The Cleveland Browns had an outstanding draft last April.  The Browns wound up with five starting players in 2011 out of this draft class and all 8 of the picks could be starting for them at some point down the road.  Here is a look at the rookies and how they played in 2011:

23-year old DT Phil Taylor was the Browns’ first round pick after they traded down with the Falcons.  Taylor played in all 16 games for the Browns last year and he had 59 tackles, 4 sacks, 3 tackles for a loss, 1 forced fumble and he defensed 1 pass.  Taylor will continue to team with Ahtyba Rubin, giving the Browns a very solid set of DTs for the forseeable future.

22-year old DE Jabaal Sheard came to the Browns in the second round and he was a beast as a rookie.  Sheard played in all 16 games for the Browns last year and he had 55 tackles, 8.5 sacks, 7 tackles for a loss, 5 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery and 2 passes defensed.  The sky is the limit for Sheard, who led the Browns in sacks as a rookie in 2011.

22-year old WR Earl Little came to the Browns in the second round of the NFL Draft and he caught the most passes on the team in 2011.  Little played in all 16 games for the Browns last year and he caught 61 passes for 709 yards (11.6 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  He also carried the ball 3 times for 15 yards (5.0 ypc) for the Browns in 2011.  Little could have a breakout year in 2012 if he gets a little more consistent in actually catching the football.

23-year old TE Jordan Cameron was one of the Browns’ 4th round picks.  He played in 8 games for the Browns last year and he caught 6 passes for 33 yards (5.5 avg).  He still showed enough near the end of last season to lead the Browns to believe that he can be a productive player down the road.

23-year old fullback Owen Marecic came to the Browns in the 4th round last April.  He played in 14 games for the Browns last year and he carried the ball 4 times for 8 yards (2.0 ypc).  He also caught 5 passes for 31 yards (6.2 avg) last year.  Marecic also helped the team on special teams.  He returned 4 kickoffs for 46 yards (11.5 avg) and he made 3 tackles.  Marecic does the little things well, so he will be busy again in 2012 and beyond.

22-year old CB Buster Skrine came to the Browns in the 5th round and he is a player with a nice upside.  He played in all 16 games for the Browns last year and he had 18 tackles, 1 interception and he defensed 2 passes.  He also returned 3 kickoffs for 72 yards (24.0 avg) as he was a good special teams player for the Browns.

24-year old OG Jason Pinkston came to the Browns in the 6th round.  He played in 16 games (all starts) for the Browns as the starting left guard.  He did a solid job and he will certainly head into the 2012 season as the starting left guard of the Cleveland Browns.

22-year old safety Eric Hagg was a 7th round pick of the Browns.  He played in 10 games as a rookie for the Browns last year and he had 11 tackles, 1 fumble recovery and 1 pass defensed.  Hagg did most of his work on special teams early in the year, but he got to play D late in the year.

GRADE FOR 2011:  A-

GRADE FOR THE FUTURE:  A+

WR Julio Jones was sitting right there for the Browns to take with the 6th overall pick of the first round.  He would have filled a huge need for the Browns, but instead of taking him, they traded the pick to the Falcons.  In the deal, the Browns got back a first, second and fourth round pick in 2011 and a first and fourth rounder in 2012.  The Browns haul for Jones so far is DT Phil Taylor, WR Greg Little and FB Owen Marecic.  The Browns added four players to each side of the ball.  DT Phil Taylor and DE Jabaal Sheard came to the Browns in the first and second round of the NFL Draft.  Taylor gives them a big body to help out on the interior of the D as it transitions from the 3-4 to the 4-3.  Sheard gives the Browns a nice rushing DE, which is something they just didn’t have on the roster.  WR Greg Little was a steal where the Browns got him in the draft.  As of right now, I would have Little as the #1 WR on the team.  TE Jordan Cameron, FB Owen Marecic and OT Jason Pinkston could all help the offense in the near future for the Browns.  CB Buster Skrine and safety Eric Hagg were both solid picks late in the draft.

PROJECTED GRADE:  A-

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.

The Cleveland Browns took 22-year old WR Greg Little out of North Carolina in the second round (#59 overall) of the 2011 NFL Draft.  Little is a converted running back as he is a big guy at 6’2″, 215 pounds and he plays really physical.  He doesn’t have great top end speed as he runs a 4.55 40, but he’s always a threat to make a big play because he has no problems putting his shoulder down and breaking tackles.  He’s also an outstanding downfield blocker in the running game which should also aid the Browns’ offense.  Little didn’t play at all last season as he was ruled inelgible for violating NCAA rules pertaining to an agent.  Back in 2009, Little played in 13 games (all starts) for the Tar Heels and he caught 62 passes for 724 yards (11.7 avg) with 5 TD grabs.  In three years with North Carolina, Little played in 38 games (22 starts) in which he caught 86 passes for 969 yards (11.3 avg) with 6 TD grabs.  Little fills a huge need for the Cleveland Browns and he will likely be starting from Day #1.

The Cleveland Browns selected 22-year old DE Jabaal Sheard out of Pittsburgh with the #37 overall pick (2nd round) of the 2011 NFL Draft.  Sheard is a little on the small side at DE as he is 6’2″, 254 pounds….but he’s fast as he runs a 4.75 40.  His speed off the snap gets him into opposing backfields quite often.  Sheard plays hard and he plays hurt, so if he’s sitting on the bench it will be because of performance.  He could get a little tougher against the run though according to reports.  Sheard played in 12 games (all starts) for Pittsburgh last year and he had 52 tackles, 14.5 tackles for a loss, 9 sacks, batted down 4 balls, forced 4 fumbles and he recovered 1 fumble.  Sheard played in 47 games (38 starts) in his four years with Pittsburgh and he had 142 tackles, 35.5 tackles for a loss, 19.5 sacks, batted down 16 passes, forced 5 fumbles and he had 1 fumble recovery.  The Browns have been waiting a long time for a good pass rushing end and they may have found one in Jabaal Sheard.

The Cleveland Browns traded down out of the #6 pick with the Atlanta Falcons (they picked WR Julio Jones).  The Browns got the #27 overall pick (1st round), #59 overall pick (2nd round) and #124 overall pick (4th round) in this year’s draft as well as the Falcons’ first and fourth round picks in 2012.  That was quite a haul for Julio Jones (whom the Browns could have used themselves).  The Browns then dealt the #27 overall pick and the #70 overall pick (3rd round) to the Kansas City Chiefs to move up six spots to #21.  The Browns then selected 23-year old massive DT Phil Taylor out of Baylor.  Taylor is a huge man at 6’3″, 337 pounds and he will team inside with Ahtyba Rubin in the Browns’ new 4-3 defensive alignment.  Taylor played in 13 games (all starts) for Baylor last year and he had 62 tackles, 7 tackles for a loss, 2 sacks, he batted down 2 balls and he forced 1 fumble.  Taylor played in 44 games (27 starts) in his four years at Baylor and Penn State in which he had 107 tackles, 16 tackles for a loss, 5.5 sacks, 2 batted down balls and 1 forced fumble.