You know: The NFL Draft looms blahblah Opinions vary blahblah but one thing blahblah?
Chad Porto lists 5 players who ought to be available for the Browns in the later rounds.
In the 4th, he likes ILB Logan Wilson. You can tell that Chad looked for a Joe Schobert type (Chad thought the Browns should pay Schobert whatever he asked for), and it sounds like he found one.
Wilson is very strong in coverage, and a tackling machine...
Chad, this is why teams don't pay inside or middle linebackers whatever they ask for. Some of the best in the NFL were drafted on day 3---every season.
Next, Chad likes Boise State guard John Molchon (in the 5th or 6th round). Chad says he's "nimble", which works for me.
Chad describes pulling and trap-blocking, and doesn't seem to understand zone-blocking as well as he should, but Molchon apparently has good wheels, so that works for zone.
While I want to see what Teller and Forbes can do at RG, it's smart to grab guys like Molchon in the lower rounds to develop. They often don't make the final roster, but are retained and groomed. It's where a lot of journeymen, and a rare few stars, came from.
With Bill Callahan coaching the Offensive Line here in 2020, these players will have only themselves to blame if they fail.
Next up...oh wow Chad really found one here: WR Dan Chisena, who is a 6'3" track star who's clocked a 4.32 40.
Chad is talking 7th round here, because Chisena has red flags:
1: Football isn't his first love. Track is. It's important that players love the game, because it takes a lot of focus and hard work to succeed
2: Because he liked track so much, he hardly played any football until his senior year at Penn State (seriously: WTF is up with this guy? Bet he watches soccer too...)
Anyway he's a project because he has almost zero experience.
3: As you know, track speed often doesn't translate to football speed. Can the guy sink his hips and cut? Does he have vision or instincts? Can he time leaps, get off press coverage, stop and start, and (oh yeah) catch?
But in the 7th round, Chisena is a no-brainer. You never know...6'3", 4.32 (ps exceptional long speed as well--if he gets behind you, you're dead). I'll risk a 7th rounder on that!
Baylor DE James Lockhart is next. He's 6'2", and may be more of a 3-4 OLB in the NFL, but Joe Woods would find a role for him.
Lockhart's stats are pedestrian, but he actually resembles Olivier Vernon athleticly.
I haven't researched this guy, but if I'm reading between Chad's lines right, Lockhart is a lunchpail football player who is a good passrusher and run-stopper as well.
Interestingly, Chad mentions maybe bringing back Carl Nassib to join him in the rotation.
Malcomb Perry (Navy) is Chad's Taysom Hill 7th round or UFA pick. He's listed as a WR, but was actually Navy's Wildcat QB in 2018 and 2019. He's only 5'9", 190 lbs, so he's not quite like Josh Cribbs (or Hill), but really interesting anyway.
Good article, Chad!
Mitch Zoloty lists 4 former Browns who could be signed as free agents. What struck me about this article were some of the utterly retarded responses to it in the comments section, so I'm going to get a little edgy here:
His first guy is Travis Benjamin, who is now 31. I call that pretty dumb, because all Travis had was his speed and athleticism, and he's losing those fast.
However, you idiot: Benjamin was one of the best returners in the NFL for a couple years, and was a big-play WR too.
...but yeah...dumb idea, Mitch.
Next is Danny Shelton. This is a better idea, as Danny is a great "space eater" 2-gap run-stuffer who could probably be had cheaply.
My own concern about Danny is his weight. He's obese, ok? His ankles, knees, and hips are not designed to move that much mass around, and WILL break down.
...but for the right price, Shelton is a guy you bring in for running downs only. If he's cheap enough (did I mention cheap)?
Jabaal Sheard was 2nd round draft pick who started for most of his carreer, including for Bill Belichick and the Colts. If you call this guy a "bust", you need a brain transplant.
Having said that, he's 31, and...nah! Too many younger options, including Emmanuel Ogbah.
Ogbah was picked in the second round too. I guess the "bust" label could be applied to him, as he became a rotational player for the KC Chiefs, and never became the sack-machine the Browns hoped for.
However, Ogbah is very good vs the run, and got 5.5 sacks in 2019 playing part time for the Superbowl champs, so if I were me, I wouldn't throw that "bust" word around as casually as idiots do.
Absolutely, the Browns should bring Ogbah (and/or Nassib) back, as both are still young, proven rotational players, and very affordable.
Niether of these guys is the scary edge-rusher that Myles Garrett needs to take the heat off him, but they're both above average overall, and respectable passrushers.
Bringing one or both of these guys back would solve the DE depth issue, and Nassib is also a passrushing DT now.
As a general rule, imbeciles, defensive linemen drafted below the first round who become rotational players aren't exactly "busts".
Idiots love shiny objects and extremes of every kind, so anybody who doesn't dazzle them is a "bust", regardless of where he was drafted.
...ok well that's more of a Browns thing (although the Lions, Bengals, and a couple other teams are steeped in the same negative kneejerkism).
Mayfield, Ratley, Njoku, Takitaki, Williams, and even Denzel Ward broke the land-speed record to "bust"-dom in the alleged minds of a lot of permabashers.
If you're not an all-pro, you're a bust. For that matter, if you're a first-time Head Coach, you have a reservation at the Bust table.
We're all gonna die! God, it's so depressing...
No I hear you. Even sentient Browns fans have been conditioned to expect failure.
But you still need to think with your brain: Stefanski, Woods, Callahan etc don't have anything to do with that losing history. This isn't the "same old same old".
The roster is very talented, Baker Mayfield is here, and the Browns did beat the Steelers and Ravens last season.
DePodesta? HE delivered all that cap space and all those draft picks to John Dorsey DO YOU UNDERSTAND!?!
Haslam? Yeah I hear you. But now, he's enpowered DePodesta and brought Berry back. Haslam is learning, just like Robert Kraft did (he fired Pete Carroll(sp?))
With Berry and DePodesta running things now, you people don't get it yet.
The possible trades that you have seen proposed in my earlier posts are all plausible. Berry will indeed be "aggressive", but wants to trade OBJ, and trade DOWN.
The Browns have around 62 mil in cap space now. It's possible that Olivier Vernon will take a pay-cut, but I doubt it. 77 mil.
Kirksey is a GMF: 83 mil (or so). The Browns will shortly be THE wealthiest team in the NFL.
I know that Amari Cooper wants to be the highest paid WR in the NFL, and Jerry can't do that. And I know that even eyeball-deep in excellent draftable WRs, Jerry wants the proven ticket-selling veteran, and is likely to trade for OBJ.
It could get convoluted due to market forces (and Jerry is not an idiot, despite the ignorant consensus). However, Jerry might well cough up 17th overall for maybe OBJ and a 3rd or 4th round pick...or maybe his 2nd round pick and a player...
At any rate, this trade would put the Browns over 90 mil in cap space, see?
...ok this is DePodestian so try to stay with me here:
The Browns can now, of course, sign high-profile free agents (and perhaps "overpay" them--see last post), and get right to work extending some of their core players.
I would try to lock up Kareem Hunt, while Pluto et al are afraid he'll kick a woman or get busted for pot or something, but that's just me.
In 2020, Ogunjobi for sure. He's regressed overall over the last 2 seasons, especially vs the run. I'd low-ball him big-time on a 4 or 5-year contract. He did it before. He can do it again.
You offer more up front, and guarantee more up front, and the player will take it...
You understand that the players are paranoid about injuries, system changes, bad coaches, etc right?
GMs will give agents numbers to brag about, but limit the guaranteed portions to set up trades or waivers in the out-years ok sorry:
I've reconsidered Jack Conklin since I found out that (per PFF) he's mediocre in pass protection at Right tackle. My bad--but Conklin is "off my board" at the salary he will command...dammit.
That changes everything: DePoBerry now have to sign a geezer rent-a-Tackle on a 1-year contract ahead of the draft.
No, not Trent Williams obviously. The Redskins are demanding a 1st round pick, and (bullshit aside), Williams intends to force his new team to make him the highest paid LT in the NFL until he's 34 or 35 or so.
STOP IT!
This is the crap DePoBerry have to deal with.
For your information, one or more trade-downs are likely. The freak superstuds will get snatched up too soon, and the 7th-ranked Left Tackle is a probable day 1 starter...honestly, can't you see this?
Paul DePodesta is basking in this. He has his QB. He needs two OTs. This draft class is eyeball deep in OTs, and he can get a stud LEFT Tackle in the lower twenties.
Just when he needs to trade OBJ, he gets a historical WR draft class, and a Jerry Jones!
...I lost you, didn't I?
Ok just re-read the last 7-8 paragraphs a couple more times.
Nevermind: You'll read it everywhere else shortly, and can pretend you never read it here first.
As usual.
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