Five year returns from Cleveland Browns, AFC North drafts

John Dorsey’s 2018 and 2019 Drafts

The 2018 draft was special, supervised by John Dorsey, getting Baker Mayfield, Nick Chubb and Denzel Ward.   Chubb and Ward went to the Pro Bowl.  A lot of fans are out for Mayfield’s blood this off-season, but let’s give him a chance with a new coach. Mayfield was a record-setter in 2018.

Dorsey’s big whiff was supposed guard Austin Corbett, but did you know he started seven straight games with the Rams and did not miss a snap? Maybe that is on the coaching staff rather than the scouts.

To digress on this issue, the Browns coaching staff has a poor record in developing any offensive lineman after Joel Bitonio. Austin Reiter, Cam Erving, Mitchell Schwartz, Andrew Wylie, and Roderick Johnson all played better after leaving Cleveland. For much of the year, the Super-Bowl-bound Chiefs played with four ex-Browns on the offensive line last year, plus Emmanuel Ogbah on the defensive line for good measure. How can the Browns afford to supply the Super Bowl winner with five starting-caliber players?

Dorsey also drafted Antonio Callaway in the fourth round, which was a mistake. Callaway had talent, but could not play football and manage his personal issues at the same time. The Browns cut him when he got in trouble. If the policy is to ax players with problems if the problems surface, then the team needs to quit drafting troubled players.

John Manziel and Justin Gilbert should have taught the Browns that they do not have the ability to cause substance abuse issues to disappear. They are not better than other organizations at rehabbing these players, so quit jumping to the front of the line to draft them. Really, though if a single draft produced Baker Mayfield, Denzel Ward, and Nick Chubb, it was a good draft despite the other flubs.

In 2019 the Browns traded away their number one draft pick as part of the Odell Beckham, Jr. deal.  Hence, only Mack Wilson and Greedy Williams earned starting jobs. However, it is very possible that linebacker Sione Takitaki and safety Sheldrick Redwine from that draft could become starters this year or next.

John Dorsey was an astute judge of draft talent, though he discontinued the practice of investing in future draft picks and instead started trading them away. That’s okay if the team is winning and needs a little help for a Super Bowl run.

But trading away draft picks and spending down the salary cap while going 6-10 is a major problem. You cannot do that and also hire Freddie Kitchens the same year and expect to survive.