Cleveland Browns Draft Review

1st Round, Pick #21: Phil Taylor (DT Baylor)

Cleveland did a very nice job trading back and picking up a ton of picks later on, then trading back up to get the guy they really wanted. I'm not a huge Phil Tayor fan, but Cleveland did have a huge need for defensive line help, and Phil Taylor will immediately make them much better against stopping the run. He fits very nicely at nose tackle in their defensive scheme, as he is the anchor that front 7 of that defense.

Grade- B

2nd Round, Pick #37: Jabaal Sheard (DE Pittsburgh)

In 2010, the Browns were 25th in the league in sacks. If the Browns want to be successful defensively this year, they need to generate a pass rush. With new coach Pat Shurmur in town, the Browns will switch back to the 4-3, and to be their future edge rusher, they drafted Jabaal Sheard out of Pitt. This pick seems to be a bit of a reach for a need, where a team like Cleveland needs to draft best player available. Sheard was clearly not the best player on the board, even at the defensive end position with Da’Quan Bowers still available. Sheard also projected more as a 3-4 OLB throughout the draft process. Although this would not have been my pick if I was Cleveland, Sheard should start from day 1 with the lack of talent at DE.

Grade- C

2nd Round, Pick #59: Greg Little (WR North Carolina)

When you are citing Ben Watson, as your teams top playmaker, which coach Pat Shurmur did before the draft, you know your team desperately needs help. Colt McCoy had a solid rookie season, but it won’t get much better if he doesn’t have anybody to throw to. Greg Little missed the whole 2010 season due to an NCAA suspension, but really tore up the combine. He ran a 4.5, benched 225 27 times, and was just a physical freak. At 6,3 230, Little has the necessary size to go over the middle in the west coast offense. He doesn’t have elite speed, but with his big body and exceptional hands, it is almost a sure-thing he will come down with the ball. Hopefully for Cleveland, they have found Colt McCoy’s go-to guy.

Grade- A-

4th Round, Pick #102: Jordan Cameron (TE U.S.C)

As we had mentioned with the Browns pick of Greg Little, Cleveland is looking to add some pass catchers to their offense to help out Colt McCoy. Jordan Cameron is a former basketball player who has great range and hands to make plays. He has tremendous speed as well, and is one of the fastest tight ends in the class. Cameron is very raw, and is a risky pick, he needs to work on his blocking in order to be a full-time starter at TE, however, with the Browns in need of a pass catcher at TE, Cameron will have no trouble seeing the field.

Grade- B-

4th Round, Pick #124: Owen Marecic (FB Stanford)

Drafting a FB is a luxury in the eyes of most teams. The FB position has been drastically changed over the years, and most teams just keep a blocking TE on the roster to leadblock out of the backfield. With all of the needs the Browns have, it is unclear to me why they drafted Owen Marecic, the FB out of Stanford. Marecic is an incredible FB, however, he is not going to drastically change this Browns offense. As much as I like Marecic, this pick isn't the smartest, for a team that needs to be addressing positions that will help out this team, especially on the D-Line, they aren't in a position to be making luxury picks.

Grade- D

5th Round, Pick #137: Buster Skrine (CB Chattanooga)

After totally blowing their last pick, the Browns made up for it here by drafting Buster Skrine, the speedy CB out of Tennessee-Chattanooga. Cleveland’s secondary is actually looking to be a strong suit on their roster with 2010 rookies, Joe Haden and TJ Ward, and fourth year player, Eric Wright. Adding Skrine to this young secondary will really complete this defensive backfield for the future.

Grade- A

5th Round, Pick #150: Jason Pinkston (Tackle/Guard Pittsburgh)

While the Browns reached for several players in this draft, I feel they found a major steal, and great value here in Jason Pinkston. Pinkston is a very versatile offensive lineman with great run blocking ability. The RG and RT spots in Cleveland have been up in the air for anybody to grab in recent years, Pinkston could potentially come in as a rookie and grab one of those spots. Good player and good value, so this makes for a good grade.

Grade- A

7th Round, Pick #248: Eric Hagg (Safety Nebraska)

The Browns continued to bolster their secondary with the pick of Eric Hagg out of Nebraska. Hagg does not have elite speed or size, but he can provide solid play, especially out of nickel packages. The Browns have provided a lot of quality players and depth to this secondary, and it will definitely pay off in a league that has started to become more and more pass-oriented. Hagg may not be a flashy pick, but he may have the biggest impact of the remaining 7th rounders when the Browns picked.

Grade- A