Last season’s draft wasn’t as fruitful as it looked like it was going to be last April.  On the positive side, the Browns hit a homerun with their first round pick (Kamerion Wimbley) but they missed on quite a few picks and the Browns can’t afford to do that if they want to catch up to the rest of the division.  Here’s a rundown:

1st round pick Kamerion Wimbley had a monster rookie season.  He played in all 16 games and had 62 tackles, 11 sacks, a forced fumble and 3 fumble recoveries!  That is just the beginning for Wimbley as he is way too fast for any tackle to cover and too strong to block with a TE or RB. 

2nd round pick D’Qwell Jackson played well until he missed the last few weeks to injury.  He played in 13 games and registered 93 tackles.  Jackson didn’t make any game changing plays but he was a solid run plugger from tackle to tackle.  The main problem with this selection was that the Browns traded Jeff Faine (pro bowl center) for the right to move up and select Jackson.  So Jackson will have to pick his game up to make this pick work.

3rd round pick Travis Wilson was a completed waste this season.  He played in only 4 games (1 start) and caught 2 passes for 32 yards.  The Browns can’t afford to make these kind of mistakes this early in the draft.

4th round pick Leon Williams has alot of potential and could turn out to be a steal where the Browns got him.  He played in all 16 games and wound up with 40 tackles, 1 sack, defensed 2 passes and forced a fumble.  After Jackson got hurt, Williams really stepped up.  He could battle Jackson in Training Camp for his starting job in the middle.

4th round pick Isaac Sowells was a complete waste of a pick.  He only played in 1 game this season and that says alot about him with all the injuries the Browns had along their offensive line this season.

5th round pick Jerome Harrison looked great in the pre-season, but he really didn’t get much of a chance during the regular season.  He played in 10 games (1 start) and carried the ball 20 times for 60 yards (3.0 ypc).  He also caught 9 passes for 47 yards (5.2 avg).  He will have to fight to keep his job with the Browns.

5th round pick DeMario Minter was injured all season so no opinion will be formed on him until he gets on the field of play.

6th round pick Lawrence Vickers looks like he might have a future with the Browns.  He played in all 16 games (1 start) and he carried the ball 3 times for 2 yards (0.7 ypc).  He also caught 6 passes for 60 yards (10.0 avg) and returned 5 kick-offs for 84 yards (16.8 avg).  It helps Vickers that he plays on all of the Browns special teams packages.

6th round pick Babatunde Oshinowo was a complete bust.  He played in 1 game for the Browns and made 2 tackles.  The fact that this was what the Browns got in a trade with the Ravens to move up disgusts me.

7th round pick Justin Hamilton played well on special teams and he might have a chance to stick around awhile on the Browns.  He played in 10 games and made 15 tackles.

The Cleveland Browns found their new offensive coordinator - Rob Chudzinski.Known by his peers as simply “Chud”, Chudzinski blew away Phil Savage and Romeo Crennel with his organization and offensive strategy so much, they they hired him immediately after meeting with him.

The Browns usually just use the fullback position as a blocker, but they really didn’t do much of anything last season.  Terrelle Smith played in all 16 games but his play is starting to slip.  He only carried the football 8 times for 14 yards (1.8 ypc).  He also only caught 8 passes for 21 yards (2.6 avg).  For his career, Smith has played in 107 games (68 starts) and he carried the ball 57 times for 182 yards (3.2 ypc).  He also has caught 58 passes for 271 yards (4.7 avg) with 3 TD grabs.

Rookie Lawrence Vickers didn’t get much of a chance last season to show what he can do on the field.  He played in all 16 games, but he only carried the ball 3 times for 2 yards (0.7 ypc).  He also caught 6 passes for 60 yards (10.0 avg).

The Browns running backs were a major problem for the team this season.  Reuben Droughns is looking more like a fullback playing tailback and that’s not good.  He doesn’t have much speed.  It’s possible that the Browns will draft, sign or trade for a legit halfback and move Droughns back to fullback.  Droughns played in 14 games last season and carried the ball 220 times for 758 yards (3.4 ypc) with 4 TD runs.  He also caught 27 passes for 169 yards (6.3 avg).  For his career, Droughns has played in 86 games (50 starts) and has carried the ball 844 times for 3,327 yards (3.9 ypc) with 13 TD runs.  He also has caught 116 passes for 940 yards (8.1 avg) with 6 TD receptions.  I don’t want to be too hard on Droughns because he has run for over 1,200 yards in a season twice in his career, but, the Browns need an upgrade to this unit as a whole.

Jason Wright was the top back-up until he missed the last three games of the season due to injury.  He didn’t do a whole lot and will have a tough time making the Browns next season.  He carried the ball 62 times for 189 yards (3.0 ypc) and he caught 6 passes for 82 yards (13.7 avg).  For his career, Wright has carried the ball 76 times for 226 yards (3.0 ypc) with 1 TD run.  He also has caught 9 passes for 97 yards (10.8 avg).

Jermome Harrison didn’t get much of a chance in his rookie season despite having a great pre-season.  He carried the ball 20 times for 60 yards (3.0 ypc) and he caught 9 passes for 47 yards (5.2 avg).

Let me say this upfront first.  I support Romeo Crennel coming back to Cleveland for at least one more season.  I think the Browns’ problems are too deeply rooted, and are too abundant to be blamed on one guy.  I prefer to let Crennel take another crack at this thing, as opposed to the alternative – throwing out everything again, and starting over…again.

Now, with that said, my mind began searching for answers today, and it stumbled across such an amusing idea that the more I thought about it…the more sense it made.  I have to admit, I had fun with it, and I wanted to post it – even though it will never happen.  So here goes.

The Browns fire Romeo Crennel and hire Urban Meyer as the new head coach.

Why is this idea so cool?  There are many reasons. 

First, Urban Meyer is from Ashtabula, Ohio, which is located in northeast Ohio – Browns country.  For all of those people out there that wanted to hire Jim Tressel to be the Browns head coach because of the great success he has had in college and because he was born and raised in northeastern Ohio, there you go.  Urban Meyer follows that same mold.  Like Tressel, Meyer won a BCS Championship in his second year at a major school pulling off the upset that no one thought would happen.  Like Tressel, Meyer is admired for his knack for managing a game, and making fantastic game plans.  Like Tressel, Meyer is a local product that would enjoy coaching for his hometown team, and put great stock in its success.

Second, Meyer is a genius offensive mind.  Browns fans have screamed from the top of their lungs that they want to see some kind of identity on the offensive side of the ball.  We chased Maurice Carthon out of town because we said he was boring and predictable.  The Browns are currently looking for a new offensive coordinator and are exploring all options, from West Coast offense gurus to smash mouth offensive gurus.  In other words, the Browns are desperate to find offensive life.  At this time I will ask a question.  Who is more popular right now, and more respected right now as an offensive mind then Urban Meyer?  We saw first hand what he likes to run offensively.  How many different formations did we see the Gators line up in?  He has been keeping defenses off guard with his play design since his days at Bowling Green, and has continued that offensive success at Utah, and at Florida.  Meyer is the next big thing when it comes to offensive creativity and imagination – two words we have not been able to use to describe the Browns offense since their return in 1999.  

Third, hiring Meyer as head coach of the Browns removes a fierce opponent from the college game for Tressel to compete with.  Most of us consider Tressel the best coach in the country when it comes to winning and preparing for a big game.  After Monday night’s debacle, we now realize that Tressel may have an equal in those big games.  If Meyer were to be head coach of the Browns, that means he could not be head coach of the Gators – or any other college program for that matter.  Meyer as head coach of the Browns means less opposition in college for Ohio State to regain their dominance on the football field.

The final reason is what better way to stick it to the Gators then by stealing their hero away?  We all remember the pain and agony we felt on Monday night and Tuesday morning.  For many of us, like me, that pain has diminished a little bit, but it is still there – gnawing at our insides.  You couldn’t tell me that hearing the news that Urban Meyer was leaving Florida to coach Cleveland wouldn’t at least crack a small smile on your face.  We could flip the tables on the heartache, and make the Gators agonize and cry as we sat back and watched.  True, it wouldn’t change the score of the game, but like a bully at recess, we could steal their lunch money.  It would stain their whole off season of gloating, and would be a great way for us to get them back. 

No more would potential recruits like Brian Rolle second guess his decision to play for Ohio State.  With Meyer gone, the Gators could slip back into mediocrity like they witnessed under Ron Zook.  The Florida job would be prestigious sure, and it would not take long to find a quality replacement – but we would have Meyer – not them.

Ah yes, it’s sometimes fun to plot and plan some kind of way to get revenge when you desperately crave it.  Some ideas are better then others and some people may want to hurt Florida in a different way.  As a Browns and Buckeyes fan, I couldn’t think of a better way to win on all fronts.

For me….the thought of Coach Meyer and Coach Tressel as the two saviors of Browns and Buckeyes football….is perfect.