Cleveland Browns again prove they are the laughingstock of the NFL.

[Guest]

What I find interesting is why they even went after a QB with #1. IMHO, part of what Cleveland really lacks is the support system. If that is the case, either :

1). Draft Chubb at #1 to complement Garrett, and then draft the best QB you can at #4.
2). Go Barkley at #1 to build up the offense, then draft the best QB you can at #4.

The only reason the strategies above don't work is if you only like 2 of the top QB. As long as you like 3 of them, you are guaranteed to get one of them, even if you go position player 1st. Even if you don't like 3, and only liked 2, then there was still a decent chance that you could get one, since I never thought the Giants were going to draft a QB.

I like Ward. He is a good prospect. Even a good 1st CB in the draft. I don't think he is a shutdown CB.

I think part of the reason they went quarterback is because of what's happened in the past two drafts. In 2016 they traded back from second overall and the Eagles drafted Carson Wentz, he's looking like an elite quarterback. In 2017 they used their first pick on Garrett instead of Trubisky, which no one can really blame them for, but at 12 they could have had Deshaun Watson but instead traded the pick to Houston and let them have him. So in consecutive drafts they have traded away picks that have turned into (potential) franchise quarterbacks and they have come away without landing franchise changing talent (2016 Corey Coleman, 2017 Jabrill Peppers). With that in mind they almost had to take a quarterback first overall to ensure that the Giants and Jets didn't select quarterbacks and result in them missing out again on a franchise quarterback. At least going Baker Mayfield first overall gave them the first quarterback off the board and they'll sink or swim with that pick. If it works, they've got their guy. If it doesn't and one of the others work out, it's another year the Browns messed up. Either way they needed to get a quarterback.

For me the pick they should have gone for is Chubb with the 4th pick. He could have been an ideal partner for Garrett. Granted they needed a corner but the way the draft fell they could have got a corner at the top of the second round. Josh Jackson ended up going to the Packers and other corners were available that have a lot of upside. So in hindsight that's the pick I'd change for them rather than quarterback first overall, however I would not have taken Baker first, he was the third QB of the four on my board. I had Rosen first and Darnold second, with Allen fourth. So I'd have taken Darnold for them because he could suit their conditions better, but that's just me.

With that said, they did the right thing passing on Barkley. I have no problem drafting a running back high but in a deep class there was better value to be had first and fourth than taking Barkley. There were enough good backs at the top of the second to take like Chubb, Guice, Jones etc to not warrant spending a high value pick on one. So they deserve credit for that in a sense unless Barkley becomes the next Adrian Peterson. At that point they might regret their first pick if that happens and Baker is a bust.

[bonehead]

What I find interesting is why they even went after a QB with #1. IMHO, part of what Cleveland really lacks is the support system. If that is the case, either :

1). Draft Chubb at #1 to complement Garrett, and then draft the best QB you can at #4.
2). Go Barkley at #1 to build up the offense, then draft the best QB you can at #4.

The only reason the strategies above don't work is if you only like 2 of the top QB. As long as you like 3 of them, you are guaranteed to get one of them, even if you go position player 1st. Even if you don't like 3, and only liked 2, then there was still a decent chance that you could get one, since I never thought the Giants were going to draft a QB.

I like Ward. He is a good prospect. Even a good 1st CB in the draft. I don't think he is a shutdown CB.

[Formula 21]

LOL, you always need the best pass rusher in the class. Always.

[bonehead]

LOL, you always need the best pass rusher in the class. Always.

Yeah they were plenty of solid corners later on in the draft but no one like Chubb

[foreigner]

Kevin Costner brought Black Panther to the Browns...

[bonehead]

[richpjr]

I'll wait and see how they actually play before coming to any conclusions.

[whookimane]

What I find interesting is why they even went after a QB with #1. IMHO, part of what Cleveland really lacks is the support system. If that is the case, either :

1). Draft Chubb at #1 to complement Garrett, and then draft the best QB you can at #4.
2). Go Barkley at #1 to build up the offense, then draft the best QB you can at #4.

The only reason the strategies above don't work is if you only like 2 of the top QB. As long as you like 3 of them, you are guaranteed to get one of them, even if you go position player 1st. Even if you don't like 3, and only liked 2, then there was still a decent chance that you could get one, since I never thought the Giants were going to draft a QB.

I like Ward. He is a good prospect. Even a good 1st CB in the draft. I don't think he is a shutdown CB.

This also assumes they not only like 3 of them but they also have nearly identical grades on all 3 that they like. When you have been without a franchise qb for as long as the browns have been I think at 1 overall you turn in the card with the QB you like the most. If they liked baker a little more than the other 2 they liked i think they made the right call i dont think they are in a position to get cute.

[chris9341]

a

This also assumes they not only like 3 of them but they also have nearly identical grades on all 3 that they like. When you have been without a franchise qb for as long as the browns have been I think at 1 overall you turn in the card with the QB you like the most. If they liked baker a little more than the other 2 they liked i think they made the right call i dont think they are in a position to get cute.

I agree with the picking either Chubb or Barkley at one and picking a QB at number 4 because I gaurantee you Mayfield would have still been on the board at that time.

[whookimane]

a

I agree with the picking either Chubb or Barkley at one and picking a QB at number 4 because I gaurantee you Mayfield would have still been on the board at that time.

I mean I personally would have went Darnold at 1 then Chubb/Barkley at 4 but there is no way to guarantee anything we dont know for sure if baker would have been there at 4. Someone could have came up to 2 for Baker or the Gmen or Jets could have picked him we will never know. If the Baker pick works out and he is their franchise qb i guarantee you not a single person will be criticizing that they picked him at 1 instead of risking him being there at 4. If baker was their best qb in draft i dont think you play with fire trying to get cute and letting him drop to 4. Ultimately we knew the jets were taking a QB and Chubb/Barkley would be there for them at 4 anyway and they choose to pass again on Chubb. Just because Chubb/Barkley were the elite guys to mel kiper and whoever else in the media doesnt mean the browns board looked the same. I think it would have been a huge mistake for the browns to say well just take whats left with qb at 4 overall and live with it. You can do that with other positions but not with QB in my opinion

[chris9341]

I mean I personally would have went Darnold at 1 then Chubb/Barkley at 4 but there is no way to guarantee anything we dont know for sure if baker would have been there at 4. Someone could have came up to 2 for Baker or the Gmen or Jets could have picked him we will never know. If the Baker pick works out and he is their franchise qb i guarantee you not a single person will be criticizing that they picked him at 1 instead of risking him being there at 4. If baker was their best qb in draft i dont think you play with fire trying to get cute and letting him drop to 4. Ultimately we knew the jets were taking a QB and Chubb/Barkley would be there for them at 4 anyway and they choose to pass again on Chubb. Just because Chubb/Barkley were the elite guys to mel kiper and whoever else in the media doesnt mean the browns board looked the same. I think it would have been a huge mistake for the browns to say well just take whats left with qb at 4 overall and live with it. You can do that with other positions but not with QB in my opinion

I see what your saying. Heres the thing on the field Mayfield a great QB but mentally I don't think he can lead this team. He has all the physical tools to be a great QB just like Ryan Leaf did and we all know what happened there. You know why Drew Brees is a great QB? It's because he has the mentality to lead his team. He does'nt have the strongest arm and he certainly isn't fast but he knows where a wr is going to be before he throws it. Getting back to Mayfield now if I was the GM of the Browns and I heard the comment that he didn't study the playbook of the Chargers then how do I know you actually studied the Browns playbook. Why is there this notion that you have to take a QB with the first pick? Especially when you had 2 of the top 4 picks in the draft?

[whookimane]

I see what your saying. Heres the thing on the field Mayfield a great QB but mentally I don't think he can lead this team. He has all the physical tools to be a great QB just like Ryan Leaf did and we all know what happened there. You know why Drew Brees is a great QB? It's because he has the mentality to lead his team. He does'nt have the strongest arm and he certainly isn't fast but he knows where a wr is going to be before he throws it. Getting back to Mayfield now if I was the GM of the Browns and I heard the comment that he didn't study the playbook of the Chargers then how do I know you actually studied the Browns playbook. Why is there this notion that you have to take a QB with the first pick? Especially when you had 2 of the top 4 picks in the draft?

I mean im not defending Baker going number 1. I was only defending the idea of taking the top qb on your board at number 1 opposed to taking the qb that is leftover at 4. I just think you take the guy you believe will be the best. If they had baker rated as a 95/100 and darnold and rosen at 90/100 i think you have to take baker at 1 you cant risk being left getting the guy you acknowledge is a worse qb prospect. It is the most important position in sports and they have been void of a good one for such a long time thats why i agreed with taking the qb at 1. I dont nessecarily think it should have been baker but just from a draft philsophy standpoint it makes sense to me and i think it was a good call

[chris9341]

Heres why I think the Browns took Mayfield with the first pick in the draft. That is because they knew they fucked up in the last two drafts not taking a QB with the 1st pick missing out on Carson Wentz and then missing out on Watson the following year. I think thats because of there history of drafting bust QB's I believe Johnny Manziel was the straw that broke the browns back and they got into this mind set for a few years of not taking a QB in the first round. It actually reminds me of the Chargers in 2000 when we had the first pick in the draft and Michael Vick was obvious number one pick that year and I'll be honest I was pissed when I heard that the chargers traded the number 1 pick to Atlanta in exchange for the number 5 pick and whatever else picks they had gotten. Ok the Chargers like the Browns did not want to take a QB because of what happened when they took Leaf. But when they took Tomlinson with the 5th pick in the first round I was so excited because I knew they had drafted a great player. I quickly got over them trading the first pick in the draft. IMO that right there was the greatest trade the Chargers ever made.