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The Cleveland Browns lose DT Phil Taylor for a while

admin — Fri, 11 May 2012 15:41:41 +0000

24-year old Browns’ DT Phil Taylor tore his left pectoral muscle lifting weights and he will have surgery to repair it, which will likely keep him out from 4-6 months. Taylor played in all 16 games as a rookie for the Browns last year and he had 59 tackles, 4 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 1 pass defensed and 3 tackles for a loss. This is a big loss for the Browns as Taylor was a force inside as a rookie. Rookies John Hughes and Billy Winn will likely duke it out in training camp to see who will replace Taylor in the starting lineup.

The Cleveland Browns sign WR Josh Cooper

admin — Fri, 04 May 2012 03:10:56 +0000

The Cleveland Browns have signed undrafted rookie WR Josh Cooper. Cooper is 5’11″, 195 pounds and he’s fast. He caught 71 passes for 715 yards (10.1 avg) with 3 TD grabs for Oklahoma State last year. He caught 161 passes in 1,695 yards (10.5 avg) with 9 TD grabs in his four years with the Cowboys. This move has to make Browns’ rookie QB Brandon Weeden happy as Cooper was Oklahoma State’s #2 WR in 2011. Cooper will compete for a job as a slot receiver for the Browns in training camp.

The Cleveland Browns draft TE Brad Smelley in the 7th round

admin — Fri, 04 May 2012 03:07:33 +0000

The Cleveland Browns selected TE Brad Smelley out of Alabama with the 247th overall pick (7th round) of the 2012 NFL Draft. Brad Smelley is 6’1″, 233 pounds and he runs a 4.86 40. Smelley isn’t much of a blocker, so he’s going to have to catch the ball to help the Browns. The good thing about that is that Smelley plays hard all of the time. Smelley played in 13 games (10 starts) for Alabama last year and he caught 34 passes for 356 yards (10.5 avg) with 4 TD grabs. He played in 47 games (17 starts) in his four years with the Crimson Tide and he caught 54 passes for 559 yards (10.4 avg) with 4 TD grabs. This was a little bit of a reach for the Browns, but they hope Smelley can catch a few passes and help them on special teams too.

The Cleveland Browns picked CB Tevin Wade in the 7th round

admin — Fri, 04 May 2012 02:59:10 +0000

The Cleveland Browns selected CB Tevin Wade out of Arizona with the 245th overall pick (7th round) of the 2012 NFL Draft. Wade is 5’10″, 192 pounds and he runs a 4.5 40. Wade does better against small fast WRs than he does with physical ones due to his size. He also has problems with tackling at times as he can be sloppy. That being said, Wade was projected to be picked in the 4th or 5th round, so he has talent. It will be up to the Browns’ coaches to get the best out of him. Wade played in 12 games (11 starts) at Arizona last year and he had 52 tackles, 13 passes broken up, 2 interceptions and 1 forced fumble. He played in 50 games (35 starts) in his four years with the Wildcats and he had 182 tackles, 28 tackles for a loss, 12 interceptions and 2 forced fumbles. This was a good pick for the Browns.

The Cleveland Browns picked DT Billy Winn in the 6th round

admin — Fri, 04 May 2012 02:54:51 +0000

The Cleveland Browns selected DT Billy Winn out of Boise State with the 205th overall pick (6th round) of the 2012 NFL Draft. Winn is 6’3″, 296 pounds and he runs a 4.9 40. Winn’s game is speed off the snap. He knifes his was into gaps due to his burst off the snap. But, he gets nullified by bigger offensive linemen and he doesn’t do too well when double teamed. Winn played in 13 games (12 starts) for Boise State last year and he had 33 tackles, 8 tackles for a loss, 3 sacks and 1 batted ball. Winn played in 53 games (41 starts) in his four years at Boise State and he had 131 tackles, 35.5 tackles for a loss, 15.5 sacks, 1 batted ball, 2 forced fumbles and 4 fumble recoveries. Winn will provide depth inside for the Browns this year. He was supposed to be long gone by this pick, so the Browns got value in picking him.

The Cleveland Browns picked OLB Emmanuel Acho in the 6th round

admin — Fri, 04 May 2012 02:50:03 +0000

The Cleveland Browns selected OLB Emmanuel Acho out of Texas with the 204th overall pick (6th round) of the 2012 NFL Draft. Acho is 6’1″, 238 pounds and he runs a 4.85 40. Acho can handle playing either OLB or MLB, which had to appeal to the Browns. Acho played in 13 games (all starts) for Texas last year and he had 131 tackles, 19 tackles for a loss, 3 sacks, 6 passes broken up and 1 forced fumble. He played in 48 games (22 starts) in his four years with the Longhorns and he had 278 tackles, 41 tackles for a loss, 8 sacks, 13 passes broken up, 2 interceptions (0ne returned for a TD) and 4 forced fumbles. This was a pick for need, so I like it for the Browns.

The Cleveland Browns picked OG Ryan Miller in the 5th round

admin — Fri, 04 May 2012 02:38:55 +0000

The Cleveland Browns selected OG Ryan Miller out of Colorado with the 160th overall pick (5th round) of the 2012 NFL Draft. Miller is a huge man at 6’6″, 326 pounds and he plays to his size. He is a run mauler and he’s hard to get around when pass blocking. Due to his height, he sometimes has trouble with speed rushers, but he won’t have to deal with many of them playing at guard in the pros. Miller played in 13 games (all starts) at Colorado last year. He played in 51 games (48 starts) in his five years with the Buffaloes. I can see Miller challenging for the starting job at right guard this year. I really love this pick for the Browns.

The Cleveland Browns picked LB James-Michael Johnson in the 4th round

admin — Fri, 04 May 2012 02:34:57 +0000

The Cleveland Browns selected LB James-Michael Johnson out of Nevada with the 120th overall pick (4th round) of the 2012 NFL Draft. Johnson is 6’1″, 249 pounds and he runs a 4.68 40. Johnson is a solid overall linebacker as he can play inside or outside, which could really help the Browns this year. Johnson played in 13 games (all starts) for Nevada last year and he had 100 tackles, 5.5 tackles for a loss, 1.5 sacks, 3 passes broken up and 1 interception. He played in 53 games (50 starts) in his four years with Nevada and he had 294 tackles, 37.5 tackles for a loss, 7.5 sacks, 11 passes broken up and 3 interceptions. This was a solid pick for the Browns as they needed help at LB.

The Cleveland Browns picked WR Travis Benjamin in the 4th round

admin — Fri, 04 May 2012 02:28:00 +0000

The Cleveland Browns selected WR Travis Benjamin out of Miami (FL) with the 100th overall pick (4th round) of the 2012 NFL Draft. Benjamin is only 5’10″, 172 pounds but he’s a home run threat as he runs a lightning fast 4.35 40. Benjamin’s game is built on speed as he can stretch the field vertically. But, he’s not much of a help in the running game due to his lack of size. He played in 11 games (9 starts) for Miami (FL) last year and he caught 41 passes for 609 yards (14.9 avg) with 3 TD grabs. Benjamin played in 49 games (25 starts) in his four years with the Hurricanes and he caught 131 passes for 2,146 yards (16.4 avg) with 13 TD grabs. Benjamin can also help out on special teams as a return man if the Browns need him to. He returned 59 punts for 465 yards (7.9 avg) with 1 TD return and he returned 49 kickoffs for 1,137 yards (23.2 avg) in college. I really like this pick for the Browns as they are desperate for a deep threat.

OLB Scott Fujita of the Cleveland Browns gets suspended by the NFL

admin — Wed, 02 May 2012 18:00:14 +0000

33-year old OLB Scott Fujita has been suspended for the first three games of the 2012 NFL season due to his role in the bounty scandal when he played for the New Orleans Saints. Fujita played in 10 games for the Browns last year and he had 50 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 interception and 3 passes defensed. He has now played in 19 games in his first two years with the Browns and he has 101 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 3 tackles for a loss, 2 forced fumbles, 2 interceptions and 4 passes defensed. 25-year old Kaluka Maiava will likely be the Browns’ starter in Fujita’s place in the first three games of the 2012 season unless he is beaten out by one of the rookie linebackers (Emmanuel Acho or James-Michael Johnson) in training camp. Maiava played in all 16 games for the Browns last year and he had 34 tackles, 3 tackles for a loss and 1 forced fumble. He has now played in 34 games in his three years with the Browns and he has 80 tackles, 2.5 sacks, 3 tackles for a loss, 3 forced fumbles and 2 passes defensed. The Browns hope Maiava will do a solid job until Fujita returns to action.