgeville native. They almost did, but the Jets picked him just one spot before the Browns were selecting. Now that would have been a great story, especially since former Brown Herman Fontenot was a mentor to White when he was in high school.

Free agency isn't over. There are still several servicable veterans out there that will be picked up as we get into June and July. Already there's a rumor that Braylon Edwards would be open to a return to Cleveland (yeesh). Plus, there will be some roster cuts on June 1 when players are due their signing bonuses.

I originally graded the draft an A-, but I'll be realistic and give it a B. The Browns upgraded their quarterback, running back, offensive line and linebacker and added depth at the defensive line, cornerback and wide receiver. I can be happy with that.

I was hoping the Browns would have drafted Virginia cornerback Chase Minnifield (Frank Minnifield's son), and then hoped they would sign him as an undrafted free agent. I guess Minnifield had microfracture surgery on his knee, and it scared a few teams off. Washington signed him as an undrafted free agent.

The Browns got the two players they really wanted in Richardson and Weeden, and those two should drastically change the pedestrian offense. Richardson is about as can't-miss a running back prospect as Adrian Peterson was. The Browns passed on Peterson and took Joe Thomas. The Browns passed on LaDanian Tomlinson and took Gerard Warren (that's one you'd like back). This time, they was the running back, and they went out and got him.

And, the best part about both Richardson and Weeden -- they genuinely wanted to be here. You can't put a price-tag on that.

The Browns are a better team today than they were last week. I am now geninely excited to see how this season plays out and to see our top-two draft picks in action.

***

Now, our thoughts and attention turns to the Cavs draft.

The Cavs won two more games than they did last year while playing 16 less games. They were more exciting with the emergence of No. 1 overall pick Kyrie Irving and No. 4 overall pick Tristan Thompson and were in playoff contention through the All-Star break.

After dealing Ramon Sessions to the Lakers for a first-round pick and Luke Walton, the Cavs only won five of their final 25 games. Irving getting hurt didn't help, and the Cavs resorted to playing a lot of D-Leaguers during the final few weeks of the regular season.

If there is a bright spot, the losses wound up giving the Cavs the third-worst record in the NBA. Thanks to good-luck charm Nick Gilbert, the Cavs won two coin-flips to give them the third-most chances at winning the NBA draft lottery and also made their Laker pick one spot better than Memphis.

Last year, Cavs fans were drooling about the possibility of Harrison Barnes and Kyrie Irving in the same draft. Now, they have a chance to get Barnes anyway, along with Kentucky freshmen Anthony Davis (if they win the top-pick again) and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist.

I feel really good about the Cavs' future. In fact, even though I'm skeptical about the NBA's behind-the-scenes dealings and officiating, I think the Cavs may have the best chance to win a title of our three teams if they draft plays out like we hope.

The Browns' draft is a reason for optimism, as is the prospects of the Cavs' draft lottery chances and subsequent draft.

Who knows, if the Heat don't win an NBA title this year (which is a distinct possibility), maybe Dan Gilbert's guarantee won't look so outlandish after all. I wonder if ESPN would apologize to him after they mocked him for a full year. Probably not.

***

Surprise, surprise, the under-the-radar Indians have found themselves in first place in the AL Central Division with April coming to a close.

Just like last year, the Indians had a miserable first few games. Just like last year, the Tribe found their mojo a bit. And, just like last year, they are in first place at this point of the season.

Attendance continues to be below 10,000 at Progressive Field, and the Indians still struggle to get anything going offensively. Their bullpen has been inconsistant, as have their starting pitching. And yet, somehow, they're in first.

I attribute this more to the Tigers scuffling a bit than the Indians playing well. Once the Tigers find their stride, they will blow past the Indians in the standings. Not to be a Gloomy Gus, but it's true.

We saw it last year, and we'll see it again this year.

If they Indians somehow find themsleves in first place in June, fans will start paying attention again. And, once they do, the Tribe will wilt under the spotlight like they always seem do to. Not even Johnny Damon will help change that.

I'd like to hope that things will come together for the Indians, but this team just isn't very good. They're using smoke, mirrors and luck to do it. Hopefully, the smoke, mirrors and luck continue.

Until next time, remember that Cleveland Rocks!