Ellis L Williams makes a compelling case for the Browns not "overthinking", and just taking the offensive tackle at 10th overall.
He lists the other times the Browns have traded down (and sometimes up), and the results have usually been terrible.
Further, there is no escaping the fact that both Andrew Berry and Paul DePodesta were in the Front Office for the most infamous ones.
I can't escape Ellis's evidence, but, ladies and gentlemem of the jury, I have to:
1: Ellis cites this as a historically talented pool of offensive tackles. He feels it would be foolish not to just draft one of the top four who are ready to start immediately and dominate in the NFL.
He's right about the talent at this position here, but there are 3-4 more tackles who are being overshadowed by the hoopla surrounding the big 4.
Josh Jones, Ezra Cleveland, and Ben Bartch might all have been top 20 prospects in 2019 or 2018 (Jones a top 10).
These guys are undervalued, and 2 of them have higher cielings than some of the top guys. Ellis is 180 degrees wrong--they SHOULD trade down in this particular draft!
The Browns need an athlete there who can also pass protect, but they do not require a Joe Thomas.
2: The history of the Browns' trade-down results is terrifying, but as Ellis says, each draft is different.
This time, all these guys play the same position, and you're moving down from one ready-for-primetime talented player to an unfinished but equally talented player you can hand over to Bill Callahan.
3: Nobody is considering Covid 19's effect on the 2021 salary cap, the Browns' pending balloon payments on two first and one fourth overall draft pick.
More picks are better. This is irrefutable. You build and maintain a dynasty through the draft.
Mary Kay Cabbott and a lot of you people aren't thinking at all, as you keep bringing up a potential Trent Williams trade.
I'm sure Ellis will agree with me how utterly idiotic that would be...but then, for Ellis, Jones, Cleveland, and Bartch don't matter either.
Williams is demanding TWENTY MILLION A YEAR and no doubt wants a contract long enough to get him to Social Security! The Eagles won't take less than a second round or multiple picks!
You want Trent Williams to do what? ZONE-block!?! Because Bartch/Cleveland can't do that? They're multi-year projects in a Stefanski offense under Bill Callahan or...
Dammit you're so CLUELESS ohhmmm...ohhmmmm....
Greg Newland lists 3 potential trade partners for the 10th overall pick, starting with the Falcons at 16.
The Browns would probably get 47 overall to move down 6 slots.
Greg cautions that this would only work if more than one of the top 4 OTs are still on the board, which, of course, is wrong, unless Callahan and Berry agree with most of you that the rest of the Offensive Tackles are all bumbs.
Anyway yeah it would be terrible to have Andrew Berry, sobbing in despair, being forced to draft Josh Jones at 16th overall, right?
The Broncos at 15...for a specific wide receiver...in this draft?
Ok this is a pattern. Greg has his "big 3" wide receivers and ass umes that John Elway wants one specific guy a lot more than the other 2 (or any of the unprecedented WR talent throughout the draft), so circumstances might force him to cough up his 2nd round pick to make sure he gets his guy.
...and of course, the Broncos have no other needs in this historic WR draft class...
I doubt this one. I dread clicking "next"...here goes...
The Eagles?
Nevermind Randy Gurzi lists 3 bargain free agents who are still available for the Browns.
He mentions LT Kelvin Beechum ahead of his 3, and that makes sense if they trade down and end up with a Cleveland or a Bartch, who need some more development.
I would even consider Gramps Jason Peterson (38) on a cheap one-year deal.
The Browns will probably wait til after the draft to sign either of these guys, since if they get one of the top FIVE, they won't need him, and if they sign a LT now they'll tip everybody off to their trade-down intentions and probable target.
Randy's first official player is Guard Ronald Leary. SteeerRIKE!
I don't know what Randy is thinking here. A...what a "mentor" for the new Right Guard, like he's Quarterback? If it's depth...ok well just in general, you want a better player than those already on your roster, ok?
Not bashing Leary here, but he's fading fast (it probably is his knee) and was never more than a journeyman.
The Browns will almost certainly draft another offensive lineman (or 2) in the 4th round or lower, and don't like drafting or signing guys just to release them right away.
Darron Lee makes more sense. This linebacker was overdrafted, and never lived up to it, but he's a good player who would (at least) be a leader and great depth.
He's still in his prime, but PFF really slammed him for 2019 grade-wise (except as a passrusher). He was horrible in coverage, and mediocre vs the run with the Chiefs...
Dirt cheap "prove it" deal, because he's young and talented enough to possibly get it together in a different scheme with a new team.
WR Paul Richardson?
Yeah, since he's a deep threat and will be dirt-cheap.
As Randy says, he averaged over 16 ypc and got over 700 yards for the Seahawks in 2017 (before disappearing after leaving them in free agency).
He's got 4.4 speed and clocked a tad over 7 seconds in the 3-cone (not bad).
He's 6' tall, but only weighed 175 lbs when drafted. I'd be shocked if he's not 200 lbs by now.
Randy is of course assuming that OBJ isn't going anywhere, and is thinking of Richardson as a third WR, but he might be more than that.
6' isn't ideal, but with that speed, Richardson could be a "lid-lifter" vertical threat in this scheme (or not. No risk here).
Sub-par article for Gurzi.
Why is everybody ass uming that both Hunt and OBJ will be here, and still declaring a desperate need for a third Wide Receiver?
Hunt, Njoku, or Cooper are the third WR! Rodney Ratleyfield is still here, and OBJ and Landry are better in the slot than they are anywhere else!
Stefanski rarely used a real third WR in his offense, and...well you'll just never get it.
I've just figured out that Austin Cooper will be the "inside man" for the 2020 Browns.
He can set up wide, but he's much better in-line or in the (wait for it...) SLOT.
The farther away from the sideline you are, the tougher it is to man cover you, because you have the whole field to work with; you can go anywhere.
PFF "warned" NFL teams not to overpay Hooper (which the Browns did anyway), because he only graded out at under 59 vs single (man) coverage.
He kicked ass by hitting holes in zones.
The Cliff Notes translation is that Hooper isn't a "quick-twitch" athlete, and doesn't get separation vs athletic coverage guys.
DePoBerry was obviously aware of this, and overpaid Hooper anyway, because they also have the skill players to set Hooper up to do what he does best.
They don't intend to use Hooper like Ertz or Kittle! They intend to use him like...well...a tight end! (as crazy as that sounds).
Kyle Rudolph was still one of those freak receivers (ala Ertz/Kittle) himself in 2019, but poor Kyle ended up blocking a lot, and bailing Cousins out inside.
Stefanski used Irv Smith as his "move" Tight End.
Austin Hooper is Kyle Rudolph, and Njoku is Irv Smith, see?
Rudolph is on the "back nine", where as Hooper is in his prime, and still an ascending player.
Hooper will be targeted more than Rudolph was last season; he's too reliable not to lean on. But he is here partly to block.
David Njoku is the guy who will line up all over the place, like a huge wide receiver (and he is much more dangerous than Irv Smith Jr)
I'm tired of the Njoku-bashing. He was doing great until he broke his wrist and found himself inexplicably benched by
He was stuck in the Dog House because John Dorsey didn't draft him, period.
Chad Porto made me feel better about draft day trades, as he unmistakably responded to the Ellis L Williams' (first link) article saying "just draft the tackle".
While Chad as usual says some dumb stuff, he does point out that the Browns have "won" about as many trades as they've lost.
He reminds YOU GUYS (and Ellis) that the people actually picking the players differ from regime to regime, and that trades are separate from player selection...like I posted several years ago...
And Chad tells the armchair 20/20 hind-
Did you think Pat Mahomes would be this good this soon? Did you predict Corey Coleman would crap out? Did you expect Khalil Mack to be as good as he is?
Most of these jackasses wait for the results and then tell you "Good move" or "I wouldn't have done that" based on the that. Like Joe Biden.
I mean DUH!
Ok but Chad wanted to pay Schobert 11 mil/year and now can't figure out why anybody likes Njoku, so he's still a work in progress. Let's call him Ezra Cleveland.
Nick Dudukovich writes another good article about the Browns' trade-down rumors picking up steam, but these rumors are ALL just guys like us speculating, and most of them are...well...stupid.
It's unlikely that any team will trade up for a WR. It's only marginally more likely that they'll do it for an Offensive Tackle.
Quarterback check. Defensive Tackle yep. Cornerback that checks out too.
The Atlanta one might make sense. The Denver one, very unlikely. Where is the critical thinking here?
Nick wonders what the Browns would do at Left Tackle if Ezra Cleveland was the pick.
Starting Kendall Lamm? Moving Conklin over?
WOW! Ezra Cleveland has some work to do, but who is telling you he's a project? You think LAMM would be better than Cleveland at Left Tackle?
DUDU! Play-action, West Coast, wide zone, RPO, 2 Tight Ends (and a Fullback) and Callahan and you think Ezra Cleveland couldn't start here on opening day?
Value is value, and Cleveland is already better than Lamm in this system. If he's even slightly below average in 2020 that's an upgrade, and look tf out for him in 2021 and beyond THINK, Nick!
Oh no here comes Elliott Kennel speculating on another Giants-Browns trade OMG:
1: John Dorsey and Geddleman are pals. Dorsey is gone.
2: Last year's trade would NOT have worked out for the Browns if Austin Corbett hadn't crapped out at RG! Both OBJ and Vernon were PREDICTABLY injured (as usual) and cost 30 million bucks/year!
3: Why tf would the Browns want to trade away their 2nd rounder to move up 6 slots? Young will be gone! What--Simmons at 4? What about Left Tackle what tf are you talking about Elliott (and why)!?!
I know you guys are desperate to come up with stuff to write about, but this is getting rediculous! Chad Porto made more sense (by far) than the rest of you guys!
...well at least the village Elliott mentioned that Kareem Hunt is trade bait due to the Stefanski system with the fullback (he left out the business side of it, but I'll take what I can get).
I'm disappointed in everybody except Chad Porto.
YOU STAND CORRECTED.
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