The Cleveland Browns have acquired the #22 pick in the first round from the Dallas Cowboys for the Browns’ 2nd round pick this season (#36) and their first round pick in 2008.  The Browns then used the pick to select QB Brady Quinn from Notre Dame.

The Cleveland Browns have often overlooked the offensive line on Draft Day but not today as they selected the highest ranked offensive tackle in the entire draft.  Thomas projects as a starting left tackle from day #1 for the Cleveland Browns as he’s often compared to Orlando Pace.  He will team up with free agent signee LG Eric Steinbach to give the Browns a potential dominant left side of their offensive line.  Thomas is 6’6″, 310 pounds and he has unbelievable speed for a tackle as he runs a sub-5.0 second 40!  Thomas is good at leading sweeps and getting into blockers on the second level of the defense.  He excells at hitting moving targets and he’s a fantastic pass blocker.  Score one for the Browns as they should be able to pencil in Thomas’ name at left tackle for the next 10 seasons.  He will have multiple Pro Bowls in his future as long as he stays healthy.

1. (3)  Joe Thomas, OT, Wisconsin

1. (22)  Brady Quinn, QB, Notre Dame

2. (53)  Eric Wright, CB, UNLV

5. (140)  Brandon McDonald, S/CB, Memphis State

6. (200)  Melila Purcell, DE, Hawaii

7. (213)  Chase Pittman, DE, LSU

7. (234)  Syndric Steptoe, WR/KR, Arizona 

The Browns have re-signed offensive tackle Nate Dorsey to a 1-year contract.  Dorsey played in 13 games last season but he only started 2 of them.  The 6’7″, 345 pound Dorsey will be a reserve for the Browns again this season.  This was a good move for the Browns that need as many offensive linemen as they can get their hands on.  Look for them to draft a couple of them later today and tomorrow.

The Browns have re-signed DE Simon Fraser and LB Mason Unck to 1-year contracts.  Fraser was a pleasant surprise for the Browns last season when he was pressed in duty because of injuries along the line.  He played in all 16 games last season for the Browns and he made 36 tackles, had 4.5 sacks, defensed 4 passes and forced a fumble.  Fraser will be in the Browns rotation at defensive end this season.  Linebacker Mason Unck is one of the Browns’ best special teams players.  He played in all 16 games last season and he made 13 tackles.  One thing Unck is good at is getting the crowd going before a kickoff.

The Browns have re-signed D-Lineman Ethan Kelley to a 1-year contract.  The 6’2″, 320 pound Kelley played in 11 games last season and he made 17 tackles for the Browns.  This was a good depth signing for the Browns who need all the help they can get on the interior of the defensive line.

The Browns have signed TE Ryan Krause and FB Alan Ricard.  Krause played for offensive co-ordinator Rob Chudzinski in San Diego and he will battle Darnell Dinkins for the #3 TE job on the Browns.  He didn’s play a down for the Chargers last season and he’s only played in 5 games (1 start) in his three years in the NFL.  He has caught 5 passes for 81 yards (16.2 avg) and has 1 TD grab in his career.  Ricard played in 2 games last season for the Baltimore Ravens and he caught 2 passes for 18 yards (9.0 avg).  In his 5 year NFL career, Ricard has played in 55 games (32 starts) and he’s carried the football 43 times for 173 yards (4.0 ypc) with 2 TD runs.  He also has caught 32 passes for 179 yards (5.6 avg).  Ricard’s main role in the offense is as a blocker.  He was often the lead blocker for Jamal Lewis in the season that Lewis rushed for over 2,000 yards.

I have conducted a complete 7 round draft for every team in the NFL.  If you want to see what I have projected for any other team in the NFL, click on the team name in the right hand margin and go to the team’s Draft Report page if you don’t see the article on the front page of the site.  This was a lot of work so I hope you enjoy it.

This is who I project the Cleveland Browns to draft later this month:

1. (3)  Brady Quinn, QB, Notre Dame

2. (36)  Aaron Sears, G/T, Tennessee

3. (67)  Brandon Mebane, DT, California

4. (103)  Baraka Atkins, DE, Miami (Florida)

5. (140)  Selvin Young, RB, Texas

6. (178)  Jay Richardson, DE, Ohio State

7. (213)  John Talley, CB, Duke

This draft makes perfect sense for the Browns, however, I wouldn’t be shocked if they took Joe Thomas or Adrian Peterson with their #1 pick.  Still, the opportunity to draft a franchise QB that wants to play for the Cleveland Browns will be too much for the Browns to pass on.  Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson both appear to be career backup QB’s, so the Browns need to improve the talent at that position and Quinn definately would do that.  Sears would be a starter from Day #1 for the Browns, probably at right guard for now, but he does have starting experience at tackle.  Mebane, Atkins and Richardson would help replenish the weak defensive line of the Browns with talent.

The Browns have signed TE Steve Heiden to a new 4-year contract.  Last season, Heiden played in alll 16 games (6 starts) and he caught 36 passes for 249 yards (6.9 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  Over his 8 year NFL career, Heiden has played in 111 games (60 starts) and he has caught 156 passes for 1,263 yards (8.1 avg) with 13 TD grabs.  The Browns had to make sure they locked Heiden up with Winslow having even more surgery to his knees.

The Browns have signed Mike Adams to a two-year contract.  He will battle Brodney Pool for the starting job opposite of Sean Jones.  Adams played in all 16 games for the San Francisco 49ers last season and he made 64 tackles and defensed 3 passes.  This was a good signing for the Browns as they won’t have to draft a safety unless they want to now.