Cleveland Browns 2010 Draft: Looks Better On Paper

The NFL draft. There are few things more overhyped and underwhelming than that fateful event every April (I realize this is a minority position). Sure, we all have staunch, unwavering opinions that couldn’t possibly be wrong under any circumstances. But after the dust settles, all we’re left with is a collection of names that in some way impressed a franchise’s front office. In short, it isn’t an exact science.

Now obviously that isn’t to say teams aren’t significantly improved by the draft. To the contrary, given the NFL’s salary limitations, it is easily the pragmatist’s method of choice toward building a contender. So I understand the obsession with it and what’s at stake. But assessing each player five days after the draft ends, like there’s any sort of accurate barometer for how 95% of these guys will perform, is just as insane as it is unavoidably enjoyable.

There are the rare instances, however, when a team is undoubtedly improved by the draft and we can conclude as much the very next day. This anomaly is attributed mostly to the state of the team, and not the quality of players they selected. Like if the team can’t get any worse, for instance. I think you see where I’m going with this… Ladies and gentlemen, your broad brush description for the 2009 Cleveland Browns.

They didn’t go winless, but every facet of the Browns could have used a refurbishing going into the draft. There wasn’t one relevant unit or measurable statistic the Browns didn’t rank in the bottom 10% of the league in. Christ, you can’t even say that about the Rams (Steven Jackson is arguably the best running back in the league, quietly as kept), who won one game thanks to the good fortune of having the Lions on the schedule. Ever since returning to Cleveland in 1999, the Browns have almost in arguably been the league’s worst franchise. Making the playoffs just once (snuck in on a 9-7 record) and managed to blow a 24-7 lead to rival Pittsburgh Steelers. Beyond that, they went 10-6 in 2007 and despite missing the playoffs, their obnoxious and patiently loyal fan base transformed from cynical to hopeful in a year’s time… Only for the team to implode the following year, leading to a mass exodus of the roster we’re still in the throes of witnessing.

No, the Browns went into this draft with nowhere to go but up. And despite the fact that newly minted team president Mike Holmgren has never excelled in the front office the same way he has as a head coach, Browns fans seem relatively ecstatic to have a non-Bill Belichick disciple with some authority over the future of their team, even if Mangini is still there (which is another point of bitterness for Browns fans, considering how incompetent Belichick was when in Cleveland).

So instead of offering some trite op-ed for why this player’s great and that player is terrible, we’ll pretend for a second that we don’t know anything. And attempt to understand the Browns rationale for taking the players they did. Enough exposition, let’s look at who they actually drafted:

Joe Haden CB   Round 1, pick #7 Florida

A lot of people seem down on this pick, that Cleveland should have traded down if they wanted Haden (or any corner, for that matter) and/or that they have more pressing issues at hand. Bottom line is: they got a highly touted cornerback who can potentially develop into a shutdown defender. I understand the opinion that they should have traded down, but the problem with penalizing them for failing to trade down is they have to find someone willing to trade up. These days, when everyone is looking for value and depth more so than overpaying for the pick of the litter, potential suitors looking to trade up in the draft are a rare breed.

T.J. Ward Safety   Round 2, pick #38 Oregon

I’m not going to pretend like I know this guy better than any Ducks fan who watched him play over the past few years, but everyone in Oregon’s secondary seemed to struggle with Ohio State in the Rose Bowl. Improving your secondary is one of the most underrated ways to building and maintaining a formidable defense. I’ve been an Eagles fan for roughly the past decade, and essentially since 2004 they’ve had a Swiss cheese front seven, but they’ve always been regarded as defensively viable for two reasons: 1) Jim Johnson was a genius who left an undeniable mark on professional football. And 2) they’ve always sported a pro bowl caliber secondary. With today’s pass happy NFL, if you can keep opposing offenses guessing with just your secondary, you can load up on the run. Looking for other examples where this is true see:  Jets, New York; circa 2009.

Montario Hardesty RB    Round 2, pick #59 Tennessee

As the modern day adage goes: 2nd round picks are the same quality as 1st round picks for a fraction of the price. Therefore, having two of them is an enviable commodity rarely shared amongst your peers. Is Montario Hardesty the right pick in this position? Truth be told, your guess is as good as mine. Unless I’m an unbiased Volunteers fan (note: I’m not a fan nor am I unbiased), then I probably can’t give you an accurate assessment. I will say this, however, this is about the earliest you can draft a running back and still have me respect you. Also, I think Jerome Harrison and Peyton Hillis are sufficient enough where they could have waited until at least the fourth to address the running back situation. If the Browns had an offensive strength last season (they didn’t), it was the ground game.

Colt McCoy QB  Round 3, pick #85 Texas

Have we reached a point where it’s utterly predictable to determine roughly where a college quarterback will be drafted by the sixth week of their final season? I swear that Sam Bradford almost benefited from missing his entire junior year. That way, the hounds weren’t able to snuff him out and eat him alive. If you can’t tell, I like this pick. Not only for the perceived value (does anyone still think the Rams take Bradford first overall if they would have known Clausen and McCoy would still be available for their second pick in the first?), but also for the fact that the Browns obviously weren’t in love with any QB available this year, and had the good sense to hold off on panicking and over-drafting someone they knew that was wrong for them and/or didn’t have the necessary skill-set to thrive in the NFL.

Here, at a discounted rate, they get a winning quarterback from one of the best football schools in the country (i.e. pedigree), that before the national title game was considered by many a top twenty pick. And if he doesn’t work out, so be it. It’s their fourth pick in a strange draft and there isn’t any real financial l commitment. Regardless of how bad he might be, no one’s going to fault them for it (who doesn’t have a third round “bust” on their resume?), but there’s still the slimmest of chances they might have found a quarterback for the future.

Shawn Lauvao Guard   Round 3, pick #92 Arizona State

They probably needed to address the O-line before here, but as stated earlier: everything needed/needs addressing. Outside of Joe Thomas and Alex Mack (jury’s still out after the rookie season), the other three-fifths of that line is in need of an upgrade. Jerome Harrison and Jamal Lewis might as well have been trying to run through the Cloverfield monster last season.

Larry Asante Safety    Round 5, pick #160 Nebraska

Three out of eight picks designated for the secondary (plus acquiring Sheldon Brown from Philly). Either the Browns were taking who they thought was the best guy available or they saw and addressed a definitive need. Plus, he went to school in Lincoln, which means he won’t mind living in northeast Ohio.

Carlton Mitchell WR   Round 6, pick #177 South Florida

Between Stuckey, Massaquoi and (sorta) Cribbs, they have more talent at wide out than anywhere else on the field, but it’s a sixth round pick. To counter my flippancy, most people will be quick to tell you that Tom Brady was a sixth round pick, like getting a hall of famer in the sixth round is standard operating procedure. I ask you this, what happened to the other 39 players selected in the sixth round of the 2000 draft (there’s a few other notables in there)? Everything is grasping at straws here, despite what the diehards will tell you.

Clifton Geathers DE   Round 6, pick #186 South Carolina

I’m sure he’s more than qualified to be the 186^th person taken in the draft. Over-qualified, even.

There it is: your Cleveland Browns draft class of 2010. In my humble opinion, they hit the proper keynotes and as much as I know about the players they drafted (mostly McCoy and Haden), they picked the right guys at the right spots. But it doesn’t particularly matter. This franchise is so downtrodden and their fans so transparently depressed, that just by virtue of bringing in new blood with a lot of high draft picks the team made strides in the right direction to possibly, someday, allowing someone else to be the laughing stock.