Should Cleveland Browns Use 2017 NFL Draft To Improve Receiving Corps?
By Ric McElroy
Are the Cleveland Browns set at WR before the dawn of free agency and the 2017 NFL Draft? Factory of Sadness Voice of the Fan Ric McElroy examines.
The Cleveland Browns have re-signed Jamie Collins for a lot of money. They still have somewhere in the neighborhood of $100 million left to use if they so desire?
Some of this space will be taken by the draft choices they make in this years talent pool. But with Terrelle Pryor a free agent and Isaiah Crowell a restricted free agent, they still have work to do and decisions to make.
With word circulating Tuesday that the front office won’t franchise tag Pryor next week, Drew Rosenhaus and company are going to sit with the Browns and try to iron out a long term deal. Pryor has stated many times of his desire to return and respect he has for coach Hue Jackson.
There’s hope that a deal can be ironed out of the long term variety. Pryor is still young and hasn’t hit his ceiling yet. Plus, he fits into the front office analytical plans.
We will be watching as the talks continue. But this leaves us with the question about drafting yet another receiver? They drafted five last year and spent a first rounder on Corey Coleman. He was injured for a good part of training camp and then also during the first of the regular season.
He didn’t have much of a chance to see what he could do in the pros. He flashed at times but also disappeared at times, too.
The others, “Hollywood” Higgins, Ricardo Louis, and Jordan Payton really didn’t show much at all. Payton even got caught using illegal drugs got popped for four games.
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So do they need to draft yet another receiver? This is a problem with their line of thinking last year! They went quantity over quality! Let’s face it, with the exception of Michael Thomas with the Saints, there really wasn’t much pro talent to be taken as the year showed.
The Josh Gordon question will also show its ugly head. He’s still suspended by the NFL and must apply for reinstatement. Inevitably, Browns fans will be wondering if he can help out, yet again. I highly doubt he’ll be back in an orange helmet.
Perhaps a receiver they covet falls through the cracks to a later round and goodness knows another good wideout would help whomever is playing quarterback.
But they don’t need to use a high pick on a Mike Williams type. Williams will probably be gone early, anyhow.
Next: 8 Free Agents The Browns Should Target
It will be interesting to see what else if anything they do in free agency. But I think and sure hope they learned from last years draft and letting Mitchell Schwartz go, they need to do a lot better job!