The Cleveland Browns took 21-year old safety Eric Hagg out of Nebraska with the 248th overall pick (7th round) of the 2011 NFL Draft.  Hagg is 6’1″, 206 pounds and he runs a 4.45 40.  Hagg is not a blow-up tackler like T.J. Ward, but he doesn’t miss many tackles.  He is a big and fast player who could fill in at corner if needed because of his skill set.  Hagg played in 14 games (all starts) at Nebraska last year and he had 49 tackles, he broke up 4 passes, had 5 interceptions, forced 1 fumble and he recovered 1 fumble.  Hagg played in 48 games (34 starts) in his four years with the Cornhuskers and he had 130 tackles, he broke up 15 passes, had 6 interceptions, forced 3 fumbles and he recovered 2 fumbles.  This was an outstanding pick for the Browns as Hagg should have been picked in the 4th or 5th round according to a lot of draft “experts”.

The Browns traded up 18 spots in the NFL Draft to take 23-year old OT Jason Pinkston out of Pittsburgh.  Pinkston is a big guy at 6’3″, 314 pounds.  Pinkston was a solid player in college.  He had probems with speed rushers and he has issues the farther he gets down the field.  But, Pinkston is very solid run blocker and he is a good pass blocker when dealing with bull rushers.  Pinkston will likely be a starter down the road as long as he responds well to the coaching he’s going to get at the NFL level.  Pinkston played in 13 games (all starts) for Pittsburgh last year and he played for 48 games (41 starts) in his five years there.  This was a good pick for the Browns who are trying to rebuild the right side of the offensive line.

The Cleveland Browns took 22-year old cornerback Buster Skrine out of Chattanooga with the 137th overall pick (5th round) of the 2011 NFL Draft.  Skrine is small at 5’9″, 182 pounds but he runs a 4.4 40 as he was one of the fastest timed corners in the NFL Draft.  He has problems covering taller receivers and he projects to be more of a nickel or dime back in the Pros.  Skrine quickly supports against the run and he’s fast enough to run with any receiver.  Skrine played in 10 games (8 starts) at Chattanooga last year and he had 39 tackles, broke up 8 passes, had 1 interception and he recovered 1 fumble.  Skrine played in 42 games (30 starts) in his four years at Chattanooga and he had 155 tackles, broke up 21 passes, had 5 interceptions and he recovered 2 fumbles.  Skrine also returned 40 kickoffs for 891 yards (22.3 avg) in his career at Chattanooga.  I really like this pick for the Browns as Skrine will likely help out in both the secondary and the special teams early on in his NFL career.

The Cleveland Browns took 23-year old fullback Owen Marecic out of Stanford with the 124th overall pick (4th round) of the 2011 NFL Draft.  Marecic is 6’0″, 246 pounds and he runs a 4.75 40.  Marecic is a old school fullback as he thrives on contact and finishing blocks.  Peyton Hillis had to be very happy with this pick, as he’s not going to get hit much in the backfield running behind Marecic.  Marecic played in 13 games (all starts) for Stanford last year and carried the ball 23 times for 46 yards (2.0 ypc).  He also caught 9 passes for 75 yards (8.3 avg) last year.  Marecic also started at middle linebacker last season for Stanford.  He had 51 tackles, 5.5 tackles for a loss, 2 sacks, he broke up 5 passes, had 2 interceptions (one he returned for a TD) and he forced a fumble.  Marecic won’t be used on defense for the Browns (unless in a case of emergency) but he will likely be on all of the coverage units on special teams.  Marecic played in 49 games (48 starts) in his four years with the Cardinal and he carried the ball 36 times for 67 yards (1.9 ypc) and he also caught 25 passes for 258 yards (10.3 avg) with 1 TD grab.  This was a solid pick for the Browns as Marecic should be a starter at fullback from Day #1.

The Cleveland Browns selected 23-year old TE Jordan Cameron out of USC with the 102nd overall pick (4th round) of the 2011 NFL Draft.  Cameron is 6’5″, 244 pounds and he runs a 4.75 40.  Cameron is a good athlete as he played college basketball at BYU before eventually coming to USC to play football.  He is very raw as a football player but he has a nice upside.  Cameron played in 12 games (1 start) for USC last year and he caught 16 passes for 126 yards (7.9 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Cameron played in 23 games (1 start) in his three years with the Trojans and he caught 16 passes for 126 yards (7.9 avg) with 1 TD grab.  The Browns hope that Jordan Cameron learns from Ben Watson before eventually replacing him as the starting TE down the road.