Browns earn high draft grades from national media
By Thomas Moore
The Cleveland Browns had a successful 2017 NFL Draft, according to the national media. Whether or not that translates to wins remains to be seen.
The Cleveland Browns may not have won much when it counted in 2016, but when it came to the 2017 NFL Draft they were big winners.
The Browns came out of the weekend with the draft’s top player in Texas A&M defensive end Myles Garrett, who is joined on a rapidly rebuilding defense by Michigan safety Jabrill Peppers, UNC-Charlotte defensive lineman Larry Ogunjobi and Houston cornerback Howard Wilson.
They also added a playmaker on offense in Miami tight end David Njoku, and while they didn’t necessarily get the quarterback, they did select a quarter in Notre Dame’s DeShone Kizer.
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The only real question mark from the weekend came in the sixth round with the selection of Florida defensive lineman Caleb Brantley, who is currently part of a criminal investigation after an altercation with a female.
All told the Browns selected 10 players and at least have of them – Garrett, Peppers, Ogunjobi, Wilson and Njoku – should be starters or significant contributors this fall. And if Kizer pays off down the road, a very solid draft suddenly becomes a franchise-altering draft.
As is the norm, executive vice president of football operations Sashi Brown said the team is happy with how the weekend went, according to clevelandbrowns.com:
"“For us, it was about trying to improve the roster and getting young guys who are competitive and that embody the values that we cherish in terms of the competitiveness and the toughness. We have some big, athletic men who are going to be joining our roster and are going to help us play a more physical brand of football. We are excited.”"
The Browns were excited about the draft and the fans were definitely excited (for the most part). But what about the national media, which hasn’t been very kind of the Browns in recent years?
Taking a quick spin around the national sites and it is refreshing to see that the Browns are receiving very positive reviews for their work during the 2017 NFL Draft. (And certainly better than what people are saying about the Chicago Bears.)
"The Browns entered the draft with two first-round picks and wound up making three on Thursday: DE/OLB Myles Garrett at No. 1 overall, followed by S Jabrill Peppers (No. 25, after a trade down) and TE David Njoku (No. 29, after a trade up). The Peppers and Njoku picks, without question, indicate Cleveland wants to stockpile athleticism, even at the expense of immediate returns. The pick that really swings this class, though, happened at 52, which is where Notre Dame QB DeShone Kizer landed. Hard to imagine the Browns thought he would be there when they passed on a QB several times earlier. DT Larry Ogunjobi (No. 65) and CB Howard Wilson (No. 126) are great picks for a rebuilding team—Wilson especially, because he has top-two corner upside. Using No. 185 on DT Caleb Brantley was a misstep, regardless of his talent. He recently was arrested for misdemeanor battery and accused of punching a woman."
"The Browns have cycled through quarterback after quarterback since their return to the league in 1999, and they have nothing to show for it because they’ve always reached at that one position and steadfastly refused to surround those quarterbacks with credible talent."
"The Browns’ new regime, however, is doing things differently. With three picks in the first round, including the first overall selection, Cleveland took players who can make impacts at other positions, and the Browns continued to do so down the line."
"The only ding I would give the Cleveland front office is the selection of Brantley, whose off-field stuff had the Browns saying that, when they’re done investigating, they may have to drop the player."
"The Cleveland Browns could have gone full Browns in the 2017 NFL draft by rushing a pick at quarterback and they didn’t. It was smart. The Browns stood at No. 1 and took the draft’s unquestioned best player in defensive end Myles Garrett. In Gregg Williams’ defense, he should be a superstar."
"Then the Browns did what they’re getting known to do by acquiring future assets by trading off No. 12 and moving to 25 and getting Jabrill Peppers. He’s extremely talented and could answer Cleveland’s problems at safety. Cleveland then jumped back into the first round to take tight end David Njoku. After releasing Gary Barnidge, the Browns will need to get production out of Njoku in a hurry."
"Then in the second round, the Browns got their quarterback in DeShone Kizer. He’s obviously talented, but he was wildly inconsistent at Notre Dame. If he doesn’t show a lot as a rookie, he shouldn’t stop Cleveland from taking a quarterback next year."
"Defensive lineman Larry Ogunjobi in the third round was a decent pick, but I thought this should have been a cornerback. Cleveland instead got one in the fourth round in Howard Wilson of Houston. The Browns then moved back up in the fifth round to get offensive tackle Roderick Johnson. He was once considered a first-round player, but his technique needs a lot of work. The pick of Caleb Brantley was strange. The Browns said if they’re not comfortable with him, he’ll be cut. Can a 1-15 team be afforded that type of luxury?"
"For all the criticism of the analytics crew in Cleveland, they had a heck of a draft. Aside from trading down to get Michigan’s Jabrill Peppers in the first round, they added a lot of really good players. They had a lot of picks and did some good things. They got the top player in the draft in Myles Garrett with the first pick, and then continued to do a nice job. Tight end David Njoku was a nice add with their third first-round pick. This draft, though, will be defined by how well second-round quarterback DeShone Kizer develops. If he is their starter for a long time, this will be a great draft. Right now, it’s a damn good one."
"Picking Myles Garrett as the difference-maker on defense made a world of sense. When looking at the second first-round pick, however, one has to remember that the Browns passed on Carson Wentz to acquire the pick. They did get an excellent safety in Jabrill Peppers. He’ll be a team leader for the Browns with the athleticism to handle nickel and safety. Njoku is a playmaker, and they picked up a 2018 first-round pick in a trade on Day 1. That’s a great night for Browns fans. Instead of picking a quarterback on Day 1, the Browns took a potential starter in the second round in DeShone Kizer. It’s a good long-term investment worthy of the pick."
This is the time of year when it is easy to be positive about the Browns. It is not until the games start in September that reality generally starts to set in.
But that doesn’t take away from what the Browns were able to accomplish over the weekend. It is a nice change to look at the draft picks and be able to see how the players can legitimately succeed, rather than everyone trying to talk themselves into a pick hopefully panning out, which was a common occurrence under Ray Farmer, Joe Banner and Mike Lombardi.
Next: DeShone Kizer does not need to start Week 1
The Browns didn’t win any games this weekend, but they definitely did some of the heavy lifting that should help them win games when it counts.
And for the first day in May, that’s not such a bad thing.