Cleveland Browns draft: New team, new identity
As the Cleveland Browns attempt to finally form a competent team, it seems that general manager John Dorsey had an agenda this year. This agenda could be boom or bust, but maybe it’s best to just have faith in Mr. Dorsey and the Browns.
Coming off of an 0-16 season is not easy. Just ask the 2008 Detroit Lions, who followed up their winless season by finishing 2-14 in 2009 and 6-10 in 2010. For years, the Lions wallowed in their incompetency because they had no identity as a team.
When the Lions finally began to win in 2011, it was for two main reasons. First, because they had finally added and retained talent. And secondly, because they knew who they were as a team and as an organization.
The 2011 Detroit Lions were a vertical offense team, built on the back of Calvin Johnson. Even though their defense wasn’t stellar, they could win games with their gunslinging passing offense. Throughout the course of a few drafts, they built their team to operate this way.
In essence, this is exactly what the Browns are doing, but not in the same way. Rather than an offensive or defensive philosophy, the Browns are building their team on a mentality. Simply put, this team is built to prove you wrong, embarrass you, and laugh in your face while they do it.
In 2018, the Browns draft could be described in one word: “nasty.” From top to bottom, the Browns selected a bunch of nasty, mean players, who are built to embarrass those who get in their way.
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Take, for example, the No. 1 overall pick. Baker Mayfield, throughout his tenure at Oklahoma, identified with an almost professional wrestling-esque attitude. On and off the field, Mayfield was always getting in his opponent’s face. Nine times out of ten, he was better than the competition, and he knew it, too.
Moving down the draft, the Browns selected the duo of Neveada tackle Austin Corbett and Georgia running back Nick Chubb at No. 33 and 35 overall. Corbett and Chubb possess a physicality and nasty edge that few other players in this draft class can match.
There are plenty of videos out there, such as this one, of Corbett absolutely destroying defenders during his time with the Nevada Wolfpack.
Additionally, Nick Chubb’s highlight reel is filled to the brim with stiff arms, nasty jukes, and just an overall angry running style. This angry style includes, but is not limited to, the time Chubb actually ran over a referee during a game.
Finally, let’s take a look at the Browns’ fifth-round pick, former Memphis linebacker Genard Avery. Avery’s Combine performance shows just how massive he truly is, in addition to being freakily athletic for his size. At 6-foot-1 and 255 pounds of pure muscle, it’s hard not to have a bit of a mean edge.
Avery, as well as filling out the middle linebacker corps with new teammate Joe Schobert, is the new “hulking brute” of the Browns defensive front. Cleveland can pride itself on their front seven, and Avery is just another puzzle piece for this quickly improving Browns defense.
Overall, the often-confusing Browns may finally have an identity after this weekend. John Dorsey wanted guys with both a chip on their shoulder and a will to be physical. Outside of that, the Browns wanted hard hitters and freaks of nature, such as Avery and sixth-round pick, Simeon Thomas.
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It’s hard to win football games when you don’t know who you are or what you stand for. Now that the Browns know exactly what they are, and they have a force and a trend uniting them, they should be able to finally get going. This team is young, hungry, and it will not be denied.