Cleveland Browns: The benefits of building through the draft

The Cleveland Browns are doing the right thing by focusing on building the roster through the draft.

The Cleveland Browns selected 14 players in the 2016 NFL Draft as the new group in charge looks to make drastic changes to the misfortune surrounding this team since 1999.

The draft has been something fans in Cleveland always looked forward to, but something that also gave fans terrible flashbacks to busted picks that set the franchise back years.

The image of Trent Richardson walking across the stage in 2012, while so much talent remained in the green room, is enough to make fans cringe any time a running back’s name is discussed as a potential first-round pick.

Brandon Weeden and Johnny Manziel make the thought of putting too much stock in a quarterback feel like going to the dentist’s office knowing he is going to rip out your seemingly healthy tooth in the name of dental hygiene.

But the front office took a smarter approach this year. Those failed picks of the past were done to try to build the team through the draft, but too much focus was being put on individual players.

The approach this year was to avoid taking a supposed star player early in the draft, instead focusing on taking players who can help the team grow as a whole. The selection of Richardson and Weeden was done to try to fix the offense in Week 1, hoping both players would solve the team’s struggles by jump starting the offense.

Throwing a rookie quarterback and running back on the field is never a smart strategy, unless the team already has a strong group in place. That was not the case, thus the struggles ensued.

The new way of things began when the Browns traded out of the No. 2 overall pick, and then traded out of the No. 8 overall pick down to No. 15.

More from Dawg Pound Daily

If the Browns had stayed at No. 2 overall, Carson Wentz would have been there for the taking. But he never proved himself enough to the organization, so instead of taking a player they don’t believe in just because others say he will be good, the Browns traded down to acquire more picks that could turn in to more contributors on the team.

Turning one pick into several does more for this team, as no one player can come in and turn things around alone.

Just look at how the Brown selected four wide receivers, along with a tight end. The receiver position has been a major problem for the Browns since 1999. By taking four, and the tight end, the coaching staff has a great deal of options on who to put on the field. If some of the players from last year aren’t good enough, there are plenty of replacements available. If the Browns had only selected one receiver, and he turned out to be a bust, nothing would change and the receiver position would continue to be an issue.

There is no guarantee this new crop of draft picks will turn out to stars, but if just a few can become key components of this team, the process of rebuilding will be off to a great start heading into 2017.

Home/Browns News