Category Archives: Draft

Browns, Draft, NFL

QB Search 2017: Player Profile Deshaun Watson

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*This is part six of a 10 part series where we will take a look at the Cleveland Browns options for the elusive quarterback of the future.

Name: Deshaun Watson

Height: 6’2″

Weight: 210 pounds

Throws: Right

School: Clemson

NFL Team: N/A

Draft Spot or Projection: Mid Round 1-Late Round 2

Strengths: Throws a catchable ball…can make all the necessary throws…has enough arm strength but won’t wow anyone…accuracy is solid…EXCELLENT character…great teammate…TRUE leader…average pocket presence…mobile….can be dual threat, but more of a pocket guy…confident in his abilities…hard worker…winner…comes into the draft with a lot of upside…plays it cool in the biggest moments…has incredible and unteachable intangibles…

Weaknesses: Needs to get bigger but think he has frame to add 20 pounds…ball placement is a big problem and led to many ball security (interceptions) issues even when his man won the one on one matchup…inaccurate at times…footwork needs to improve, throws high a lot…needs to work through his progressions better…stares down primary option…like many college kids has little experience under center…

Summary: Watson’s intangibles are off of the charts. He is a true leader who commands his huddle and can will his team to victory. Love his upside but there are many things he needs to work on. If he can improve his footwork and adjust to an NFL offense and being under center, he can continue winning at the next level. He will also need to add some weight. Overall, he is a coaches dream, as long as that coach wants to teach him and work with him a lot before sending him onto the field.

Up Next: Notre Dame QB DeShone Kizer

Previously: Texas Tech QB Pat Mahomes

Browns, Draft, NFL

QB Search 2017: Player Profile Pat Mahomes

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*This is part five of a 10 part series where we will take a look at the Cleveland Browns options for the elusive quarterback of the future.

Name: Patrick Mahomes II

Height: 6’3”

Weight: 215 pounds

Throws: Right

School: Texas Tech

NFL Team: N/A

Draft Spot or Projection: Round 1-2

strengths:  Incredible arm talent…shows great touch…possibly the strongest arm in the draft…accuracy has gotten better from his freshman year until now…great improvisation…stays in pocket even as things break down…delivers the ball from so many angles, but always with elite velocity behind it…probably the most fun quarterback to watch in 2017 draft…shows on field swagger…has unbelievable belief in his arm…can squeeze the ball into the tightest of windows, even with strange-looking mechanics at times…always looks for the big play…athletic…has everything you want in a quarterback that is absolutely uncoachable…

Weaknesses: Tendency to trust his arm too much…holds on to the ball while looking for the big play too often…comes from an air raid offense…needs to improve anticipation…mechanics go absolutely terrible at times, but with him it is a gift and a curse…may take a few years to fully develop while making his head coach go nuts…

Summary: Mahomes is a joy to watch. He could be the biggest value at quarterback in this draft because the sky is the ceiling if everything falls into place for this talented kid. He is either going to be Jay Cutler with Johnny Manziel’s improvisation ability or he will be the next Brett Favre.

Up Next: Clemson QB Deshaun Watson

Previously: North Carolina QB Mitch Trubisky

Draft, NFL

QB Search 2017: Player Profile Mitch Trubisky

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*This is part four of a 10 part series where we will take a look at the Cleveland Browns options for the elusive quarterback of the future.

Name: Mitch Trubisky

Height: 6’3”

Weight: 220 pounds

Throws: Right

School: North Carolina

NFL Team: N/A

Draft Spot or Projection: Top 15 overall

strengths:  Very accurate…throws a catchable ball…shows great anticipation…leader on the field and off…athletic and will surprise people at combine…throws with a strong base…solid mechanics…good velocity…great on short to intermediate routes, decent deep ball…goes through progressions well…looks off safety well…shows above average pocket presence, especially given minimal playing time…will only get better as he plays more…extremely coachable and smart, a true football loving gym rat.

Weaknesses: May not be as big as listed, want to see how tall he truly is at combine…velocity looks good on tape, need to see how hard he actually throws at combine. I like to see 56 mph or above from an elite QB prospect…has tendency to throw off back foot at times when rush in his face…limited playing time in college…

Summary: Trubisky looks the part of an elite quarterback prospect. The limited playing time does have me worried some, but the playing time he did have shows a quarterback with little weaknesses in his game. His ceiling might not be as high as some, but he is the safest of all of the quarterbacks in the 2017 draft and at worst will be an Andy Dalton or Alex Smith type quarterback.

Up Next: Texas Tech QB Pat Mahomes

Previously: Buffalo Bills QB Tyrod Taylor

Browns, Draft, Uncategorized

QB Search 2017: Player Profile Tyrod Taylor

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*This is part three of a 10 part series where we will take a look at the Cleveland Browns options for the elusive quarterback of the future.

Name: Tyrod Taylor

Height: 6’1″

Weight: 215 pounds

Throws: Right

School: Virginia Tech

Draft Spot or Projection: 6th Round 180th overall (2011)

Strenghths: Taylor is accurate…shows good anticipation…excellent movement in the pocket…keeps his eyes upfield while navigating the blitz…above average arm strength…solid velocity…a great competitor who feeds off of others doubting his abilities…believes in his abilities 110%…leader…hard worker…gym rat…extremely smart…athletic…

Weaknesses: Lacks NFL size…gets a lot of balls batted down at the line, but did improve on that during his second season as a starter…can telegraph throws at times…may believe too much in his abilities at times and will force throws…

Summary: If the Bills decide to cut Taylor because they owe him at least $27.5 million, teams will likely be all over the former Bills and Ravens quarterback. While he isn’t a top 10 guy, he is good enough to lead a team into the playoffs, but will only get as far as the talent around him will allow him.

Up Next: North Carolina QB Mitch Trubisky

Previously: Bengals QB AJ McCarron

Browns, Draft

QB Search 2017: Player Profile AJ McCarron

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*This is part two of a 10 part series where we will look at the Cleveland Browns options for the elusive quarterback of the future.

aj-mccarron
Bengals back up QB AJ McCarron

Name: AJ McCarron

Height: 6’3″

Weight: 22o pounds

Throws: Right

School: Alabama

NFL Team: Cincinnati Bengals

Draft Spot or Projection: 5th round, 164th overall (2014)

Strengths: Good size for an NFL QB…big hands…played in a pro style offense and makes NFL caliber reads…goes through progressions well…good short to intermediate accuracy in the pocket and also accurate while on the move…above average mechanics with smooth throwing motion…used to being under center from college offense…above average arm strength…takes care of the ball…smart…a leader on the field…prepares well.

Weaknesses: Struggles with the deep ball…not overly athletic…does not drive the ball at times, causing his receives to adjust a lot of times, putting them in awkward situations…had an amazing NFL caliber team around him in college, hard to tell how much was him and how much was the talent around him as far as wins and production…

Summary: When I wrote my original scouting report on McCarron I was stuck on how good his supporting cast was. Watching just McCarron’s mechanics and the way he works in the pocket, you can see a guy who has talent but is also a big product of the guys around him. In the NFL he can be an average starter, but will only get as far as the talent around him can help him.

Up next Part Three: Bills QB Tyrod Taylor

Part one: Jimmy Garoppolo

Browns, Draft

QB Search 2017: Player Profile Jimmy Garoppolo

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*This is the first part of a 10 part series where we will take a look at the Cleveland Browns options for the elusive quarterback of the future. 

jimmy-g

Name: Jimmy Garoppolo

Height: 6’2 1/4″

Weight: 225 pounds

Throws: Right

School: Eastern Illinois

NFL Team: New England Patriots

Draft Spot or Projection: 2nd round, 62nd overall (2014)

Strengths: Good, but not great size…Excellent usage of his eyes, scans the entire field…lightning fast release…accurate…smooth, natural delivery…good feet, helps evade pocket pressure, average pocket presence, resets himself after getting “happy feet” on occasions…very good ball placement…stays calm, leader on the field, does not show many ups and downs…executes his offense well…elite production at FCS school with 13,156 yards and 118 touchdowns…2013 Walter Payton Award winner…

Weaknesses: Velocity is not elite, but good enough…needs to continue to improve his decision making…deep ball accuracy issues…has tendency to go side arm at times…will take time to develop…holds the ball to long and needs to develop a better internal clock…gets happy feet when faced with pressure and does not show great form when forced to improvise…

Summary: When I wrote the original scouting report on Garoppolo in 2014, I saw him as a late second to early third round quarterback who would be an NFL starter if given the time to develop. After sitting behind Brady and working with Bill Belichick and Josh McDaniels over the past three seasons, he has been given the proper time to develop and has been taught by some of the best ever. If Garoppolo was in the 2017 draft with his current skill set, shown in minimal NFL playing time, I truly believe he would he would be a first round pick.

Up next: Bengals QB A.J. McCarron

Draft

NFL Draft: Five Possible Guys for Browns at the Senior Bowl

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One benefit of coming off a 1-15 season, if there is one, is the fact that the Cleveland Browns coaching staff will have a chance to coach incoming college seniors in the Reese’s Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama.

Head coach Hue Jackson and his staff will have hands on interaction with the South roster but also will be able to meet with North roster, something that can reap massive benefits going forward as they attempt to turn around the Browns franchise. With tons of holes on a young roster, the team will be able to select the best player available throughout the draft.

Most of the players in the Senior Bowl will be day two or three picks in the 2017 Draft. Here are ten guys to keep an eye on for the orange and brown.

Damontae Kazee, CB, San Diego State

Kazee plays with a chip on his shoulder and always seems like he has something to prove. This was especially evident in Mobile. He competes and will work as hard as anyone, he also has quick feet and is someone the Browns could take a flyer on in round 4-6.

Obi Melifonwu, S, UConn

Melifonwu is a big safety at 6’4″ and 219 pounds. He has very good range in the middle of the field and also has the ability to cover tight ends and big wideouts and cause matchup nightmares with his size. He is one of the guys I cannot wait to see at the scouting combine at the end of February. Expect him to be taken anywhere between rounds 2-4.

Dalvin Tomlinson, DT, Alabama

Tomlinson looked unblockable at times in the Senior Bowl practices. He is a solid run stuffer and looks to be pro ready. I could see the Browns lining him up next to Danny Shelton in between Emmanuel Ogbah and possibly number one overall pick Myles Garrett to give the orange and brown an exciting young defensive line. He could go anywhere from round three to late in round four in my opinion.

Ethan Pocic, C, LSU

At 6’7″ Pocic is a skyscraper at center, but he is also a very talented guy that could help solidify the interior of the Browns offensive line, where Cam Erving struggled much of the year before being sent to right tackle in the season finale. Pocic has the ability to start day one and could allow the Browns to keep Erving at right tackle. Pocic has the ability to be an early pick but could fall as low as early round 4 due to inconsistencies at times as a Tiger.

Jourdan Lewis, CB, Michigan

At 5’9″ and 170 pounds, Lewis is a bit small to be an outside corner in the NFL, but he has more than enough skills to make up for it. In the mold of Jason Verrett, Lewis can be an outstanding corner in the league and is one of my favorite players in the draft. If it wasn’t for his smaller stature he would be a day one pick in my opinion, but I expect him to go somewhere on day two.