Browns draft a little disappointing as a whole
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.
Yeah…Travis Wilson was a forced pick to have an immediate option in case Braylon couldn’t return early in the season. This draft strategy rarely works. And to think they could have drafted Marques Colston in the 7th round.
It sure would have been nice to have drafted Colston…but the Browns almost never seem to get lucky like that. The only one that comes to mind is Earnest Byner in the 11th round. I’m beginning to think that Ozzie Newsome was the brains of the Ravens drafting of the past, because Savage has not drafted well.
It just seems like when teams try to fill specific needs, they end up with mediocre players. Think of all the teams who felt they didn’t need a safety and passed on Ed Reed. I believe that the reason teams like the Steelers and the Ravens have success in the draft even is because they are not desperate to fill specific needs and can sit back and draft what they perceive to be the best talent.
I agree with you Chris. You can’t have a ton of needs going into the draft like the Browns did last season. It would be nice to get in the position of drafting the best player available with all the draft picks, but the Browns are not at that point yet. They just need to make sure that everyone that is picked on the first day is good enough to contribute right away. I have no problem with drafting for need on the second day of the draft.
The Browns should just skip the draft. They suck at it anyways!
No doubt! The Browns have a track record of awful picks since they came back to Cleveland. Every draft day it is like watching a train wreck.
It has sure looking like a train wreck since they came back. The first round picks have been: Tim Couch, Courtney Brown, Gerard Warren, William Green, Jeff Faine, Kellen Winslow, Braylon Edwards and Kamerion Wimbley. Only Wimbley, Edwards and Winslow are still with the Browns. All three of those guys look like they are impact players. But, Edwards needs to put up or shut up. He needs to quit dropping so many passes. It also hurt to see Jeff Faine making the Pro Bowl and staying healthy for the first time in his career in his first season out of Cleveland.