Hindsight 20/20? We'll find out.

So we've got the media all down our backs for a "horrible" draft we had. Peter King had nothing good to say. Dave-Te Thomas had nothing good to say, as well as many others. So what do they think we could have done better?

Personally, while I lacked excitement about our draft, I can't be upset, as I felt we received some pretty solid players, including in our trades.

What exactly went down?

#5 Pick- Browns fans stood up watching Cleveland on the clock. Some of us wanted Orakpo, Raji, Crabtree, Sanchez, and most of us wanted to trade down. Most of us got what we wanted. We sent pick #5 overall to the New York Jets for safety Abram Elam, defensive end Kenyon Coleman, quarterback Brett Ratliff, along with picks 17 overall (First) and 52 overall (Second).

What would I change?
- The only thing differently I would have liked is a 6th or 7th rounder to add another camp body. New York Jets select Mark Sanchez, bust... I mean quarterback, USC. However, I loved this trade. We don't have to pay for a top 5-10 pick, and we add a quality starter at defensive end, a #2 quarterback, and a starting strong safety. Great move.

#17 Pick- The Cleveland Browns trade pick #17 overall to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for pick #19 overall (First), and pick #191 (Sixth). Tampa Bay selected Josh Freeman, quarterback, Kansas State.

What would I change?
- I think we could have received a 4th/5th rounder from Tampa Bay. They really wanted Freeman, and we just played the nice guys, and said, "sure, just give us a 6th or something, and you can have it".

#19 Pick- The Cleveland Browns trade pick #19 overall to the Philadelphia Eagles for pick #21 overall (First), and pick #195 (Sixth). Philadelphia selects wide receiver Jeremy Maclin.

What would I change?
- Absolutely nothing. We weren't ready to pick, and we added a late round pick. The Eagles knew that the Lions weren't going for Maclin, but wanted to grab him right away, just in case we were looking at him.

#21 Pick- The Cleveland Browns select center, Alex Mack, University of California. Mack is a versatile center. Mack is a hard working, intelligent player. He's got outstanding leverage, and finishes every play. Most importantly for offensive lineman, he's durable. He doesn't have many negatives about him, which is fantastic.

What would I change?
- First, let me say that we needed a center/guard badly. I'm not disappointed with this pick, however, Eric Wood, Antoine Caldwell, and even Max Unger were guys that we could have had in a later round or two. Chris Wells, Evander "Ziggy" Hood, Clay Matthews III, Vontae Davis and even Donald Brown (who I am not that high on), could have all been better picks at #21. However, we made our offensive line much stronger. I'm hoping that we will start Hadnot at center for a year (his natural position), and give Mack work at guard. I don't want to overwhelm him too much. His sophomore year he can take over at center.

Pick #36- The Cleveland Browns select wide receiver, Brian Robiskie, Ohio State. Robiskie is an excellent possession receiver, with great hands. He runs very crisp routes, and would have been a 1st round pick, had the Buckeyes had a true quarterback to throw to him.

What would I change?
- Wide receiver is a need for us. I wouldn't change it a bit. He compliments Braylon very well, and we need another option for Brady Quinn.

Pick #50- The Cleveland Browns select wide receiver, Mohammed Massoquoi, Georgia. Massaquoi is a wide receiver who does his best work in the middle of the field, underneath the secondary. However, he has a huge problem with dropped balls. Out of 81 balls thrown to him his senior season, he caught 41 of them. I believe only 13 or so were deflected. Now the difference isn't necessarily drops, but he's obviously not working as hard as he can to catch the football.

What would I change?
- We really need cornerback depth, an outside linebacker, a right tackle and a running back. Phil Loadholt, while not the best left tackle in college, fits the right tackle spot perfectly. He's an excellent run blocker, who has a great reach and will do well in pass blocking. Paul Kruger is a 6'4 265 pound monster edge rusher. Kruger absolutely ate up Alabama in his bowl game, and was very underrated the entire season for Utah. Kruger on the other side of Wimbely could make offenses cry. Sean Smith is a corner/safety from Utah who has a ton of upside. He's a large (6'4 215) guy who can make tackles and plays very well in man to man. He could have been used as a nickel back or compete for the starting safety position.

Pick #52- The Cleveland Browns select defensive end/outside linebacker, David Veikune, University of Hawaii. Veikune is a hard working power rusher who has good speed. He's a tough hitter, and plays contain very well.

What would I change?
- I like Veikune a lot. However, I question his ability to learn the playbook, drop back in coverage, and overpower NFL tackles. Loadholt, Kruger, Smith, and William Beatty were all available, and I think we could have gotten better value. Jarron Gilbert and Shonn Greene were also available.

The Browns had a late start to day two, lacking a third round pick. It wasn't until the 4th pick in the 4th round did we have a selection.

Pick #104- The Cleveland Browns select linebacker, Kaluka Maiava, USC. Maiava is a quick hitting linebacker who was a special teams guy for 3 years in USC. He got a lot of playing time and was USC's 4th best linebacker (which isn't necessarily a bad thing as they were talented).

What would I change?
- Maiava is undersized to play in this 3-4 defense, in my opinion. He's going to be a great special teams player, but won't see much playing time unless we switch to a Tampa 2 defense and he becomes a weak side OLB. Vaughn Martin, defensive tackle, Western Ontario, Shawn Nelson, tight end, Southern Miss, or Lawrence Sidbury Jr., outside linebacker, Richmond would have all been better choices. Vaughn Martin is one of the most underrated players in the draft. He's a big guy who would be a great nose tackle in a 3-4. He absolutely over powers people. He's going to have a great career in San Diego. Sidbury Jr. is a project edge rusher with good upside. Shawn Nelson is an athletic tight end with very good hands. We don't know who we really have at tight end with Rucker, and an aging Steve Heiden.

Pick #177- The Cleveland Browns select cornerback, Don Carey, Norfolk State. Carey is a speedy guy with good cover skills. He's not well known because of his smaller school play, but he's a sixth round project.

What would I change?
- I would have looked at Bear Pascoe, tight end, Fresno State. But you can't go wrong with a project guy who has a history of hard work. He's a perfect Mangini guy.

Pick #191- The Cleveland Browns select cornerback, Coye Francis, San Jose State. Francis is a taller, more athletic guy who did well in zone coverage and returning kicks.

What would I change?
- Mangini took a bit of a chance here as Francis has had a small character issue. He's not a bad person at all, and he's another great project pick.

Pick #195- The Cleveland Browns select running back, James Davis, Clemson. Davis is a hard runner, very hard. He's a tank to take down, and is great right up the middle.

What would I change?
- Not a thing. I don't think he's an every down back. Most 6th round running backs aren't. However, with an impressive training camp, he could find his way past the practice squad and onto the 53 man roster with his ability to split the middle of the defense. He's a tough guy to bring down, however is extremely poor in pass protection. He's a 2nd-3rd round talent who slipped due to a poor 40 yard dash time, and because his production declined thanks to Clemson's switch to a zone blocking scheme which they just could not excecute at all in 2008. I think Davis was a steal. But don't be surprised if he doesn't fare well as a Brown. He's a 6th rounder, but he's also a hard working kid who's a Mangini guy.


Overall, I think we got solid value in our draft, but we got a lot more projects than I think we needed. Veikune is a guy who the Browns want to make into an OLB/ILB. Maiva is a special teams guy who should not have been draft so high, and Massoquoi is a huge risk with his poor hands.

If I were George Kokinis, my draft would have played out like this:

#21- Chris "Beanie" Wells, RB, Ohio State- This is not my Ohio State bias. He's just not as injury prone as people make him out to be. He missed 3 starts in 3 seasons. Those 3 starts were all in his junior season as Ohio State. He missed the 2nd half of the Texas game with, what I believe was a concussion. 3.5 games I guess you could say. However, he's a perfect north/south runner that the Browns need in the AFC North. Clay Matthews Jr. is the other player I'd have considered along with Beanie.


#36- Brian Robiskie, WR, Ohio State- After Braylon, there's no telling who our wide receivers could be. David Patten is injury prone and is a better slot receiver, Josh Cribbs isn't a full time receiver, Syndric Steptoe is afraid to catch the ball in the middle of the field, and we traded Kellen Winslow who was our most efficient pass catcher.

#50- Paul Kruger, DE/OLB, Utah- Kruger is a tough, physical pass rusher who makes offensive tackles pee themselves. He comes at you hard, and is a very hard worker that fits the mold of a 3-4 outside linebacker better than most in the draft.

#52- Sean Smith, CB/S, Utah- Smith is a versatile guy, which is important in our secondary. If we have an injury at safety, he can step in and we probably wouldn't miss a beat. However, he's a tough corner who jams receivers at the line and can take a hit from a runner coming at him.

#104- Vaughn Martin, DT, Western Ontario- I'm not confident that Shaun Smith will be on this team much longer, and I don't know if Rubin is a guy that can play nose tackle consistently if Rogers needs a breather. Martin is a guy who could probably step in right away and contribute, and maybe let us experiment with Shaun Rogers at defensive end. He's a power guy who controls centers which forces the running back to look elsewhere for a hole.

#177- Bear Pascoe, TE, Fresno St.- Pascoe is a physical tight end who is in the Steve Heiden mold. He's an efficient run blocker, and he's not too shabby with the hands. He's a tall guy who'd be a great red zone talent.

#191- Don Carey, CB, Norfolk State- I loved the Carey pick. I think he slips a few more spots from #177.

#195- A.Q. Shipley, C, Penn St.- Shipley is a smaller, more athletic center, but most importantly very smart. He'd be a guy who could come in and start in a season or two.


I know I didn't address the offensive line until the last pick, but I think with our free agent signings we could wait another season before drafting a more quality center, right guard, or even right tackle. I think people undersestimate St. Clair at the right tackle spot, and I truly think Tucker will stay healthy all season. If he doesn't we still have Womack to play right guard and Hadnot to play center. Regardless, there's a reason why I'm not the Cleveland Browns general manager, and hopefully we'll prove all the members of the media wrong who doubt us. We've got a lot of talent to play with and we'll see how Mangini and Co. handle these athletes. Perhaps the Browns can become a playoff team in 2 years or less, however, it's quite possible that we end up back at the bottom of the AFC North.

I'm sometimes an optimist, so I'm thinking the former.

Defensive Line: The Difference Maker

A little over a year ago, I posted a blog about the defensive line, and how important it is to the 34 defense. As some may know, I am in belief that with lack of defensive line play, there is little success with the other 8 defenders. With injuries to Robaire Smith, and Corey Williams, our defensive line remained inadequate and did not perform to expectations. Regardless, even if the two were healthy, we still lacked quality depth to fill all positions as the defensive line in a 34 requires a bit of rotation.
Robaire Smith is expected to be at 100% come training camp time, as is Corey Williams. However, the Mangini Administration went out and addressed the defensive line even more, knowing the depth issues we have. What first needs to be known is that Mangini's defensive ends are different from Romeo Crennel's. Mangini prefers smaller, more athletic defensive ends who still have the strength to demand double teams. Crennel threw in DE's in which were big, slow, but explosive off the ball. Either way works, as long as you have the right personnel, which we have not had since we instituted the 34 in 2006. Our returning defensive lineman are: Louis Leonard, Melila Purcell, Shaun Rogers, Ahtyba Rubin, Shaun Smith, Robaire Smith, Santonio Thomas, and Corey Williams. Along with those guys, we have the additions of Kenyon Coleman, C.J. Mosley, and undrafted free agent signing Adam Hoppel. The addition of Kenyon Coleman, alone, makes this defensive line 5 times better, and Mosley adds a bit of youth, but experience and is a guy familiar with Mangini's 34. Here's a little introduction to our two newly acquired DE's that I expect to make the final roster.

Kenyon Coleman: Coleman is going into his 8th year as a pro. He was taken by the Oakland Raiders who let him go after he played in one game in 2002, as he did not fit into their system well enough for them to keep on the team. The Dallas Cowboys signed him in 2003 to be a depth DE for their newly installed 34 defense courtesy of Bill Parcells. Coleman played special teams, earning playing time on the defense at times for next 3 years, in which he continued to make the team as a rising player. After raking up 30 tackles (25 in which were solo) in 2006, without starting a game, the Cowboys realized what kind of impact he made for their defense and their rotation. 30 tackles for a DE receiving half the playing time one usually gets means that he's making plays, even when not necessarily being asked to. However, he became a free agent, and the New York Jets signed him right away scooping him up for their newly installed 34 defense, courtesy of new Browns head coach, Eric Mangini. Coleman has started 29 of his last 32 games for the New York Jets, and was a huge part of a defense that, in 2008, was 7th in the NFL in rush defense. Coleman's strengths are that he gets of the ball quickly. Some DE's are taught to basically stand up their man, while creating enough of a push to force another blocker on them, so that the LB's are free to roam. While Coleman did that well, he also got into the backfield to force the play in whichever way it favored the defense being run, or making a tackle for loss (TFL). I fully expect Coleman to start for this team come September. He's got all the tools we need, and while he's not young (30 years old), he's not going to be a stopgap player, and he'll be able to at least contribute to a rotation for 4-5 years.

C.J. Mosley: Mosley is going into his 5th year as a pro. He was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in which he spent just one season with. He was traded at the 2006 draft to the New York Jets for QB Brooks Bollinger. Mosley isn't your typical 34 DE. He's a bit on the short side at 6'2, and lacks the necessary burst to be a legit starter. However, he's a solid rotational guy who won't hurt you when he's in. He does a very good job at holding up OT's while sometimes needing a guard to come and help, however, he tends to take plays off. He is a hard worker, and Mangini plans to work with him to improve his motor so that he can be a consistent player that does his job on every play. He's a good, young, developmental talent who will see plenty of time on the field for the Browns.
Now, I'm predicting that Purcell/Thomas and Hoppel will be gone come the start of the season, and even at that, we'll still have a DE rotation of Williams, Robaire, Shaun Smith, Leonard, Coleman, Purcell/Thomas (whichever one stays) and Mosley. Our NT depth will be Shaun Rogers, Ahtyba Rubin, and Shaun Smith. Leonard can also play NT if needed. I really like where this defensive line is headed. The defensive line is, in fact, the key to the 34 defense. If the defensive lineman don't take up space, and even penetrate, then the linebackers cannot get free to make the plays in the backfield or at the line of scrimmage. See, our problem the past few years has been that our DE's don't occupy blocks OR penetrate. They tend to get hooked on an offensive tackle, and stood straight up, allowing a guard, or center free to block a linebacker, along with a fullback still left leading the way for a running back to go up the hole. This is the reason why our secondary gets quite a few tackle opportunities. Regardless to what people think, our LB's aren't able to do their jobs either. D'Qwell may register more than 100 tackles in a season, but how many of those are beyond the line of scrimmage, because our ILB's can't get in to make a play? The DE's are even more important to the OLB's. Even though Kamerion Wimbley does need to be stronger, he's still not able to rush the passer because the DE on his side isn't doing his job. That DE should be occupying either the guard and tackle, or the tackle and the tight end. A guard and tackle is ideal, as Wimbley should have no problem getting off the block of a tight end. However, Wimbley always gets wrapped up with an OT, and 1) has trouble getting around to the QB, and 2) has trouble maintaining contain on his side against the run (which is CRUCIAL for an OLB).

Overall, if the defensive line are the first part, and most crucial part of the 3 way chain which is the 34 defense. If the defensive line occupies blocks, or can even penetrate the offensive line, the linebackers can make their plays at or behind the LOS on run plays, or blitz from any angle to make the quarterback get the ball out faster, or sack him. If the quarterback is pressured, the secondary isn't covering receivers for 6-8 seconds while the quarterback has enough time to read the sunday paper, prior to completing his pass. Our secondary, despite lack of depth, isn't as bad as it's made out to be. We have two very promising, young cornerbacks in Eric Wright and Brandon McDonald who would love to have the front seven pressure the QB. It'll make the secondary's job ten times easier, and will make our defense much less predictable.