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

Thwarting the RG3 Hysteria

With NFL free agency upon us, and the NFL draft about a month and a half away, many Browns fans have begun the speculation game.

The most popular speculation -- perpetuated by the local sports talk minions -- centers around Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III, the Heisman Trophy winner.

With the St. Louis Rams holding the No. 2 pick and not in any need to take a QB, especially after drafting Sam Bradford No. 1 overall just two years ago, they have made no secret about auctioning off that pick to the highest bidder. 90 percent of the local sports-yammers are demanding that the Browns win that auction to land the guy they believe will get this team to the Promised Land.

Joe Cleveland is not one of those guys. In fact, Joe Cleveland is saying that the Browns should stand pat at No. 4, or even (gasp) trade down and get some more picks.

There's no question that quarterback is the glamour position in the NFL, and, nowadays, it's hard to find a team that wins a Super Bowl without an elite QB under center. You'd probably have to go back to 2002, when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers won with Brad Johnson taking snaps, to find a Super Bowl champ that didn't have a "superstar" quarterback.

A lot of people seem to think that Robert Griffin III has the tools to become a "superstar" quarterback. He can throw. He can run. He has a good head on his shoulders. He's a great athlete.

But, does that mean he'd be a good fit for the Browns? Not if it means giving up two first-rounders this year and a first-rounder next year. Sorry to burst that bubble, but it's true.

RG3 (I hate using that moniker, just because I hear it so damn much on the radio) is not a good fit for the West Coast Offense that the Browns are trying to impliment. Bringing Brad Childress on board as the offensive coordinator only reaffirms that committment to that offense.

All the draft gurus like Mike Mayock, Todd McShay and Mel Kiper claim that any team who drafts Griffin will have to tailor their offense a little bit to fit his skill set. So, what makes you think that Pat Shurmur, Childress and Mike Holmgren will deviate from their uniform philosophy just to make sure the square peg (Griffin) fits into their round hole? I can't see that happening.

And, with Tom Heckart's love of draft picks and being able to utilize them well (as we've mostly seen these past two years), why do you think he'd suddenly mortgage the future just to bring in one guy?

And, if you do that, Griffin is still playing around the mediocre talent that the Browns have on offense. You lose out on the chance to add a top wide reciever in the draft, or a top lineman (let's face it, the offensive line, especially the right side, need some work), by throwing everything in the Griffin bucket. Griffin will still be throwing to a receiving corps that led the entire NFL in collective dropped passes. Griffin will still be behind an offensive line that has a revolving door at right tackle, a right guard who was good for at least one false start penalty each game, and a left guard who is coming off back surgery and missed an entire season last year.

He'll get a chance to show off those world-class legs, that's for sure. He'll also open himself to injury.

The Colts release of Peyton Manning this week is a huge wild-card in what the Browns are able to do in the draft. Once that domino falls, others will follow and the path will become clear. Here's what Joe Cleveland believes will happen:

Heckart said that the Browns have no interest in entering the Manning sweepstakes, and smartly did so. The Browns don't need to throw a ton of money on a 35-year-old guy coming off three neck surgeries, even if he is one of the best to ever play the position. Besides, I think Manning wants to go to a team that is close to making a deep playoff and Super Bowl run. Also, after playing his entire career in a dome, I think Manning would want to play his home games either for a warm-weather team or a team playing in a climate-controlled facility. The Browns are neither.

Browns fans pining after Griffin are hoping that the Redskins sign Manning. The Redskins seem to be the Browns' top competition in the RG3 sweepstakes, and seem willing to give up as much as possible to draft him. If they sign Manning, suddenly, they may not need to be involved in the Griffin hoopla. That could also allow the Browns to not give up as much to the Rams, since they'd suddenly be (presumably) bidding against themselves.

Not going to happen. Manning doesn't want to play in the same division as his brother, Eli, even if Washington will give him the farm. It also seems like Manning is eager to remain in the AFC, which puts Miami (where Manning lives during the offseason) as the leading contender. However, I could see a team like Kansas City (AFC West), Arizona or Seattle (NFC West) signing him. Everyone knows that the West Divisions in the NFL are the weakest and are the most wide-open each year. The path to the Super Bowl would be a lot clearer coming out of the West. Denver is suddenly an intriguiging option as well, considering they got to the Divisional Round with a guy like Tim Tebow under center.

The other top QB free agent is Matt Flynn, Aaron Rodgers' backup at Green Bay. Flynn put himself squarely on the radar when he broke all the single-season Packer passing records in a wild season-finale win over Detroit, and Green Bay elected not to slap the franchise tag on him. Flynn, who has only started two games in his career (both starts were outstanding), is intriguing because of the system he comes from. Plus, he won a national championship as a college QB at LSU (Buckeye fans remember that one). Any team running a WCO would be interested in Flynn, which is where the Browns come in.

However, Heckart seemed to put the kibosh on signing Flynn with his statement that the Browns weren't going to go "crazy" in free agency this year. If Miami loses out on Manning, they become the top spot for Flynn, since Green Bay offensive coordinator Joe Philbin is now their head coach, and he'd be running the exact same offense he learned the last 3-4 seasons in Green Bay.

I predict Manning will sign with a West team (Denver, Kansas City or Arizona), Flynn will sign with Miami, Washington will give up the farm for the No. 2 pick and draft Griffin, and the Browns ...

Well, I can see the Browns staying put at No. 4 and taking someone like receiver Justin Blackmon, running back Trent Richardson or cornerback Morris Claiborne. At No. 22, if he's still there, the Browns may target Texas A&M quarterback Ryan Tannehill, who played in a WCO system in college. If Tannehill is gone, the Browns may gamble and see if Oklahoma State QB Brandon Weeden tumbles to the second round because of his age (28). I really believe Weeden would be a great fit for the Browns and could easily start immediately. And, by the way, Weeden's team beat Griffin's team and played in a BCS bowl, where they beat Andrew Luck's Stanford team.

Joe Cleveland says that expect either Tannehill or Weeden to be in a Browns uniform next season and competing with incumbant Colt McCoy for the starting job. And, receiver will be addressed in this draft. Can you imagine Blackmon and Weeden renewing their college chemistry in the NFL together in Cleveland?

While Heckart won't go "crazy" in free agency, that doesn't mean they won't sign anybody. I can see them making a play for receivers such as Warren product Mario Manningham, Mount Union grad Pierre Garcon or former Saints first-rounder Robert Meachem. All three wouldn't command exhorbitant bucks to sign. All three would immediately become the top receiving target on the Browns and would allow promising second-year player Greg Little to play more in the slot and for Josh Cribbs to continue to serve as the utilityman. The Browns won't go into next year with just Little, Cribbs and Muhammed Massoquoi as their main receivers again, that's for sure.

While the Browns are willing to draft a QB, I honestly don't think they're ready to give up on Colt McCoy just yet. That's why I think a guy like Weeden, because of his age, becomes a realistic target. Weeden is almost like signing a quarterback in free agency. Weeden can start immediately, but Colt is still young enough that he can be a backup for a year or two and still be in his prime when the time comes for him to start.

I can see the Browns signing a veteran to serve as a sounding board for both McCoy and Weeden/Tannehill, someone like Donavan McNabb. Heckart, Shurmur and Childress are all familiar with McNabb, and McNabb is familiar with their offense. McNabb knows he's done, but who wouldn't turn down some money to serve as mentor and emergency quarterback? McCoy played a lot better when he had Jake Delhomme on the roster helping him out, and regressed when he had just Seneca Wallace, who clearly had his own agenda in mind, playing with him.

The Browns are more than a quarterback away from becoming a contender, which is why I can see Heckart trading down from No. 4 and acquiring more picks, or keeping what they already have. They have holes, plural, and the addition of someone like Robert Griffin III won't suddenly fill all those holes. Sure, he'll be exciting to watch, but I think Browns fans would rather see wins.

We watched how Cam Newton dazzled the highlight reels for the Carolina Panthers last year, but they only won 5 or 6 games last year. Just because Newton rushed for 12 touchdowns and was a terriffic fantasy football quarterback doesn't mean that the Panthers are any closer to the promised land. Griffin can be like Newton was, but that won't translate into wins.

The Steelers appear to be on the decline, and the Ravens aren't getting any younger either. The Browns and the Bengals have a chance to flip the AFC North on its ear and become the two dominant forces that those other two teams were for years based on their young nucleuses and their draft picks. Now's the time to be smart with the cap room and the draft picks and not be greedy. A trade for Robert Griffin III would be greedy.

Give it up, sports-yakkers. Your fantasies of RG3 appear to be over, unless he somehow slips down to No. 4. Time to get on board the realistic train, captained by Joe Cleveland, and get ready for Brandon Weeden or Ryan Tannehill.

***

Quick takes on the other team teams in this town:

<> Joe Cleveland wasn't shy about believing the Cavs' should have went Derrick Williams-Brandon Knight at 1-4 in last year's draft. I admit that I was wrong there, although Tristan Thompson still has a way to go.

However, Kyrie Irving was the correct choice at No. 1 and can become a star in the NBA. He's a top-notch point guard and seems to rise up in the clutch (unlike that other self-centered "King Nothing" that the Cavs had for seven years). He's playing not like a 19-year-old kid who only had 13 college games under his belt, but like a seasoned veteran. Unlike King Nothing, who was anointed the Chosen One before he pulled on his Cavs jersey for the first time, Irving had to earn his standing with the fans. He's just fun to watch, which makes the Cavs fun to watch.

The Cavs probably won't make the playoffs, and the lottery may not go their way this year because they're not one of the worst teams in the league. However, they are in a great position to make more strides in the next few years because of what Irving brings to the table.

<> The news just keeps getting worse for the Indians. Grady Sizemore reported to spring training with an injured back that will keep him out a few more months, and he appears content to collect his $5 million when he said he wouldn't "rush himself back." Nice knowing you, Grady.

Then, closer Chris Perez suffered an injury that will keep him out 4-6 weeks. Vinny Pestano suddenly becomes the frontrunner to become the new closer until Perez gets healthy, which puts more strain on the Indians' top strength, its bullpen.

The season hasn't even begun yet, and I'm already dreading it for the Indians. At this rate, 81-81 would be successful.

Joe Cleveland still thinks there's something to the fact that no one is under contract following this year. I can only hope that means Paul and Larry Dolan are ready to cash in their chips and find a new buyer. That might be the light at the end of this dark tunnel.

Until next time, remember that Cleveland Rocks!