President Mike Holmgren Calls First Round Trade “the Right Thing”

If you’re struggling with the notion that the Browns first round trade with the Atlanta Falcons was misguided, perhaps president Mike Holmgren’s endorsement will change your mind.

While he would have liked to draft a “home run hitter” in the first round of the 2011 NFL Draft, Holmgren praises the move in this Cleveland.com article:

"“It was absolutely the right thing to do for our team at this particular time,” Holmgren said at Saturday’s wrap-up press conference. “The trade was kind of an amazing trade when you count it up. Next year we’ve got a one and a four and it’s what we needed.”"

Holmgren certainly understands that the Browns’ biggest needs in this draft came down to depth. It wasn’t necessarily a matter of finding a big playmaker at a particular position, and even if it was going into the first round, there was no way the team could pass up the offer from the Falcons.

Opting to not draft Julio Jones with the sixth overall pick may even be a blessing in disguise for the Browns. Jones will always be compared to A.J. Green, as they are both top-ten wide receivers in the same draft class, meaning the pressure to succeed would be looming large, especially in Cleveland. The Browns would have loved to select Green, but they weren’t completely sold on Jones, and that doubt just isn’t worth the money that the team would have had to dish out to sign him.

Besides, Holmgren has also said that he thinks wide receiver Greg Little can be that home run hitter the team is searching for.