[Dawgstyle]

With Free Agency winding down and the NFL combine in the books, Pro Days and individual workouts are all that stand between us and the draft. While it seems like the #1 pick is a lock, the #12 pick (and beyond) are all over the place.

With that in mind, I’m going to see if we can take what we know and combine it with current trends in an effort to deliver maximum draft value for the Browns in the 2017 NFL draft.

Dawgstyle’s first 7 picks:

Pick #1: Myles Garrett – DE – Texas A&M

Notes: There’s Garrett, then there’s everyone else. The most dominant edge rusher in decades, Garrett has a combination of production and athleticism that is simply unmatched.

Pick # 12: O.J. Howard – TE – Alabama

Notes: With the big 3 Safeties off the board (Adams/Hooker/Peppers), the Browns look to add a play maker on offense. While WR could easily be the pick here, Howard is too much of a match up nightmare to pass up (see what value the Patriots and Packers have placed on the TE position recently).

Pick #33: Obi Melifonwu – S – Connecticut

Notes: While it is tempting to take a QB here, the SPread/Air Raid QBs, despite their skills and physical gifts, are still expected to take a while to develop. With safety still a glaring need, combine star Melifonwu’s size and athleticism make him too good to pass up at #33.

Pick #52: Patrick Mahomes – QB – Texas Tech

Notes: Air Raid QB. No other reason for this slide. He is what they wanted Manziel to be. The thing is, he is. Bigger frame, solid build and a cannon for an arm. I think the kid has the potential for greatness, but the combination of risk and a deep pool of talent to bolster the secondary means that the QBs are going to have to wait awhile.

Pick #65: Adam Shaheen – TE – Ashland

Notes: What the what!? Two tight ends in one draft? When you can get two tight ends like Howard and Shaheen, you betcha. We saw what Brady did with Gronk and Bennett, and at this point in the draft, no WR on the board is going to have the sort of potential that Shaheen will. The improved interior line combine with these behemoths on the ends means a much improved run game and production in the middle of the field.

Pick #108: Brad Kaaya – QB – Miami

Notes: Quite possibly the closest thing to an NFL ready QB in the draft. Just a year ago, Kaaya was being talked about as a potential first rounder. But a year into Richt’s pro style offense saw Kaaya thinking too much and producing too little. That said, Kaaya had a very strong showing at the combine and we need to double down at QB after drafting the risky (but talented) Mahomes.

Pick #145: Vince Biegel – LB – Wisconsin

Note: A difference maker when healthy, Biegel was the heart and soul of the WI defense. Production was limited this year due to injury (but check out the Penn State game), but he fits the mold of the smart, productive defensive player this regime (and Gregg Williams) values.

I can imagine I’ll get some slack over the two TE’s in this draft, especially with DeValve on the roster. However, DeValve was a bit of a “tweener” at Stanford, and I think Barnidge’s best days are behind him. Simply put, we need to score more points, and while Coleman and Britt aren’t the worst WR duo in history, they would benefit from having 2 potentially dominant tight ends in the middle of the field. It should also increase our red zone production.

So there it is.

818 mph. 13,723 feet. 3 second burn.
https://youtu.be/hy-3bb1Nqy0

[Shooter]

If we draft a tight end at 12 I’ll throw a brick through my television.

Mahomes isn’t going to drop to 52, there’s no way that happens.

I don’t care what Kaaya did at Miami, with Kessler last year that would be 3 QB’s taken in the draft in two years. I’m aware of the need for QB talent, but that’s borderline nonsensical. So is taking another TE right after him. We’re gonna draft 2 TE’s when we already have 1 Pro-bowl level player at that position and Delvalve already on the roster?

[Dawgstyle]

If we draft a tight end at 12 I’ll throw a brick through my television.

Elaborate. Why? Howard is considered to be one of the most talented prospects in this draft, capable of both stretching the field and producing over the middle. Some drafts have him going to the Titans at #5. Getting a top 5 talent at #12 is a good value.

Mahomes isn’t going to drop to 52, there’s no way that happens.

And Rodgers is going to be the #1 pick. Carr won’t make it out of the first round. Prescott went in the 4th. Wilson went in the third. Here’s the issue with Mahomes (who you know I’m a huge fan of), he played in the Air Raid. No QB from the Air Raid has ever had consistent success. Ever. Goff’s performance last year only reinforced doubts about QBs coming from that system. Mahomes is going to drop. 9 1/4 hands, Air Raid QB and he his mechanics are a mess. 1st round physical talent but 5th round system experience.

I don’t care what Kaaya did at Miami, with Kessler last year that would be 3 QB’s taken in the draft in two years. I’m aware of the need for QB talent, but that’s borderline nonsensical.

Except, it’s not. You’re advocating for “wait and see”, this regime needs to address the deficiencies with numbers, not hope. As the old saying goes, if you have 2 QBs, you don’t have 1. Do you really think Kessler or Osweiler are the answers at QB? I don’t, so what we did to get them is irrelevant. We need to do whatever it takes to get a franchise QB, including taking 2 in one draft if the situation presents itself.

So is taking another TE right after him. We’re gonna draft 2 TE’s when we already have 1 Pro-bowl level player at that position and Delvalve already on the roster?

Barnidge? He had a 1 year statistical anomaly that saw his targets reach an unprecedented level while the rest of his stats matched their historic averages. I bowled a 230 game once, that doesn’t make me a professional bowler.

DeValve, as has already been pointed out, was a “tweener” at Stanford that played receiver. Both Howard and Shaheen are signifigant upgrades at a very weak position group.

All that said, to each his own.

818 mph. 13,723 feet. 3 second burn.
https://youtu.be/hy-3bb1Nqy0

[BillWunkle]

I’m good with Howard at #12. Just didn’t understand taking two TE’s and two QB’s in the same draft. Obi Melifonwu would be a respectable selection at #33.

Am I going mad, or did the word THINK escape your lips? You were not hired for your brains, you hippopotamic landmass!

[Shooter]

Elaborate. Why?

First and foremost, it’s not a position of need. We have 2 solid if unspectacular players at the position right now. Yeah I get Barnidge is 44, but he’ll be fine, at least to hold down the fort well enough to fill other more pressing areas of need. I just in no way see it as an area of need. Certainly not to draft 2 of them. Yeesh.

Secondly, it’s not a position of value. Sure, a case can be made that a stellar tight end like a Gronk or Jimmy Graham (pre injury) makes an offense potent. But the reality is, it’s just not a necessity. If you’re an established team and that’s a spot you can upgrade and you feel can be a difference maker, sure, have at it. The Browns are not that team. Like, at all. Not by a longshot.

Thirdly……..not at 12. This team still has far too many holes at far too many places that requires far more attention than the Tight End position at 12. Specifically at QB. This is the spot where you roll your dice and take a guy. If Mitch Trubisky or DeSean Watson are still on the board at 12 and the Browns take Howard, the brick won’t go into my TV, it will go through it. It will go through my wall, and fly into my neighbors house and go through his TV. If they want to grab another TE, cool, fine, no problem. Do it in the 4th round round, but sweet Jesus not at 12.

Do you really think Kessler or Osweiler are the answers at QB?

Of course not. That’s why we need to/should/better draft one at 12.

We need to do whatever it takes to get a franchise QB, including taking 2 in one draft if the situation presents itself.

Well if you want to play the numbers game why not just draft 11 QB’s then? Someone would HAVE to emerge as the franchise saving face of the team from a group of 11, right?

[Dawgstyle]

Just didn’t understand taking two TE’s and two QB’s in the same draft.

So, the logic for both pairings was somewhat different. Let’s start with the tight ends.

Hue Jackson’s offense is known for a few things:
-Making pass plays downfield
-Power Running
-exotic sets that try to confuse the defense and cause mismatches

With Jermaine Gresham on the roster through 2014, the Bengals took Tyler Eifert in 2013.

From: How Hue Jackson…

Despite having four different starting tight ends in four seasons as a play caller, Jackson has given his tight ends a target share that would have ranked in the top 10 in 2015 in three of those seasons. In each of those seasons, the primary tight end accounted for at least 22 percent of their team’s red zone targets. Not only are those red zone targets especially valuable for tight ends, but they’re also hard to find.

It is my belief that Jackson likes not only the mismatches caused by athletic tight ends, but also their roles in the power run game. Having versatile TEs that can play inside or out gives Hue a lot of options in the red zone as well. Barnidge does not fit the bill of the TEs Hue has done well with in the past. When you consider what the Patriots did with Bennett and Gronk on the field (and what more they could have done if Gronk would have stayed healthy), I don’t think it’s a stretch to believe Hue could make the most of a Howard/Shaheen pairing.

As for the QB, there isn’t an Andrew Luck type prospect in the draft. Think Washington. High risk, potentially high reward Griffen III paired with lower risk, pro style vet Kirk Cousins. Now look at Mahomes/Kaaya. It’s a formula that has worked before. Addressing the QB with numbers is the lowest risk option.

818 mph. 13,723 feet. 3 second burn.
https://youtu.be/hy-3bb1Nqy0

[soup]

I agree with @shooter. Not a fan of the TE picks as it’s not a need. Not a fan of Mahomes either (I’m sure I’m an ouside on his, but “physical talent” that gets tinkered with at all = failure. If Bernie Kosar’s motion was changed out of college he’d have been a bust. Brady Quinn’s grip was changed and he became a bust. Happens time and time again. Working on minor things happens and is fine – but major overhauls are a waste of a draft pick and a surefire bust.

Freedom!!!

[Ice]

I’m not opposed to taking 2 QB’s in this draft. We’ve got room on the roster.

I don’t see us grabbing a TE at 12 no matter how dominant he is, because that is not a hugely important position in the sport. Honestly I see us going 100% defense in the first round. This is a great draft for defensive talent and we struggled on both sides of the ball. We’ve addressed offense in free agency (except QB) so I expect us to draft defense.

[Author]

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