Wednesday, February 1, 2017

Comments on Browns Comments, the Draft

1: Hue Jackson wasn't as on board with the Kessler pick as he made it seem.

Probably, La Canfora noticed that Jackson kept test-driving RG3 instead of Kessler when both were healthy, concluded that this must mean he never liked Kessler, and tossed the "sources" word into another gossipy opinion.

2: At least three pros at the Senior Bowl loved Deshaun Watson.  One called him the best player in the draft.  All said they'd take him first overall.  Even Bill Polian has warmed up to him.

Walter Football didn't get the memo.  They have the Browns drafting him.  With the 52nd overall pick.

3: Trubisky might be 6'1".  I doubt it.  He's got 6'4" linemen and 5'10" running backs all around him ok?  He looks around 6'3" to me.  Could be 6'2" and change I dunno.

4: Trubisky is on the rise.  Scouts and GMs are starting to poke their heads up here and there on him and Watson, comparing them favorably to Goff and Wentz.
Not all of it is new.  Most real experts stipulate that they both have all the tools, including dedication and discipline, but downgrade them because they feel they're not ready to start YET.

5: Browns interest in Jimmy Garopollo is real.  No kidding.

I just watched some film on Myles Garrett and Davis Webb.

Garrett is just amazing.  Imagine this guy practicing against Joe Thomas.  It's spine-tingling.

All I've seen of Webb was the Senior Bowl.  Perfect deep accuracy.  He had zero pressure on his two deep TD passes, and his running game was just great, so you take it with a grain of salt.

Some of his scouting reports have been downright brutal: Fixates on primary target, doesn't check down, inconsistant accuracy short, poor anticipation.  This doesn't compare to Prescott's, Garopollo's, or Wilson's reports.  The latter three were much more positive.

Still, Mike Mayock said he "liked" him, but that he has "a long way to go", and that coming from this guy says something: Mike Mayock is about as diplomatic as Joe Thomas.

Who knows what the Browns will wind up doing at quarterback?  It's fun to read the thoughts of other writers on this, like a recent one making a case for not trading for Garopollo, and another stipulating no more than a second and fourth round pick.

All this is fair game, but those who think they are better talent evaluators than Jackson or Berry need their heads shrunk.  If Hue loves either one of these guys, or Kizer, then first overall pick is not too expensive.  If they feel Jimmy Garopollo is the man, twelve and a fourth is cheap.

In my own perfect world, if the stars align and something is in retrograde and like that, the Browns get Myles Garrett and a quarterback too.

There are several ways this could happen, and there may well be a plan b and plan c:

Garrett and Trubisky looks impossible.  Garrett and Watson is (in reality) very unlikely.  Kizer is almost as unlikely, if Hue does have a crush on him.  

The surest two quarterbacks to go with Myles Garrett are Webb and Garopollo.  Webb atop the third round.

Garopollo would involve a bidding war, which is why number twelve is the more likely price than the second rounder.  

Webb is developmental, for 2018 or later.  He's low risk, high reward. 

Garopollo is high stakes gambling.  Hue and Berry have a bunch of preseason and six quarters of regular season films to study.  He was surrounded by New England talent, in a well-established system.

If they sign him with a contract, they're committing a ton of guaranteed money to him for years to come.  If they don't get that contract up front, Jimmy might well refuse to negotiate until after he has built up his resume and declared himself on the auction block.

Probably, the up front contract would be a big part of the bidding war.  Jimmy might well negotiate in good faith, partly as a means of choosing which team he goes to.  He could choose whichever offer he wants, and reject the rest.  Those teams whose offers he rejects will get the message: Jimmy doesn't like you.  If they're smart, they withdraw their trade offers.

This in turn indicates an early signing.  An agent who wants to deal with GMs in the future can't play games with them (fake/bad faith negotiations).  He'll need to say "no thanks" to any teams Jimmy won't consider up front, so they can get moving on their plan B guys.

What about that contract?  Well, he is largely unproven.  He probably can't command over 18 mil/year (from the Browns, who might need to offer a little more than other teams).  With the Browns, he might want a shorter term deal.

For one thing, if, somehow, the team fails to make sufficient progress, he'll want out.  On the other hand, if the team predictably improves rapidly, he'll want to be able to back up the Brinks truck and extort more money after a couple years.

A two or three year deal with two-way options after two could be how it would work out.  Sashi Brown has the same questions about Jimmy as Jimmy does about the Browns.  Shorter term offers an escape clause for both sides.

So in my perfect lollypop daydream world, it's Davis Webb, on a dirt cheap four year contract.  It's a ton cheaper.  The risk is a third round pick that doesn't pan out.

The Browns use that twelvth overall pick for another impact player.

In re that,  I'm not among those who knock Bucky Brooks for mocking Ryan Ramczyck to the Browns at twelve.  Most of those who do don't get it.

The Browns WILL NOT need a RIGHT tackle in 2017 with the FOUR players who will be fighting over this position (my money is on Shon Coleman).

Cam Robinson is indeed so good that he could elbow everybody else aside and start there immediately, but he does not project that well to left tackle.

In a draft unusually thin at left tackles, Ramczyk is THE ONE who looks like Joe Thomas, and it IS critical for this rebuilding team that it finds Big Joe's eventual successor.

Like Joe coming out, he's a better pass protector than run-blocker (except downfield in space).  Unlike Joe, he's a bit unrefined and needs some work.

Please stop with this "immediate impact" mantra.  This is not a contending team.  It is a rebuilding team.

Speaking more rationally, this draft IS deep in big cornerbacks, REAL tight ends, and REAL linebackers.  There is also some depth at defensive tackle and safety.  The Browns can nab very good players here (don't need linebackers of course) right into the fourth round.

Picking Ramszyck at twelve would cause a lot of hand-wringing and caterwalling, but by the time the Browns are contending, this guy is ready to take over at left tackle, and might already be the best pass-blocking (and zone-blocking) right tackle in the NFL.




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