NFL Draft 2015: Cleveland Browns putting foundation in place
By Thomas Moore
Sep 14, 2013; Eugene, OR, USA; Oregon Ducks cornerback Ifo Ekpre-Olomu (14) before the game against the Tennessee Volunteers at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Olmos-USA TODAY Sports
Farmer and the Browns may have walked out with one of the top players in the draft in Ekpre-Olomu, who had a legitimate chance to be a first-round pick before tearing his ACL prior to last season’s Rose Bowl.
That injury pushed the cornerback from Oregon down into the lower end of the draft, where Farmer smartly scooped him up. Of course, that injury also raises questions of whether or not Ekpre-Olomu will ever be the same player he was prior to the injury.
“We definitely think the talent is there and there’s no better kid,” Farmer said in published reports. “We knew he was talented and could play, and he suffered an unfortunate injury and we’re confident that he’ll get healthy.”
While Ekpre-Olomu’s injury means the pick carries some risk, the reality is that any player selected after the fourth round is a risk. But with the Browns also drafting cornerback Charles Gaines to join Joe Haden, Justin Gilbert, K’Waun Williams and Pierre Desir on the roster, the Browns can afford to give Ekpre-Olomu an entire year to recover from his injury.
We understand it can be difficult to preach patience for a team where it seems like next year will never arrive, but a cornerback trio of Haden, Gilbert and a healthy Ekpre-Olomu could be worth waiting for.
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