Cleveland Browns: The perpetual obsession with drafting skill players
Cleveland Browns fans continue to focus on the skill positions when the foundation of the team must be improved for those positions to matter.
There may be an alternate universe where offensive linemen are treated like royalty. Quarterbacks are an important part of the team, but the linemen are the ones in commercials and at Disney World.
But in this universe, Cleveland Browns fans continue to focus on the quarterback position as the most important of them all. At the same time, the other skill positions always seem to come up in conversation, even when the rest of the team must be improved.
A key example of this is the possibility of the Browns taking Leonard Fournette with the No. 12 overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. Some fans on social media and the airwaves love this idea, even though the Browns weren’t awful on the ground last season.
The focus on skill positions has doomed the Browns in the past, such as in 2012 when Trent Richardson and Brandon Weeden were taken with the two first-round selections. Or look at 2014 when Johnny Manziel was drafted along with Justin Gilbert, who turned out to be all hype.
For once, the Browns have enough draft capital to focus on both the offensive and defensive lines, while also being able to take one or two skill position players in the draft.
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This is not to advocate not taking a quarterback if the Browns deem him fit to lead this team, but reaching on a skill player is far less smart than taking a surefire lineman who can be here for years to come.
Because once the offensive line is fully constructed, the team won’t need an elite quarterback to reach the postseason. And once the defensive line is built, the offense won’t be playing catch-up all game.
The front office began this trend last season by taking several defensive and offensive linemen, but there were also four wide receivers taken. It is still early, but Corey Coleman seems to be the only one who has true star, or even starting, potential.
An ideal strategy would be to select as many linemen as possible, thus increasing the chances of finding capable starters instead of selecting one and hoping he turns out to be the next Joe Thomas. Successful scouting factors in to this plan, so it will be up to the front office to be smart and take the top prospects on both the offensive and defensive lines.
Drafting Myles Garrett with the No. 1 overall pick would start this process, and allow the Browns to build the team first before throwing yet another young quarterback out on the field to presumably fail.
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The Browns will ultimately need to acquire talented skill players to become a great team. But first, a foundation must be built to support those doing all the scoring. Failing to do that will only continue the cycle that has been alive since the team’s return in 1999.