Garrett Grayson: Browns Draft Profile

The Cleveland Browns season is over. We will spend a good amount of time reviewing the season but we will spend even more time preparing for the off-season. Browns 2015 NFL Draft seems ready to be a very interesting one for the team. With 10 picks, including two in the first round, the Browns are ready to make noise again for the second year in a row.

Instead the 2014 started off strong and ended with a thud. Last year the Browns draft included a big trade down and the drafting of Johnny Manziel. While the first round hasn’t panned out yet, the rest of the draft seems to be great. It is likely that GM Ray Farmer and Head Coach Mike Pettine see a greater need for more veteran talent on a very young roster and we expect them to be aggressive in seeking to bring in that talent during Browns free agency.

After free agency we wouldn’t be surprised if the Browns tried to trade their picks to move up, to get another veteran or went with best player available instead of drafting for need. Farmer did this last year when he drafted Joel Bitonio, Terrance West, Christian Kirksey and others instead of drafting a wide receiver. We could see that again.

In preparation for such we will be taking a look at certain players that we think the Browns could target. Keep in mind we are not saying that these are players they are targeting, although some rumors may start to leak of the Browns having interest in them, instead these are players that we think the Browns could or should have interest in. Our profile will try to include as much information as possible to prepare you for the NFL Draft.

Name

Garrett Grayson

Position

Quarterback

Height/Weight (Combine)

6’2”, 213 pounds

School

Colorado St.

Stats (Link)

2014 – 13 games, 420 passes attempted, 270 passes completed (64.3 Pct.), 4008 passing yards, 32 touchdowns and 7 interceptions.

2015 NFL Draft Range

Rounds 3-4 – Garret Grayson, the 2014 Mountain West Player of the Year, leaves Colorado St. as the leader in every major passing category, including yards, touchdowns, completions, attempts and completion percentage. His pass efficiency rating of 166.2 was good for fifth best in NCAA FBS, and it was the highest among Mountain West QB’s.

Last season, Grayson displayed “tremendous deep-ball touch and accuracy this season,” according to NFL.com. He “puts air under the ball and feathers throw into consistently catchable spots for receivers.” Not to mention “scouts love his toughness and improved poise in the pocket.”

Grayson also didn’t let the pass-rush affect his throws, as he is “willing to face down oncoming rusher(s) and take hit(s) in order to deliver the pass.” Furthermore, he “shows confidence to challenge safeties and will attack press-man cornerbacks over the top.” Grayson displayed an ability to improve each season, as his “production increased each season as a starter.”

However, Grayson does have some holes in his game.

"Grayson has a unique wind-up and delivery of the ball that could irk some scouts. His delivery is slower than most and he holds the ball further back, theoretically leaving it all the more vulnerable for defenders to slap away.He wasn’t often asked to drive the ball to the sidelines in CSU’s offense and shows only average velocity when doing so. Stares down his primary receiver, rather than quickly progressing through his reads and delivering the football. Has a tendency to wait until his receiver breaks before throwing, raising concerns about his willingness to throw with anticipation- CBSSports.com"

The most concerning thing about Grayson’s game is the fact that he stares down the primary receiver. Recently, the Browns drafted a QB by the name of Brandon Weeden who also suffered from the same problem. If you recall, Weeden consistently locked onto his first read rather than scanning the whole field, which allowed opposing secondaries to follow his eyes and anticipate his throws. This is a problem that Grayson must fix in order to have success at the next level.

Fit with the Browns

At 6-foot-2, Grayson possesses solid size for a QB. At Colorado St., Grayson worked under center, in the pistol and out of the shotgun, displaying solid versatility. When he is given time to step up and throw, Grayson has the ability to throw the home run pass downfield, a valuable asset to a Browns offense that often takes downfield shots coming out of play action in early downs. If Grayson is able to correctly progress through his reads at the next level, he could be a valuable player for the Browns.

Accuracy – Grayson displayed a great ability to place the ball where only his receivers could catch it. Whether it’s a deep cross or a wheel route, Grayson’s accuracy was impressive.

Deep Passing – Grayson displayed a keen ability to accurately air it out downfield, consistently giving his receivers catchable balls.

Browns Player Selection Could Impact

Johnny Manziel, Connor Shaw, Thaddeus Lewis – If the Browns decide to draft Grayson on day two of the NFL Draft, he would be seen as a developmental quarterback. This means that he would be back up to Manziel and Josh McCown. However, the addition of Grayson would more than likely mean either Shaw or Lewis gets the boot, as it would be hard to imagine the Browns keeping five quarterbacks on their roster. With the Browns coaching reportedly liking what they saw in Shaw’s limited action last year, it would make sense that Lewis would be the odd man out.

Priority