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Team Draft Report: Cleveland Browns (Updated)

Team Draft Report: Cleveland Browns (Updated)
The 2016 NFL Draft will be the first step for the new Browns' regime

The 2016 NFL Draft will be the first step for the new Browns’ regime

Unfortunately for the fine folks of Cleveland, the 2015 Browns’ season turned out to be the worst kind of typical. A 3-13 record, a last-place finish in the AFC North, a coaching change, and an uncertain quarterback situation plague the Dawg Pound yet again, and free agency saw the Browns subtract much more than they added. Alex Mack, Mitchell Schwartz, Karlos Dansby and Travis Benjamin will all play elsewhere in 2016. Though, to be fair, in the greatest addition-by-subtraction move of the offseason, Johnny Manziel will be elsewhere as well.

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More than winning football games, the Browns will look to establish the continuity that has eluded them for so long. This will be a long rebuild, and the sadness won’t stop if the reset button is hit every year or two. But who knows? Maybe this will be the regime that will turn it around. Before we get to the next attempt, let’s look at the final draft picks of the Ray Farmer era.

2015 Draft Picks

  • Round 1, Pick 12: Danny Shelton (DT – Washington)
  • Round 1, Pick 19: Cameron Erving (G/C – Florida State)
  • Round 2, Pick 19 (51): Nate Orchard (OLB – Utah)
  • Round 3, Pick 13 (77): Duke Johnson (RB – Miami FL)
  • Round 3, Pick 32 (96): Xavier Cooper (DT – Washington State)
  • Round 4, Pick 16 (115): Ibraheim Campbell (S – Northwestern)
  • Round 4, Pick 24 (123): Vince Mayle (WR – Washington State)
  • Round 6, Pick 13 (189): Charles Gaines (CB – Louisville)
  • Round 6, Pick 19 (195): Malcolm Johnson (TE – Mississippi State)
  • Round 6, Pick 22 (198): Randall Telfer (TE – Southern California)
  • Round 7, Pick 2 (219): Hayes Pullard (ILB – Southern California)
  • Round 7, Pick 24 (241): Ifo Ekpre-Olomu (CB – Oregon)

Danny Shelton was a serviceable run defender, while it was a tough season for Cameron Erving. Erving should replace the departed Alex Mack, but he’ll have to show a good deal of improvement if he wants to stick around. It’s obviously not a good thing if this was your most memorable play of the season.

Outside of Duke Johnson, who has the potential to be a PPR stud, there wasn’t much noise made by the 2015 class. Nate Orchard was an average pass rusher in his first season. According to Pro Football Focus, Xavier Cooper was the worst interior defender in the league in 2015. Malcolm Johnson switched to fullback, while Randall Telfer and Charles Gaines both struggled with injuries. Ibraheim Campbell will get a shot to replace Donte Whitner, who was released. Vince Mayle (Dallas), Hayes Pullard (Jacksonville), and Ifo Ekpre-Olomu (Miami) are no longer with the Browns.

2016 Draft Picks

The Browns had all of their original draft picks until their blockbuster trade with the Eagles. While they no longer have the second overall pick, they’ll still have a top 10 pick plus additional choices in the third and fourth rounds. They also picked up a compensatory pick in the fourth round, plus two more in the fifth. Like last season, the Browns now have 12 picks.

  • Round 1, Pick 8**
  • Round 2, Pick 1 (32)
  • Round 3, Pick 2 (65)
  • Round 3, Pick 14 (77)**
  • Round 4, Picks 1 (99) & 2 (100)** & 40 (138)*
  • Round 5, Picks 2 (141) & 35 (172)* & 36 (173)*
  • Round 6, Pick 1 (176)
  • Round 7, Pick 2 (223)

*compensatory picks

**from Philadelphia

Top Draft Needs

Quarterback
The Browns did manage to sign Robert Griffin III, but his tailspin in Washington won’t inspire complete confidence from Browns’ management. Cleveland will no doubt add another name to the jersey, and they may do so as early as second overall. Their plan may very well have been derailed by the Rams, though. The Titans were no threat to select a quarterback, leaving Cleveland with their first choice. If the Rams take Cleveland’s guy, it may be best to wait. Look no further than the first 15 picks of 2011 to see the dangers of reaching for a quarterback in the first round. While there won’t be a new rookie franchise quarterback in Cleveland this season, it’s still their most glaring need unless Griffin reverts to his 2012 glory days.

First-Round Fit: No One
Jared Goff and Carson Wentz will be long gone, so no quarterbacks will be taken here unless the Browns decide to shock everyone. Look for the Browns to address one of their other needs.

Day-Two Pick: Paxton Lynch (Memphis) or Connor Cook (Michigan State)
Should Cleveland decide to address another need in the first round, it’s possible either Lynch or Cook will still be around at the top of the second. Lynch looks the part, but he ran a screen-heavy offense in college, so it’s fair to wonder if he’ll struggle picking up an NFL system. Cook is also a gamble because he has roughly an equal amount of bad and good game tape.

Deeper Selection: Cardale Jones (Ohio State)
Hey, why not? They already have Terrelle Pryor. Drafting Jones as a developmental prospect would make sense with Hue Jackson as head coach. Plus, Cleveland fans will need new jerseys to buy after they finish dropping their Manziel ones off at Goodwill.

Wide Receiver
Travis Benjamin is gone and Josh Gordon can’t stay out of trouble. Cleveland will need someone besides Gary Barnidge to catch passes from Griffin or any quarterback they decide to draft. The most dynamic weapons on the Browns’ roster right now are Barnidge, Duke Johnson and Isaiah Crowell. That needs to change at some point. If Cleveland’s number one wide receiver is still Brian Hartline when training camp starts, the 2016 season will be a long one.

First-Round Fit: Laquon Treadwell (Mississippi)
Now that the Browns have traded down, a first-round wide receiver is possible. Treadwell is considered by most to be the top receiver in this class, but he’s not on the same level as other top receiver prospects like Calvin Johnson or Julio Jones. Corey Coleman’s stock has been on the rise as well, though picking him in the top 10 would be a bit of a reach.

Day-Two Pick: Sterling Shepard (Oklahoma)
Shepard is the kind of slot weapon that would be helpful for a young quarterback. He’s small, but he doesn’t drop passes and could be the reliable offensive weapon the Browns are missing. Shepard could be a huge PPR asset if he goes to a team where he’ll play right away.

Deeper Selection: Braxton Miller (Ohio State)
Miller is a raw athlete who hasn’t been a receiver for very long, but it’s not like the Browns would need him to step in right away. Cleveland is drafting for the future, and Miller arguably has the most upside of any receiver in this class. He needs time, and the Browns have it. Shepard would help right away, but Miller could be the future of Cleveland’s receiving corps.

Late-Round Fliers
The Browns have needs pretty much everywhere, so they can’t go wrong taking the best player available regardless of position. However, they would do well to address the offensive line after losing Mack and Schwartz, especially if the new regime isn’t sold on Erving. Graham Glasgow of Michigan has turned some heads throughout the draft process and would be an intriguing mid to late-round pick.

They may need some help at left tackle as well. The Browns said they won’t trade Joe Thomas, but the Rams also said Case Keenum was their starter. Teams lie all the time. If the Browns get a good offer for Thomas (who they almost traded to Denver last season) they could take Ronnie Stanley of Notre Dame in the first round or target someone like Jason Spriggs of Indiana later in the draft. There’s still plenty of time for the Browns to make a splash.

Derek Norton is a correspondent at FantasyPros. To read more from Derek, visit his archive, follow him on Twitter @mdereknorton, or visit his website, Sports Monocle.

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