In the first practice of his NFL career, Browns rookie Howard Wilson, a 4th round selection from Houston, fractured his patella and will miss “significant” time in 2017.
It is possible that Wilson will miss the entire 2017 season, but more will be known after he has surgery on the broken kneecap.
The Browns traded up to select Wilson as the 126th selection overall in last month’s draft in Philadelphia.
As more information becomes available, this article will be updated.
With the NFL Draft just a week away my positional rankings are finally set. Today I will post my offensive top five per position and they will soon be followed by my defensive top five.
Quarterback
Summary: Trubisky has held steady as my number one guy throughout the process, with Mahomes gaining fast. None of these guys should start in 2017, but with enough work, they could all be diamonds in the rough in just a few years.
Running Back
Summary: There is a lot of running back talent in this draft and who goes where will be based on what a team wants or needs. Fournette is my clear number one, with the human swiss army knife McCaffery not far behind. Mixon, if not for off of the field stupidity, would be near the top, almost side by side with Fournette.
Wide Receiver
Summary: Much like the running back position, the wide receiver spot is filled with players who can fill a variety of roles. Davis and Williams are neck and neck for my number one spot, but the big bodied Davis reminds me of (should be) hall of famer Terrell Owens. Samuel is the McCaffery of this group and can do a little bit of everything.
Tight End
Summary: Howard is my clear number one tight end. He can do everything you want at the tight end spot, including block. Njoku,Engram, and Hodges are basically big slot receivers who will line up at tight end from time to time but are weak blockers. Shaheen is a small school monster who showed that he can do a little bit of everything against weaker competition. He is definitely the wild card at this spot.
Offensive Tackle
Summary: Much like the QB spot, none of these guys are going to be great in 2017. Among them I believe Ramczyk has the best chance of becoming a good left tackle the soonest, with Bolles not far behind. Robinson, Johnson, and Garcia are all best suited at right tackle and may eventually move to guard.
Offensive Guard/Center
Summary: Lamp and Feeney are the clear top guard talent in this draft, with Lamp the only one I have a first round grade on. Elflein is the only center I have in my top 60 players (60). Though Pocic played center at LSU, I think he is best suited at guard in the NFL due to his 6’6″ height. Tall centers struggle in the NFL.
We are 44 days from the 2017 NFL Draft and with the Cleveland Browns holding the first pick, just about anything is possible. Over the next six and a half weeks I will be posting a mock draft each week. On alternating weeks, I will post an NFL mock draft and on the other weeks I will post a Browns only mock.
Today begins the first Browns only mock draft of the season here on OrangeandBrown365.com. With the Browns having zero picks after the sixth round, this will only be a six-round mock.
*Note: Fanspeak’s mock draft simulator was used for this along with Matt Miller’s Big Board
Round 1 Pick 1: EDGE Myles Garret, Texas A&M
Garrett is a pass rushing monster. A better prospect at this point in his career than Jadaveon Clowney was. There are very little guarantees in the draft, but Garrett just may be as close as you can get. Power, finesse, speed, agility, he is the total pass rushing package and will be a guy the Browns can plug in and play day one.
Round 1 Pick 12: QB Mitchell Trubisky, North Carolina
In my opinion Trubisky is the best quarterback in this draft with Patrick Mahomes following directly after. Trubisky has a blend of touch and power on his passes and his accurate in and out of the pocket. The former Mentor Cardinal is also a very good athlete and shows good escapability in the pocket. He will be able to handle the pressure of being the Browns QB, my only worry is if fans will be able to handle their own expectations.
Round 2 Pick 33: S Budda Baker, Washington
Baker is an instinctual athlete with a lot more power than it looks like his small frame can produce. He is smaller than you’d like a safety to be at 5’10” and just 195 pounds, but he is a centerfielder with heart who can also play in the slot.
Round 2 Pick 52: CB Adoree’ Jackson, USC
Jackson is an elite athlete who showed greatly improved ball skills and coverage in his final season as a USC Trojan. He can start out in the slot and work his way outside later in his career, while being a huge bonus on special teams as a return man.
Round 3 Pick 65: TE Evan Ingram, Ole Miss
An explosive athlete at tight end in the mold of Washington’s Jordan Reed. Ingram ran a 4.42 40-yard dash at the combine. He will be a chess piece for Hue Jackson to move around the field. He needs to get better at sitting in zone coverage, but manages to find himself open at all levels of the field in man.
Round 4 Pick 108: EDGE Tarell Basham, Ohio
Athletic and strong off of the edge, Basham has an NFL body at 6’4″ and 270 pounds and shows flashes of explosion. His stiffness and lack of a full arsenal of pass rush moves will allow him to slide here where he can be a steal for the Cleveland Browns.
Round 5 Pick 145: WR JuJu Smith-Schuster
Smith-Schuster has very good size and average speed for the WR position. He is a very aggressive target and has great body control. At this point in the draft Smith-Schuster would be a steal as he as all the talent and ability to be at worst a very good number two WR in the NFL.
Round 5 Pick 175: SS Delano Hill, Michigan
A perfect fit for a Greg Williams defense as Hill is aggressive and physical at the point of attack and loves to live near the line of scrimmage. His coverage skills leave something to be desired, but he does have the ability to become an average zone defender.
Round 5 Pick 181: DT Davon Godchaux, LSU
Godchaux is a space eater and will be a rotation guy who will probably rarely, if ever, get much of a pass rush. He has the ability to use his hands, leverage, and reaction times to fill the hole.
Round 6 Pick 185: LB Alex Anzalone, Florida
A very talented and fluid linebacker who just cannot seem to stay healthy. Anzalone can be a steal at this point in the draft or at minimum a guy who can help on special teams. If he can stay healthy, he could develop into a very good player, however, given his history that is a very big if.
Round 6 Pick 188: RB Donnel Pumphrey, San Diego State
A small (5’8″, 176 pounds) but very fluid runner with great agility. He is the all time leading rusher in NCAA history and has proven he is able to take a beating. His size will hurt him against NFL blitzers but his heart will help him in the run game.
***Dawg Biscuits is a daily rundown of thoughts, news, and opinions on the Cleveland Browns.***
On Monday the Cleveland Browns announced that they have claimed Tyvis Powell off of waivers from the Seattle Seahawks.
Powell, a 6’3″ 211 pound defensive back, went undrafted in the 2016 NFL Draft following an outstanding career as an Ohio State Buckeye.
Powell had 11 tackles and one interception for the Seahawks in the preseason, but was mainly a special teamer during the regular season and then was cut during the playoffs. Powell, who grew up in Bedford, Ohio is known as a diehard Browns fan by those who have covered him, will now have a chance to fulfill his dream of playing for his childhood team. He will also bring much needed depth to one of the weakest spots on the Browns current roster.
Earlier today, reports came out that the Browns have a very real interest in trading for Patriots quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. The 6’3″, 25 year-old, backup to Tom Brady is one of the more attractive options that could be available this offseason, so it should come as no surprise that the quarterback starved Browns would have an interest. However, in late January, with only rookie Cody Kessler, the ghost of RGIII, and veteran journeyman Josh McCown on the roster, expect the Browns to show interest in any and all available quarterbacks. In fact, don’t be surprised if they end up trading for a signal caller AND drafting one in April in the 2017 NFL Draft.
Armed with 5 picks in the top 65, the Browns will have plenty of options available to them to make moves as they attempt to find the guy who will lead this team into the future. In the coming months, you will hear the names Mitch Trubisky, Deshaun Watson, DeShone Kizer, Patrick Mahomes, and possibly Brad Kaaya in the NFL Draft and Garoppolo, AJ McCarron, as well as many others linked to the Browns.
If you are a fan of the Browns, as well as a fan of any of these guys, do not get your hopes up to soon. As this point there will be lots of smoke, but don’t expect fire until at least early March.
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.
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