Cleveland Browns: 2017 draft rankings show plan is working
By Joel W. Cade
The Browns have been on the right track
What can be gleaned from the Bleacher Report rankings? The most important information that can be harvested from this piece is that the seeds of success have been sowed over the past few years. The mythical narrative that general manager and “football guy” Dorsey rode in on Pegasus wielding Excalibur thwarting off the evil analytical administration and restore order to the football world is bogus.
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The reality is that the Browns are continuing the same rebuilding project they started a few years back. They have torn down the roster. They have lost games. They have stockpiled draft picks. They have made unusual deals that essentially bought draft picks with cap space. Everyone has seen the aftermath of the disaster that has brought on the football field.
Behind the scenes, Brown was secretly drafting extremely well. He was restocking, retooling and reloading the Browns for long term success. The rankings of the 2017 draft class shows that Brown and his analytical side kick Paul DePodesta set this team up for long term success.
But in the process, the Browns lost a lot of games. When a team loses a lot of games, somebody gets fired. That scapegoat was Brown.
Dorsey inherited a team ready to take a leap to the next level. He has done a masterful job of taking a roster with talent and putting together a team.
But he should not be credited with picking the team up off the scrap heap even if the record looks that way. This team had talent. The process of rebuilding the Browns has simply entered a new stage. And Dorsey is merely executing the next stage of same plan started two years ago under DePodesta and Brown.
Next: Way-too-early 2019 Browns mock draft
If he can put the final touches on the masterpiece, he will get credit for the whole project. But it would not have happened without the sacrifice of a few good men who did what needed to be done.