Cleveland Browns

Overview

The Cleveland Browns were an utter disaster on both sides of the ball last season and opened the season losing 11 of their first 12 games.  The team regrouped and closed the season with five straight wins coming largely against teams that had already quit playing for the most part.  The Browns currently own the 7th pick in the draft.

Assets

There is not a lot to be excited about personnel-wise on this team.

Running back Jerome Harrison was the team’s offensive MVP and provided the highlight of the season for the Browns when he ran for 286 yards and three touchdowns in a win against the Chiefs.  Harrison closed the season rushing for 561 yards and three touchdowns over the last three weeks of the season.

Joshua Cribbs is the most exciting player on the team and is carving out a name for himself as arguably one of the best kick returners in the history of the league.  He returned three kicks and a punt for touchdowns last year and on his career has returned 8 kicks and a pair of punts for scores.

After only three seasons left tackle Joe Thomas is already considered to be amongst the league’s elite at his position and he anchors a solid offensive line.

Mohamed Massaquoi averaged 18.4 yards per catch and showed flashes of his ability as a rookie.  Whether his low catch total is a result of mediocre quarterback play or not remains to be seen.

Defensively there is not a lot to be excited about in Cleveland.  Kamerion Wimbley has registered just 15.5 sacks in the three seasons since he logged 11 as a rookie.  He is a solid pass rusher.

D’Qwell Jackson is a quality ILB who registered 59 tackles in six games before going down to injury.

Eric Barton is another solid run stopper who lines up alongside Jackson in the 3-4 scheme.

Eric Wright is a solid corner back but nothing special as of yet.

Liabilities/Needs

The Browns have a long list of needs going into this off season.

First and foremost they need to decide whether the poor quarterback play was a result of Derek Anderson and Brady Quinn not being anything special or if it is due to a lack of talent for them to throw the ball to.  Anderson had a Pro Bowl season when he had a healthy and motivated trio of Braylon Edwards, Kellen Winslow, and Joe Jurevicius to throw the ball to.  The prevailing opinion seems to be that Mike Holmgren is wont to give either Anderson or Quinn another shot next season and make a decision on which direction to go after the 2010 season.

Massaquoi is a solid player but I am not sure he is ever going to be a lead receiver in the NFL.  He seems like a guy who is more suited to being a complimentary receiver in the NFL.  They need to add more talent and depth at the receiver position.

With Jamal Lewis retiring and James Davis’ status up in the air the team needs to add some depth at running back.

A pass catching tight end is also another huge need for the Browns.  Anderson and Quinn both loved throwing to Winslow and without him the passing game went in the toilet last season.

Like last off season the Browns are still in need of a game changer on defense.  Only the Redskins (17) forced fewer turnovers than Cleveland’s 19 last season.

The pass rush was solid but it lacks anyone teams have to game plan around.

Bottom Line

Unless Jimmy Clausen or Sam Bradford blows Holmgren away and are available when the team selects it seems unlikely the Browns will take a quarterback with the 7th pick.

In a draft heavy on defensive talent and with the Browns devoid of elite defensive talent look for them to grab the top defensive player on the board at seven.

If Georgia Tech’s Derrick Morgan is still on the board he seems like a no-brainer.  Morgan has the speed and athleticism to play off the edge in a 3-4 defensive front.

If not Morgan then look for the Browns to target Florida corner Joe Haden.  The Browns desperately need a shut down corner to match up against AFC North wideouts Chad Ochocinco, Derrick Mason, and Santonio Holmes.

If Oklahoma State receiver Dez Bryant wows teams at his workouts he would seem a logical choice as well.  After all if Holmgren wants to see Quinn or Anderson succeed giving them to tools to do so is a necessity.

Clemson’s C. J. Spiller is another guy who could end up in Cleveland.  The Browns are devoid of any real dynamic play-makers on offense and Spiller is considered to be the most explosive offensive weapon in this draft.

Look for the Browns to target either Ryan Matthews or Johnathan Dwyer in the second round, though it seems likely Dwyer will be a first round pick.  Mangini seems to prefer a power running game and with Lewis moving on they need to find someone to replace him.

Wide outs Arrelious Benn (Illinois) or Brandon LaFell (LSU) could also be options for the Browns with the 38th pick if Matthews or Dwyer are not available to them.

Mississippi’s Greg Hardy, once considered a top ten prospect, could be targeted in the second round as a possible pass rushing option.

If Aaron Hernandez (Florida) or Jermaine Gresham (Oklahoma) are available when the Browns select at 38 do not be surprised to see them grab one of those two to fill their need for a pass catching tight end.  Gresham is expected to come off the board by then, but, Hernandez is currently being targeted as a top of the second round prospect and could possibly still be there when the Browns select.

If they do not grab a TE in the first two rounds look for them to target someone like Ed Dickson (Oregon) or Dennis Pitta (BYU) in the third round.

Stanford running back Toby Gerhart is also another potential target for the Browns if he slips to them in the third round.