Browns 6th-Round: Why Draft Caleb Brantley, Who Faces Criminal Assault Charges?

Browns 6th-round pick Caleb Brantley comes with baggage. The Browns knew it, took him anyways, and may release him if need be.

Browns 6th-round selection Caleb Brantley, of the university of Florida comes with major, major baggage.

Why did the Browns draft Brantley, a defensive tackle? It’s not hard to figure out. Some had a first- or second-round grade on him. Up until a few days ago, there was no way he’d be attainable in the first round.

Brantley’s stock crashed after he allegedly punched a woman in the face, rendering her unconscious while knocking out one of her teeth, via Pro Football Talk.

"The police report says the 307-pound Brantley punched the 120-pound victim in the face. Although the report says the victim pushed Brantley first, it says that the “use of force was clearly out of retaliation and not self defense” and that Brantley’s force “far exceeded what was reasonable or necessary.” Two witnesses saw Brantley punch the woman, police say."

Remember when the Browns hosted Joe Mixon earlier this month? Had Mixon not been on tape punching a woman, the Oklahoma halfback would’ve been a first-round pick. Instead he slipped to the Bengals in the third round.*

But the Browns made waves when they hosted Mixon. Their fans wondered if they’d really consider taking a player with such a visible checkered past.

Everyone was kind of missing the point. Cleveland never considered Mixon early on. They were preparing themselves for a scenario in which Mixon plummeted into day 3. Remember, they’ve got all these draft picks. The higher-ups can, and with Brantley’s selection as proof, will throw picks away in the name of “value.”

How many sixth-round picks not named Tom Brady become anything of value? Sure, there’s some, but odds are, the guy you draft in the sixth round today won’t be around in two years.

The Browns took Brantley, and based off what Sashi Brown said in his post-draft presser, no additional homework was done to ensure Brantley has a future in Cleveland.

If the chargers or accusations gets any worse, or new evidence comes up against the Florida product, the Browns will simply disregard their selection like most of us throw a way a losing scratch-off.

Getting “value” in the name of analytics? Yes. Worth the PR debacle. Apparently so.

Now, every side has two stories, and Jason Cole’s tweet from earlier this week indicates their is more to the Brantley incident.

Brantley’s future will be clouded until the courts decide his fate.

Next: Who is Browns 5th-Rounder Roderick Johnson?

And its a gamble the Browns were willing to take.