Displaced Cleveland Fan

Day 1 of the NFL draft for the Browns was… interesting. I’ve seen a lot of chatter online about how awful these picks were. But I think this is mostly just hyped-up overreacting.

Here are the newest Cleveland Browns:

Alex Mack - C (California)

This seemed like a bizarre pick. First, the Browns traded out of the 5th spot where the Jets took Mark Sanchez. They then had the 17th pick. They traded down to the 19th. Then traded down again to the 21st where they drafted Mack.

Honestly, by this point, I was hoping they would take Chris Wells. Maybe not the best pick, but it’d be great to root for the Buckeye star in Cleveland. This really would have been unlikely. I expected them to add either a defensive lineman or a linebacker. Instead, they picked a center.

When I first saw the selection, my initial reaction was disappointment. No Wells. No defense. But after you take out all the hype that has come to surround the NFL draft, this could be a very solid pick. A successful offense starts with a strong offensive line.

But couldn’t the Browns have picked someone else here (Wells, Maualuga, etc.) and picked up Mack in the 2nd round? Maybe. But the Steelers reportedly had their eye on this guy as a possible selection. And Buffalo picked up another center a little bit later in the 1st round at #28. So if the Browns were interested, this was the time to pick him. All things considered, I say this is a decent pick.

Brian Robiskie - WR (Ohio State)

Well, the Browns didn’t get Chris Wells. But they did pick up another Buckeye. Initially, this was another “what were they thinking?” reaction. I like Robiskie. But, hello? Defense?

The wide receiver position was one that needed to be addressed. They had two more picks in the second round. So taking a wide receiver here is not that bad. But did Kokinis & Mangini draft a Buckeye in a pathetic attempt to gain some popularity among Browns fans? Who knows. I hope not. Instead, I hope they drafted Robiskie because he’s a solid receiver who is smart, runs good routes, and is ready to contribute immediately.

In any case, it will be nice to see Robiskie in an orange helmet this year.

Mohamed Massaquoi - WR (Georgia)

OK, I guess the front office was really concerned with this position. Two of their first three picks were wide receivers. I could have guessed one, with the other two being on the other side of the ball. But to this point, no defense.

Having watched a couple Georgia games last year, I think Massaquoi has some talent. Hopefully he’s able to contribute from the start like Robiskie.

One can’t help but wonder what the plans are for Braylon Edwards. Rumors have been swirling about the Browns trading him to the Giants or somewhere else. Of course, that didn’t happen before the draft. But now the Browns have two more receivers. Do they need Edwards? Do they want him? We shall see.

David Veikune - DE (Hawaii)

They didn’t get Maualuga, but the Browns were able to find them a long-hairred Samoan.

Honestly, this guy is an unknown to me. But the reports are that he’s a quick, athletic defender who should be able to contribute.

Veikune will surely move from defensive end to outside linebacker in the Browns’ 3-4 defense, putting him opposite (or replacing?) Kamerion Wimbley. Linebacker was one spot the Browns desperately needed some help. Thankfully, it was addressed with at least one of the picks today.

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Overall, for the first two rounds, I’d say the Browns have made some pretty good (but probably not great) picks. They beefed up the offensive line, added depth to a depleted wide receiving corp, and brought in someone who can plug some holes on defense.

As it stands right now, the Browns still have four picks left in the draft (one in the 4th round, three in the 6th). All of the big name prospects will be gone by then. Those are the picks where we’ll really get to see how Kokinis & Mangini are at evaluating talent and potential.

Tags: Alex Mack, Brian Robiskie, David Veikune, Eric Mangini, football, George Kokinis, Mohamed Massaquoi, NFL draft

This entry was posted on Saturday, April 25th, 2009 at 10:26 pm and is filed under Cleveland Browns. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.