McLafferty Mocks (himself) the 2014 NFL Draft, Going all 7 Rounds with the Cleveland Browns
Dec 31, 2013; Atlanta, GA, USA; Texas A&M Aggies quarterback Johnny Manziel (2) speaks to fans after the game against Duke Blue Devils in the 2013 Chick-fil-A Bowl at the Georgia Dome. The Aggies won 52-48. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Liles-USA TODAY Sports
Here’s what the roster generally would look like.
QB-Brian Hoyer, Manziel
RB-Hyde, Dion Lewis
FB- Chris Ogbonnaya
WR-Gordon, Lee, Saunders, Evans, Benjamin, Little & Cooper
TE-Cameron, Gary Barnidge and Marqueis Gray
LG-FA to be signed, Jason Pinkston
RG-Schwartz, Norwell
RT-FA to be signed, Hurst
DE-Desmond Bryant & Ahtyba Rubin (starters) Armonty Bryant
DT-Phil Taylor (starter), Billy Wynn and Phil Hughes
OLB-Barkevious Mingo & Paul Kruger (starters)
ILB-Jabaal Sheard & Borland (starters) Craig Robertson (though I would trade him for Craig Robinson)
CBs-Joe Haden, Skrine, McGill, McFadden
S-Whitner and Byrd (I’m guessing both will be coming over as starters) Sunseri, Gipson and Slaughter.
I think this draft would be exactly what the Browns needed. As opposed to last year (draft and free agency) this draft heavily favors the offense. Few notes on this overall. Getting Manziel gives us a face of franchise and I expect him to win the job in training camp. Either way with that arsenal I think it would be hard to not shine. The running game gets a boost from the multi-dimensioned Carlos Hyde, the return of Dion Lewis and Shanahan’s zone-blocking scheme which has led to a handful of great rushing seasons. The Wide Receivers get a specific rebuild opening up the passing attack once again. They’ll have 2 #1s in Gordon ( a superstar) and a star in the making in Lee with Saunders getting to work the slot and Evans and possibly Little get a chance at the #4th WR. Also this added on to the continued growth of Jordan Cameron who will benefit from an improved rushing game, better passer and more weapons on the field. The offensive line is a little overlooked here but it just didn’t add up at times and if I had one thing I would be open to changing it would be Kouandjio over Lee, I just think Lee is just a solid game changer, a guy who if he went last year would have been a top 5-10 pick and to get him that far down is too good to pass up, especially when there is a need. I also believe with the amount of talent on the market at Tackle (Eugene Monroe and Michael Oher come to mind because of previous experience with offensive line coach Andy Moeller) it might be a wise decision to go after free agents to fix the line, especially grabbing a veteran Guard to help transition into the zone blocking. I believe this draft does help improve the line’s depth and versatility though. Defensively I think the D-Line is fine where it’s at, where I see changes is in the Linebacking core. Pettine will move guys around and while it’ll be somewhat structured I think he’ll have the 4 best linebackers on the field creating ways to get Mingo, Kruger and Sheard all on the field together. What will help anchor this is a solid, smart MLB like Borland who will allow the other 3 to line-up where ever Pettine thinks best. He did it last year with Kiko Alonso. Corners will be up for grabs outside of Haden. I think McGill could win or Skrine can built off of last year but I believe McGill ends up being the starter by the end of the year. Safeties, it’s sad to say but I don’t think Ward will be returning. The Browns have been linked to two others with a lot of recent attention to Donte Whitner. Whitner plays as a hard hitting safety who can play solid coverage where Byrd is a ballhawking monster. These two seem to fit the mold of what Pettine is trying to do, not to mention the obvious tied with Byrd and is amazing season last year. This is a team I think can fight for a playoff spot this year and achieve more as they continue to grow.
What do YOU think?