Most of the mock drafts I've seen have the Browns drafting Johnny Manziel fourth. The consensus is that both Bortles and Bridgewater will be gone by then.
This is because Manziel is scary. Bridgewater and even Bortles are considered safer picks. This, in turn, is why anybody, including the Browns, trading up for Manziel isn't very likely.
It wouldn't suprise me at all, though, if the Browns drafted Manziel right there at four...or...
What if somebody else did want Manziel bad enough to trade up to the less-expensive fourth pick?
No wait...no listen---are you done? I'll wait...
Ok now hear me out: I've been wondering why everybody hates Derrick Carr so much. I'm still not so sure.
The decision-makers have all these metrics, thoroughly understand intangibles, and know a ton more than I do, so I defer to them because I only pretend to be an egomaniac to be cute.
But this time...this time I honestly think that it's because his former first overall pick brother (David) went the way of Ryan Leaf. Yes, I'm saying prejudice could have a lot to do with why Derrick Carr is being ignored.
But in reality, who is ignoring him? The pundits. Not the personnel people. And the personnel people aren't about to tip their hands--unless it's deliberate and false, like the Browns being all ga-ga over Manziel.
What if the front office secretly likes Derrick Carr, or even some other lesser-known QB in this draft?
Hype is usually less than accurate, but there aren't usually many huge surprises on draft day, so drafting Carr fourth overall would not be good. Trading down and then drafting him makes a lot more sense.
Sorry if you are a huge Manziel fan and think you know that he will indeed be a better pro than Carr. But unless you have all the tapes, and actually comprehend what you're looking at, you're just being emotional, and following the loudest voice.
Will Burge of the Bleacher Report wrote a really good piece on potential Browns free agent targets.
I'm a little leery of the 34-year old Santana Moss. Yes, he was still productive last season despite playing part-time, but now he'll be another year older. He won't be as good as he was last season, and the only question is how much more he'll decline.
I liked the idea of Zane Beadles, the Bronco guard, at first. He's a good player, young, and wouldn't cost very much. His best assets are his intelligence and technique. He is also a potential center, should the Browns lose Alex Mack.
He's a converted tackle. He's not all that athletic, though. I wonder if he'd fit a zone-blocking scheme. Possibly. But I don't believe he could be effective at pulling. He's fits a man scheme much better than a zone.
Donald Brown would be awesome, and I hope Will is right in predicting that he won't break the bank. I do like Rodney Bakersfield, though.
ILB Leslie Woodyard would be excellent too. Roberts' coverage assignments were almost impossible vs. some teams last season, and he really doesn't suck. But Woodyard is just plain better.
Hakeem Nicks is very interesting, as he's still young, but has fallen off the map over the last two seasons. Will points out that he had his best seasons when he had a true number one (like Gordon) on the other side. Due to his lack of recent production, he could come at a nice discount. Definitely worth checking out!
I like Golden Tate too, although he'll be more expensive.
Nice article.
Peter Smith wrote another good article on Ray Farmer and why he opted to remain with the Browns rather than take a big promotion with the Dolphins.
The guy strongly defends Mike Lombardi. Is anybody else listening? Guess you know better than Ray, too.
Peter kind of bugs me in reference to Brian Hoyer. Peter has decided that Brian may be a good "bridge" starter to keep the QB chair warm until a real franchise guy arrives.
He may be right about that, but I'm always irked when a guy isn't really given a chance; when even what he has done is dismissed.
I was very excited by what I saw during Hoyer's brief stint at QB, including and especially his "it's on me I'm passing" comeback in his first game as a starter. This was the game in which he threw all three of his picks, one of which wasn't on him. He was perfect thereafter.
Pete, you could say you haven't seen enough yet. You could say that defenses will find his weaknesses and go after them. That we don't know how he'll handle that yet. You could say he might already be as good as he'll ever be, and find some way to make that not good enough.
But I really wish you wouldn't be so eager to dismiss him as no more than a solid journeyman until you've seen him start to sputter a little!
Brian Hoyer might be a bridge-starter. Or he might be a FRANCHISE QUARTERBACK. So far I only know what I saw.
Place your bets.
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