Draft dodging

The Browns' first full NFL Draft in the Jimmy Haslam III-Joe Banner-Mike Lombardi regime began under a cloud of ominousness, thanks to the FBI and IRS raiding Haslam's Pilot/Flying J Tennessee headquarters and charging the business with defrauding customers on rebates the company promised to them.

Haslam's reputation around Cleveland took a hit when this news hit the fan. Browns fans weren't happy with his status as a "crook." They were concerned about the status of the Browns' franchise if Haslam is indicted -- would Haslam be forced to sell, would the NFL take over the operations of the team while a buyer is found, you name it. Things even as far-fetched as the Browns eventually relocating from Cleveland again were brought up from paranoid Cleveland sports fans who have been through the ringer and back many times over the last 50 years.

The NFL Draft, which took place this past Thursday-through-Saturday, was going to be the welcome distraction from those fears and get fans focusing on football again.

With Haslam in the "War Room" all three days, what the Cleveland Browns was interesting, to say the least.

The Browns kept their sixth pick, despite a reported offer from the St. Louis Rams to trade down 10 spots, did not add a second round pick and wound up making three separate trades that allowed to land veteran wide receiver Devone Bess from the Miami Dolphins, a third-round pick in the 2014 draft from the (gasp) Pittsburgh Steelers and a fourth-round pick in the same draft from the Indianapolis Colts. The result of those three trades was no picks at all in rounds four and five, one pick in round six and two picks in round seven that the Browns used to draft some gambles -- either high-profile players who are coming off major injuries (like Notre Dame safety Jamoris Slaughter) or Division II players from small schools that could be projects.

In the end, the Browns only had two picks in the first 174 draft picks, wound up with five draft picks total, did not take a rookie quarterback (which several so-called draft experts were predicting and a few more in the Cleveland media were calling for) and wound up taking a top-notch pass rusher in LSU's Barkevious Mingo with the sixth-overall pick instead of Alabama cornerback Dee Milliner (who fell to the New York Jets at No. 9). They also wound up taking San Diego State cornerback Leon McFadden in the third round, just one pick higher than the Arizona Cardinals took a gamble on LSU's Tyrann "Honey Badger" Mathieu, who missed all of last season due to drug-related suspensions.

So, why does Joe Cleveland give them a passing grade for this when there are many (and I mean MANY) people -- pundits, media members and fans -- taking them to task for what they did?

With the fact that I've been openly against Mike Lombardi as the general manager and would look for any way to bash the heck out of the guy, and am not currently thrilled with the things going on with Haslam, I find myself defending what they did.

I've tried to be angry about it, but I simply cannot. In fact, I find myself defending the Browns more than I take them to task.

Heading into the first round, the Browns had reportedly worked out every high-profile quarterback in this draft -- Geno Smith, E.J. Manuel, Ryan Nassib, Matt Barkley, Mike Glennon -- to the point that everyone discarded what Joe Banner said last month and felt that the Browns would take a quarterback.

Maybe not at No. 6, but maybe so. Maybe they trade down and use that later first round pick or pick in the second to take a QB.

So, I feared that the Browns wound use that sixth pick to take a guy like Geno Smith, who I am very down on. I saw a few of his college games last year, and he just didn't look like a guy you could make a franchise quarterback. It seemed like he was one of those "flavor of the month" QBs because of the "flavor of the month" read-option offense that some NFL coaches are importing from the college ranks. My motto was simply -- "Anybody But Geno."

So, when the Browns took Mingo, I let out a loud cheer, mostly in relief. It wasn't Geno Smith, thank God. In fact, Smith was passed over by everyone in the first round and was chosen into the seventh pick of the second round by the Jets, who already had a logjam at quarterback that only got more muddled, even after they gave God's favorite player Tim Tebow his walking papers.

When Miami moved up to take Dion Jordan (the guy I wanted most) and the Eagles surprisingly took offensive lineman Lane Johnson, I figured the Browns weren't going to trade. The three offensive linemen looked the most promising, and having Lane Johnson fall to six would have prompted several teams to make the Browns an offer.

After Ziggy Ansah was drafted by the Lions, I felt that the Browns would take either Mingo or Milliner, with a fear that it would be Geno Smith. I was pleasantly surprised that it was Mingo.

M-I-N-G-O! And Mingo was his name-oh!

Can't you envision yourself at FirstEnergy Stadium over the next several years chanting "MINNNNNGOOOOOOOOOOOOOO...." every time he makes a big play? I sure can.

After Geno Smith and another other player with QB listed as his position, the player I didn't want the Browns to settle for was Milliner. Earlier, I wanted Milliner because he fit that everyone believed was the Browns' biggest need -- a starting cornerback opposite Joe Haden. However, more reports came out about his five surgeries and his most recent torn labrum surgery, along with reports that, while Milliner was the best cornerback in the draft, that doesn't necessarily make him a "shutdown" cornerback.

In other words, he was really good, but he wasn't quite elite.

Some questioned Mingo because the Browns had spent a lot of money in the offseason on adding pass rushers from the outside linebacker and defensive end spots. Paul Kruger from Baltimore was the high-profile signing, while Quinton Groves from Arizona and Desmond Bryant from Oakland were also additions that bring some blitzing ability that Ray Horton wants from his attacking 3-4 defense.

With former second-round pick Jabaal Sheard making the move from outside end to outside linebacker, many felt that the Browns would take themselves out of the running for one of the three highly-projected pass rushers in the draft -- Jordan, Ansah and Mingo. Instead, they wound up with Mingo.

Mingo is a physical freak -- with good size and speed and tackling ability, with the ability to put pressure on the quarterback. He was held to 4.5 sacks last year, which concerned some. However, LSU coach Les Miles conceded that the defensive scheme they used took away from Mingo's main strength and that he was mostly used to "stay home" and defend the read-option quarterbacks they went up against. Also, Mingo was exclusively a defensive end in college, and he'd be asked to move to linebacker in the NFL.

Mingo will compete with Sheard and Groves with one of the starting spots at outside linebacker.

Some fear that Mingo will end up like Kamieron Wimbley, the former top-draft choice by the Browns who was moved from end to linebacker, sacked the QB 11 times as a rookie but fell to earth and was subsequently traded two years later. Wimbley has since played for three other NFL teams and has carved out a nice career for himself, but he certainly did not become the elite pass rusher Phil Savage and Romeo Crennel envisioned when they traded with the Ravens to get him.

Where Wimbley struggled was because the Browns did not have any other pass-rush threats on their defense besides Wimbley. Teams double-teamed him. He also struggled with pass coverage. When Mike Holmgren and Tom Heckert came aboard with visions of switching to a 4-3 defense, they dealt Wimbley to the Raiders for a third-round pick that wound up becoming Colt McCoy.

Mingo comes into a much better situation than Wimbley did. He enters a position of sudden depth thanks to Kruger, Groves and Sheard. He can put his hand down and play end when the Browns employ that 4-3 look (which they plan on). He'll be counted on as a part of the rotation among the front seven that should keep the players fresh and, hopefully, wreak havoc on opposing offenses.

Mingo will be compared not only to Milliner, but also to Georgia linebacker Jarvis Jones, who fell all the way to No. 19 and was taken by the Steelers. Jones was red-flagged because of a spinal stenosis condition that could shave years off his career, along with poor workouts at both his pro day and the NFL combine. However, his 28 sacks over the last two years led the nation (compared to 11.5 sacks over that time frame by Mingo). There are some who felt that the Browns should have taken the trade that was reportedly offered by the Rams and moved down to No. 16 and taken Jones or Texas safety Kenny Vaccaro.

Unfortunately, Browns fans can be a fickle bunch. When the Browns traded down three times in the first round in 2009 (passing Mark Sanchez, Josh Freeman and Jeremy Maclin) and took center Alex Mack, fans complained. When the Browns traded down from No. 6 to No. 24 with the Falcons and wound up with nose tackle Phil Taylor and defensive end Sheard and receiver Greg Little, fans complained that they passed on receiver Julio Jones. When the Browns traded up last year to snag running back Trent Richardson, they complained they paid too steep a price (which also complaining that they didn't pay an even steeper price to try to draft Robert Griffin III).

Let's face it, you guys will complain about anything. If the Browns would have traded down, you would have complained they moved down too far. So, get over it.

Banner said he includes receiver Josh Gordon in this group, and he should. The Browns used their second-round pick on him in last year's supplemental draft. Had Gordon come out this year, he would have been a high first round pick and the top WR taken (ahead of Tavon Austin, who is too small for my tastes). Gordon's addition lifts the status of this draft, in my opinion, and Heckert should take a bow for it.

While the Honey Badger had flash and big-play ability with LSU, playing next to two former No. 1 draft picks in Patrick Peterson and Morris Claiborne, his off-the-field issues and his 5-8 stature worked against him. I felt the Browns would take a chance on him, but only if he fell to the fourth round. Instead, they took McFadden, a four-year starter in the pass-happy Mountain West Conference who, while also small, showed great coverage ability. I have no problems with that pick.

Honey Badger is the ultimate boom or bust pick. If he gets back to drugs, fails on the field, whatever, it's a pick that would have sealed Lombardi's fate. With the Cardinals, he has his old buddy Peterson in the locker room to try to help keep him in line. It's a better situation for him there to succeed than here, even though they already have one of his old teammates in Mingo here. Plus, with his size, Mathieu is more suited to be a nickel back and cover the inside recievers instead of the outside (early plans with Arizona have him moving to safety, which is odd).

Some folks were hoping the Browns would use their fourth and fifth round picks on the plethora of quarterbacks that dropped like stones in this draft. However, I am glad they did not. Guys like Nassib and Barkley fell for a reason. Then, they turn into yet another third- or fourth-round QB that the Browns take that teases fans for a bit but then fall to earth spectacularly. It's a big reason why this team has had trouble developing a long-term quarterback --they always settle for mid-round talent, give them a season or two, and then start over.

See Charlie Frye (third round), Colt McCoy (third round), Luke McCown (fourth round), Spurgeon Wynn (sixth round) and even Derek Anderson (sixth round with Baltimore) as QBs who teased fans with some solid play but flopped when they became the de-facto starting quarterback of the Cleveland Browns. As it is, both Barkley and Nassib were drafted in the fourth round before the Browns chose, so it was a moot point. But even a guy like Tyler Wilson of Arkansas, all he does is give fans false hope that they found the heir-apparent for Weeden and clamor for him when (and if) Weeden struggles. I'm about tired of QB drama in this town.

The Browns are giving Weeden at least one more to prove himself, and he deserves it. He was a first-round draft choice who had success in college and had intangibles that many scouts love (good size, a big arm, etc.) He's in an offense tailored to his strengths that Rob Chudzinski and Norv Turner are bringing to town. He'll also have a better receiving corps to throw to with the additions of Bess and David Nelson, along with the returns of Gordon, Little, Travis Benjamin, Jordan Norwood and Josh Cooper, along with a (hopefully) healthier Trent Richardson running the ball and an improved offensive line.

If he fails, the Browns suddenly are armed with assets in the 2014 draft to try to make a move to land one of the top quarterbacks in next year's class (Teddy Bridgewater, Johnny Manziel, A.J. McCarron, etc.) And that's due to those trades with the Steelers and Colts that everyone complained about.

Some think that the Browns doing what they did in this draft signifies that they are playing for next year already. I don't get that vibe. So, they didn't take a player in the fourth and fifth round. I don't remember a lot of All-Pros coming out of the fourth and fifth round. This is where the Browns typically find players like Owen Marecic, Buster Skrine, James-Michael Johnson, Travis Benjamin, etc. Nice players, but are they going to be studs in the NFL? Doubtful. Most fans are ready to run Marecic and Skrine out of town, as am I? So, they didn't waste a draft pick on a guy that, most likely, wouldn't start on this team and be a training camp body, and they got higher assets in next year's draft for them. Good for them. A solid business move, if you ask me.

I would expect the Browns to become players in the second phase of free agency, that usually heats up after June 1 when players get cut due to contract deadlines. That's where you'll find your depth and special teams help, and, potentially, another starter to go with your existing crew.

I give the draft an early B-, but in reality, how can you legitimately grade a draft two days after it's over when none of these players have gone through training camp or played in a game yet? Last year, there were fans crying that the Browns took Weeden over guard David DeCastro, and then DeCastro suffered a serious injury and missed most of his rookie season with the Steelers. Still crying?

Honestly, what the Browns did in this draft is something most of us aren't used to seeing, which is why some of us are outraged. Would it have helped to add in eight rookie draft picks again? No, it wouldn't have.

I'm willing to give Banner and Co. the benefit of the doubt. I was high on Mingo and was happy they drafted him, and I like the McFadden pick the more I see it. And, let's rejoice for a second that there won't be a quarterback controversy this year.

Until next time, remember that Cleveland Rocks!