Tag Archives: NFL Draft Grades

WHAT DO THE NATIONAL WRITERS THINK OF THE BROWNS 2014 DRAFT?

Bleacher Report – (B+)

All the offseason tumult settled down for the Cleveland Browns, and Ray Farmer was left sitting in the general manager’s seat when the dust settled. He had plenty of work to do if he was going to turn the Browns from perennial pariah to contender anytime soon. He got off to a hot start in the first round.

The Browns made a great move to trade down, nabbing future first- and fourth-round picks from the Buffalo Bills to move down five spots. Then they pulled a bit of a head-scratcher to move up one spot and take cornerback Justin Gilbert out of Oklahoma State when it was unlikely the Minnesota Vikings would have selected him. Of course, the big news—at least out of the first day of the draft—was Farmer’s move to nab former Aggie Johnny Manziel, the most electrifying and polarizing quarterback in the draft.

The Browns announced season-ticket sales soared after the first round, which is proof positive that some players do sell tickets. The rest of the draft, however, was no picnic.

Just before the second round started, bombshell news broke that Josh Gordon is facing a yearlong suspension, per T.J. Quinn and Don Van Natta Jr. of ESPN.com. Speculation immediately sprung up that Cleveland would take a receiver or two. Instead, Farmer avoided the position altogether.

Outside of snagging talented small-school cornerback Pierre Desir out of Lindenwood, the rest of the draft was a letdown for Farmer and Browns fans.

 

SI.Com – (B+)

The first day of the draft may have been among the most exciting stretches in franchise history, what with a trade down and then two trades up, netting the Browns CB Justin Gilbert and QB Johnny Manziel. There was talent found after that, as well, namely versatile OL Joel Bitonio and CB Pierre Desir — the latter a remarkable value at No. 127 overall. RB Terrance West is a sleeper. But Desir was Cleveland’s final pick, and there was nary a receiver to be found among the previous five choices.

 

SBNation.com (B-)

The Browns were the story of the first day of the draft, trading three times in the first round. The Gilbert selection was the pick head coach Mike Pettine wanted. Manziel was likely the one general manager Ray Farmer and owner Jimmy Haslam wanted. Those picks give Cleveland some identity. But the Browns needed a wide receiver even before the news about Josh Gordon came out. To pass on the position was puzzling. There were some very good options when Kirksey was the pick in the third round. West is a perfect backup for Ben Tate. He wins with power running and vision. Desir has upside and will push Buster Skrine.

CBSSports.com (B-)

I loved the move to go up and get Johnny Manziel in the first, but why pass on receiver with the Josh Gordon situation? I don’t get that at all. They took a corner with their first first-round pick Justin Gilbert instead of a receiver. That drops the grade for me. They did get a 2015 first-round pick from Buffalo.

 

YahooSports.com (A)

Yahoo Sports Browns 2014 Draft

 

WalterFootball.com (C+)

Goals Entering the 2014 NFL Draft: The Browns haven’t made the playoffs since the 2002 season. They also haven’t had a franchise quarterback since their franchise reentered the NFL in 1999. It’s time for that to change. They have to find a signal-caller who can transform them into a perennial playoff contender. Otherwise, they need to find another offensive play-maker, upgrade the offensive line and bolster a couple of positions on the defense.

2014 NFL Draft Accomplishments: Cleveland’s draft is very difficult to grade. On one hand, the Johnny Manziel selection was excellent. No one would have been too upset if the team had taken him at No. 4, but being able to secure him with the second choice was brilliant. The Browns sold 2,000 season tickets within the first 48 hours, and their franchise was in the national discussion for the first time in more than a decade. Manziel is the play-making superstar Cleveland desperately needed.

On the other hand, what the hell are the Browns going to do at receiver in the wake of Josh Gordon’s impending suspension? They shouldn’t have taken Sammy Watkins at No. 4 because they were able to obtain a 2015 first-round choice in the process – another terrific move – but why not grab Marqise Lee at No. 35? How about moving up from No. 71 to obtain Allen Robinson, Davante Adams or Jordan Matthews? Or, what about Martavis Bryant, Donte Moncrief, Cody Latimer or Paul Richardson at other junctures? It’s impossible that the Browns didn’t like a single wideout in this loaded class. Other teams took receivers, so why didn’t Cleveland, considering the circumstances?

Again, this is a tough grade. I was ready to give the Browns an “A” after the first day, but they bombed the rest of the process. They found some nice players like Terrence West and Pierre Desir, but they’ve ensured that their rookie signal-caller will struggle because he won’t have anyone to throw to.

2014 NFL DRAFT – AFC NORTH 1ST ROUND GRADES

First Round

Pick #8     –   Browns   –          Justin Gilbert                –       Cornerback   –      Oklahoma St.

Pick #15  –    Steelers  –          Ryan Shazier                 –       Linebacker    –      Ohio St.

Pick #17  –    Ravens    –          C.J. Mosley                   –         Linebacker     –     Alabama

Pick #22  –    Browns    –         Johnny Manziel           –       Quarterback  –      Texas A&M

Pick #24  –    Bengals   –         Darqueze Dennard      –       Cornerback    –     Michigan St.

 

Browns (A)

First year General Manager Ray Farmer was wheeling and dealing his way through the first round and filled two huge needs for this year’s team at cornerback and quarterback, while also picking up a first round pick and a fourth round pick from the Bills in 2015. Gilbert was the best cornerback in this draft, while Manziel may not be the best QB in this draft, but he’s one of the best, and is by far the most polarizing figure in the entire draft. Owner Jimmy Haslam knows “Johnny Cleveland” will sell tickets and merchandise even if he sits the entire year and will bring young fans back to the Browns, which is extremely important to a franchise that was losing some of its fan base. Can he play and can his body withstand the punishment it will take at the NFL level? Only time will tell. But for a night, and on paper, the moves and picks the Browns made look very good.

Johnny Manziel Money Sign On Stage at NFL Draft

Steelers (B)

Kevin Colbert needed help at cornerback and wide receiver and instead went for a linebacker in the first round for the second year in a row (Jarvis Jones last year).  Shazier racked up a lot of tackles at Ohio State, but did so for a below average defense in a weak conference. Cornerbacks Darqueze Dennard and Jason Varrett were staring the Steelers in the face and Colbert passed on both for the 4th best linebacker in the draft. Shazier does fit the mold of linebackers who can get after the quarterback in the Burgh, but needs work against the run. Pittsburgh fans better hope Shazier impacts the team more than previously drafted Buckeyes Cameron Heyward and Mike Adams.

Ravens (B+)

It’s tough to question the birds G.M. Ozzie Newsome, so I’m not going to. The Ravens get a solid linebacker against the run, who plays from sideline to sideline and did so in the toughest conference in America, the SEC. Mosley is not a get after the quarterback linebacker like Shazier in Pittsburgh, but he’s a more complete, fundamentally sound linebacker who can quarterback the defense.

Bengals (A-)

Talk about a solid player falling into your lap, that’s exactly what happened to the Bengals with Dennard. Cincy was looking for help for their aging secondary and they got it with a tough, physical defensive back from Michigan St. At pick 24 it really couldn’t have worked out any better for Cincinnati, as they got in most people’s eyes, the second best cornerback in the draft late in the first round.

So overall the AFC North did very well in day one of the NFL Draft. Now it’s back to work for all of the G.M.’s to try and continue their roll in the 2nd round. The Browns will be up first with the 3rd pick in the second round and look for Cleveland to target a wide receiver and an offensive lineman. WR’s Marquise Lee and Allen Robinson are there as well as a pair of OL guys in Xavier Su’aFilo and Cyrus Kouandjio. They could also look at Ohio State running back Carlos Hyde. So plenty of options to pick from and impact the team even more. It must be fun to be Ray Farmer right now!