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Do IT this week: Layering
2009 class could easily be remembered for the players they passed over
By Marla Ridenour
Beacon Journal sports writer
Published on Tuesday, Apr 28, 2009
BEREA: Will it be the ultimate ''What if?'' draft?
Or will Eric Mangini possess the selection prowess that has eluded Browns coaches since the days of Marty Schottenheimer?
As the dust settles on the 2009 NFL Draft, the list of players passed over by the Browns in their first-round trading slide from No. 5 to No. 17 to No. 19 to No. 21 reads like a who's who of college football. Rey Maualuga, Clay Matthews III, Chris Wells, Jeremy Maclin, Michael Crabtree, B.J. Raji, Mark Sanchez, Brian Orakpo, Malcolm Jenkins and James Laurinaitis all could have been Browns on the team's stops down the board in the first round.
The selection of California center Alex Mack drew mostly groans, especially since the Browns have already drafted two — Melvin Fowler in 2002 and Jeff Faine in 2003 — and signed high-priced free agent LeCharles Bentley in the expansion era. All brought mostly disastrous results, although Faine went on to find success with the New Orleans Saints and now starts for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. wasn't too smitten by the pick of Mack, either.
''Mack I like, but I'm not a big fan of taking centers in the first round,'' Kiper said on a conference call Monday. ''You can develop a center. You can teach guards to become centers.''
There were other worries
about the eight picks the Browns made during the two days.
• The Browns' pass rush tied for 30th last season with 17 sacks, yet the Browns did not appear to pick up major help. But Kiper believes that could come from Hawaii defensive end David Veikune, their third pick in the second round who totaled 18 sacks in three years. A 6-foot-2, 257-pounder, Veikune will make the transition to outside linebacker.
''Don't underestimate him,'' Kiper said. ''He has a chance to be a very good pass rusher.''
Mangini said the task of improving the pass rush is a team concept.
''I don't believe sacks are a function of just one person,'' he said. ''If we're not holding up on the back end, if we're not fitting in the underneath part of the coverage, if guys don't hit their correct lane in any pass-rush scheme or blitz, then it doesn't work. The key is the coordinated defense between the coverage and the front. When those things are working together, the sacks come because there is no place for the ball to go.''
• Although they are insurance for a Braylon Edwards trade or Donte' Stallworth's legal woes, neither of the wide receivers drafted in the second round are projected as No. 1s. ESPN's Todd McShay said Ohio State's Brian Robiskie ''likely won't turn into anything more than a possession-type No. 3 receiver.'' But McShay labeled Georgia's Mohamed Massaquoi as the Browns' best pick and Pete Prisco of CBSsports.com predicted Robiskie ''will be a starter as a rookie.''
The Browns were reeling in '08 without Joe Jurevicius, whose career might have been ended by a staph infection, and Robiskie will at least fill that void.
• Reviews are mixed on whether the Browns received enough from the New York Jets in the trade that allowed the Jets to jump from No. 17 to 5 and draft their franchise quarterback in Sanchez. The Browns also received the Jets' second-round pick, which it used on Veikune, along with defensive end Kenyon Coleman, safety Abram Elam and quarterback Brett Ratliff.
Peter King of Sports Illustrated said Kent State product Elam was the lynchpin of the deal. And according to King, the Browns had to get him to sign a waiver to avoid the NFL rule that a restricted free agent who is retained by matching an offer sheet cannot be traded to the inquiring team for a calendar year without the player's permission. The Browns signed Elam to a one-year, $1.5 million offer sheet in March, but the Jets matched.
Mike Lombardi, the former Browns director of player personnel, said on the Web site National Football Post, ''Don't count out Brett Ratliff as a real threat to be the starting quarterback.''
The Browns' trade with Mangini's old team left them with seven ex-Jets, but four of them could become starters. David Bowens will likely take the outside linebacker spot vacated by Willie McGinest, and Eric Barton is expected to slip inside next to linebacker D'Qwell Jackson in the position formerly held by Andra Davis.
Elam should replace Sean Jones at strong safety and Coleman will likely take over at defensive end on a line that will also include Shaun Rogers and Corey Williams. Also in the rotation for Coleman's slot are ex-Jet C.J. Mosley, Robaire Smith and Shaun Smith.
Mangini tempered his enthusiasm: ''Everybody is excited right now. You're adding new players, but what kind of role do they carve out, how do they contribute, how do they continue to develop? They've all got to come in and figure out 'How can I make the team?' ''
Marla Ridenour can be reached at mridenour@thebeaconjournal.com. Read her Browns blog at http://www.ohiomm.com/blogs/browns/. Follow the Browns on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/ABJ_Browns
BEREA: Will it be the ultimate ''What if?'' draft?
Get the full article here.
Comments
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Posted 03:40 AM, 04/28/2009
kiper is an idiot. you can't teach a guy to add weight to his lower body if his frame won't accommodate it. and you need that base to deal with a massive nose tackle.
Posted 04:41 AM, 04/28/2009
Risky is drafting a qb with one years experience.Risky is drafting a wr from a weak conference who is academically challenged.Risky is drafting any player who is injury prone, leaves early, and loses 25% of collegiate football experience. Drafting players with high intellect and college degrees is hardly risky. It sets the standard for learning and playing smart football.This concept will reward cleveland, both on and off the field. You can teach football technique but you cannot teach intelligence.
Wilmington, NC
Posted 05:27 AM, 04/28/2009
how is drafting the number 1# center in the draft risky? I just don't get it, are not the battles won in the trenches? If center is not such an important position then why the mass panic a few years ago when Bentley went down and I will bet Jamal Lewis is dancing in Atlanta right now. Look this is the AFC North where it's get's cold and windy, we have to run the ball and how many years since 99 can say we've been able to successfully do that especially up the middle? Not sexy but a very good pick for the Browns!
Stow, OH
Posted 05:31 AM, 04/28/2009
What the team did add was some badly needed speed in our receiving core. Jurivicious had bad knees,Winslow had bad knees,Stallworthless was slow and could never get open. I think the Browns should draft a good offensive linemen for the next 3 years until we get a top rate front line ,they can pick up a blitz and they will make any running back look good and give your QB time to let a play develop and throw to the open man .
Tallmadge, OH
Posted 06:10 AM, 04/28/2009
ESPN rated the Clowns draft B-. They rated the STEELERS draft B. Guess you Clowns fans can count on 2 more losses each season from the STEELERS. Why they didn't draft local favorite RB Wells is a good question to think about?
Posted 07:31 AM, 04/28/2009
Maria, are you serious? Since when is Mel Kiper, Jr. a fortune teller? Risky? Kiper is just another taking head making assumptions based on college game films and the combines. Seems to me that the Browns drafted many "sure bet" picks in years past that didn't impact at all. What is the percentage of draft choices going in the first round that actually make an impact in their first year? That eventually become pro bowl players? And what teams have had the most success? Please write that article.
Akron, Oh
Posted 07:42 AM, 04/28/2009
The names change but the picks remain the same - little to no help and someone tell me why Wells wasn't the ist pick? Lewis is what about 70 these days?
peninsula, oh
Posted 08:09 AM, 04/28/2009
Maria this is why I normally don't read your B.S. you have now clue.
Tallmadge, OH
Posted 08:15 AM, 04/28/2009
Hey OMG, the Steelers drafts will soon be catching up to them. Timmons and Mendenhall have yet to show anything as first round picks and up until the playoffs Santonio Holmes was being looked at as a bust. That's three years of possible misses. Sounds similiar to the Browns.
Posted 08:36 AM, 04/28/2009
Wells was not picked until the end of the 1st.round due to the concern about his durability. No one questions his talent.
The Browns 1st.2 selections will start this year,barring injury---no risk in those selections and add the veterans received in the trade with the Jets and we could have gotten 4 starters from Saturday. OMG,YOUR STEELERS will not have Romeo(0-8) coaching against them now. These Browns will compete.
Posted 08:39 AM, 04/28/2009
OMG your stupid..nobody knows how ANY of these guys will turn out for at least a year maybe two...in the case of Wells why would the Browns take him with the 5th or 17th pick when they traded down..he has an injury history thats why Arizona got him where they did...awful funny I saw at least 3 mock drafts that had the squeelers taking Mack with there first pick or Wood from louisville...you got neither..
cuyahoga falls, oh
Posted 08:48 AM, 04/28/2009
The Clowns are terrible, they will always be terrible it doesn't matter who you draft.
Posted 09:37 AM, 04/28/2009
"They've all got to come in and figure out 'How can I make the team?' " - Mangini
Just great. Another moronic coach who holds a hammer over players to just make the team. Leadership through intimidation! I'm sure we've all had bosses like this, and we know what a "losing" leadership style it is.
What I want to hear from Mangini is "Their days of strutting their stuff at the combine and at individual workouts are over. They've all got to come in and buy into our concept of TEAM. They need to dedicate themselves to helping the Cleveland Browns win the Super Bowl."
This should be their goal. Not to merely "make the team".
Did anyone ever hear LeBron in his first training camp say he hoped he would make the team? No. From day one he was focused on leading the Cavs to a championship.
We need leaders, not intimidators. Mangini should recognize that each and every player plays a role in the organization, just as he does. He is no more important to the organization than any player is.
Show support for those whom you lead, and watch them eagerly grow. Show support for those who lead you, and enjoy the success of everyone on the team.
Cuyahoga Falls, OH
Posted 09:41 AM, 04/28/2009
Unless some magic happens between now and training camp, one fact remains the same - the Browns will still have a woeful linebacking corps. We aren't going to win many games until the tackling improves, and that starts at the LB position. The more things change, the more they remain the same.
Anti-Politically Correct & Anti-GOP, OH
Posted 09:50 AM, 04/28/2009
Well, looks liek another rebuilding year,.
Anti-Politically Correct & Anti-GOP, OH
Posted 09:53 AM, 04/28/2009
oooops...LIKE. Better fix that before the grammar police come out.
akron, oh
Posted 10:05 AM, 04/28/2009
2009 class could easily be remembered for the players they passed over.
Oh Well!!!
Stow, OH
Posted 11:00 AM, 04/28/2009
Nothing wrong with telling a player just because we drafted you doesn't mean you made the team.75% of those players in the top ten never live up to their hype anyway. Better than Winslow's and Edwards who come into camp expecting special treatment and a new contract before the first one is up .
cuyahoga falls, oh
Posted 11:58 AM, 04/28/2009
wells or crabtree in the first round would have made sense; there is no such thing as a first round center...
pathetic football intelligence and strategy.
we can only look forward to more of the same.
Posted 12:07 PM, 04/28/2009
Yikes, if this draft is what defines "risky", then wading in a kiddie pool should be classified as a death defying stunt.
Every single pick in the draft is a risk. But after seeing the likes of Courtney Brown, Gerard Warren, Tim Couch, etc, etc, this draft seems to be about as conservative as you can get.
Fairfield, CT
Posted 01:04 PM, 04/28/2009
Most of you posters here are idiots for blasting the Browns for not taking a RB early.
Do you really need to be told why the Browns took a center and two WRs instead of a RB?
Did you see the OL last year? That line couldn't get a TD in four tries from the one-yard line. YES YES YES they need a stud center who can push the pile.
Did you get a load of Steptoe at WR? Do you want a repeat? We can't be starting practice players if one guy gets hurt. Yes Yes yes they needed WRs and more than just one.
Jamal Lewis gained 1000 yards behind a crappy line last year for a lousy team. Furthermore, the fans want more of Harrison.
How would drafting Beanie Wells improve a line that can't run block? How would it improve the dire need at WR?
The Browns showed a large part of their thinking this past weekend that we had not previously seen.
They think BOTH QB's can win. They think the main problems with the offense was the line and the lack of quality WRs. They think the reason Jamal Lewis didn't gain more yards is due to the lack of push in the middle more than the age of the ball carrier.
They saw the tapes - and not just the Browns games - all the games. I believe they hit the nail on the head.
Posted 01:32 PM, 04/28/2009
Carbunkle,
Your comparison to LeBron starting with the Cavs and not saying he just wanted to make the team is idiotic. The man was the first pick in the NBA draft. And unlike the NFL, most top 5 NBA picks pan out and become All-Star type players.
You sound like so many angry and bitter Browns fans, ready to complain about everything the team does. A new regime is in charge, and they seem to think drafting players who are bright is important. And guys who have played a number of years and shown how good they. Not the glitzy one year USC QB Sanchez, who could be the next Ryan Leaf, Matt Leinart, of maybe Carson Palmer.
PS Marla's story is terrible. Every draft has risk. The Browns passed on some of the top talent, they obviously wanted the center Mack and made trades working their way down to pick him.
Posted 01:37 PM, 04/28/2009
Timbo,
Did you read the article, two of the starting LB next year will be new. One is Barton replacing McGinest the other is Bowens replacing Davis. How would drafting some other LB been better than what these guys are going to do. Is there a for sure can't miss All-Pro caliber LB available in the draft? (That is a trick question, the answer is NO, because no player drafted is a sure thing. Remember Couch, Brown, Warren, and the list goes on).
PS Great post LambBone.
kent, oh
Posted 03:59 PM, 04/28/2009
Kiper described Wimbley as "perfect" for the 3-4, and Oshinowo as a steal for the Browns who would no doubt become a standout on the D-line. His crystal ball is just as empty as everyone elses.
Posted 04:01 PM, 04/28/2009
How many NFL teams has Mel Kiper Jr. coached?
Funny Rotoworld gave the Browns an A-.
akron, oh
Posted 05:00 PM, 04/28/2009
Mel Kiper is an idiot. He'd make a perfect weatherman. Wrong 96% of the time and he's already talking about who will get picked first next year.
Posted 07:07 AM, 04/29/2009
it really don't matter who the browns draft, they still will never beat the steelers,and they are lucky to win 5 games,,hahahahahahahahahahahaha.........GO STEELERS..............
Akron, OH
Posted 08:19 AM, 04/29/2009
GO LIONS!!! STAFFORD to THE SUPER BOWL!!!!!!
Akron, , OH
Posted 10:52 AM, 04/29/2009
Mr Lerner has a business to run first! The fans come in at a sad second and Mel Kiper has a TV face with a weak opinion on character.
As for the Browns there's nowhere to go but up,just ask Romeo!!! And by the way, Lerner had to learn something from the past ....we hope!!!
Go Browns.....
OMG------Just go
Posted 07:43 AM, 04/30/2009
The ABJ has the most negative Browns coverage I have ever seen. I truely believe the staff is made up of closet Steelers fans and not pure sports journalists.
Do us all a favor and use common sense when reporting about particle sports situations.
"Browns draft looks risky"?
REALLY?
EVERY TEAM'S DRAFT EVERY YEAR IS RISKY!
THERE ARE NO SURE PICKS!
The Browns passed on some players to address needs they thought were more important. Like a good solid Center that could possibly get a handle on the opposing AFC North 3-4 Nose Tackles that are very physical and disruptive.
You build your team to beat division opponents, not to sell tickets with flashy names.
We play against Baltimore's Ngata and Pitts' Hampton 4 times a season, that's 25% of our games which represent a play-off swing that could get you either just into the play-offs with a wildcard birth or even, dare I say... a division crown!
The ABJ should try and get former coaches or at least more knowledgable sports oriented people to write common sense articles about area sports.
Seems like some of these people write these stories right after they finish the Obituaries.
Anyone know the ABJ's Editor's email?
Posted 10:55 AM, 05/01/2009
The Browns should fold.
streetsboro, oh
Posted 12:51 PM, 05/06/2009
This is my first post -so check it out-
Mangini is a very intelligent guy, far exceeds Romeo's 35 word vocabulary. He traded down because Curry was not available. Why pay the mass amount of money for a top ten pick when there is no value there. This is the same strategy all the elite nfl teams use. I have no prob picking a center in the first round -the late first round-. Great NFL players are developed by systems and nfl coaches. Not college systems and college coaches. And somebody quoted Mangini up there.
"They've all got to come in and figure out 'How can I make the team?' " - Mangini
He also said in the same breath " they need to carve a role and figure out how they can contribute to the Cleveland Browns. go browns
