How can the Cleveland Browns draft NFL football players for team success? Should more focus be given to players drafted in mid-rounds?
By Karl Kimbrough, Guest Sports Columnist, Cleveland Urban News.Com
CLEVELAND, Ohio-The NFL draft has become such a huge theatrical event that in most cities across the country, including Cleveland where the Cleveland Browns are center stage, football fans are glued to their television sets to see who gets the potential star players. But should more focus be given to mid-round draft players since a team can not function on first and second round draftees alone?
Fans are mainly interested in those players who are projected to be drafted in the first round.
From February until draft day in April there is so much talk about the potential top 10 players that we feel as though we must have one. If we do not get one for our team then we have missed out on a prized talent that could take our team to another level.
A lot of the attention that is given to the draft is based on hype from the media and high grades or ratings given by draft gurus. However, this begs the question. Should we as NFL fans expect our team to be productive in finding quality, or even star players after the first round? The answer to that question is yes. This is how the vast majority of NFL teams have built their teams, with the good drafting. So the success and or failure of NFL teams rides heavily on the backs of general managers, their scouting team, and pro personal staff.
If first or even second round draft players made up all or a high percentage of the 22 players on offense and defense, it would take several years to build a team. As we look around the NFL several key starters and some star players were mid round and even low round ( 6th or 7th ) selections.
In the Browns AFC North Division for example, the Steelers and Ravens have key players which they drafted in the mid to low rounds. Wide receivers Mike Wallace and Antonio Brown were drafted in the third and sixth rounds respectively. None of the Steelers vaunted linebackers were first round picks. All pro La Marr Woodley was a second rounder and fellow pro bowler James Harrison was un-drafted out of Kent State. Quality starting corner backs Ike Taylor and William Gay were mid round selections out of little known Louisiana La fayette and Louisiana.
Also, the Steelers have made shrewd picks in the first round, first by choosing Rashard Mendenhall at the 23 pick in the 2008 NFL draft. And Mendenhall gave the Steelers another big bruising running back who is also elusive.
Unfortunately for Browns fans, Pittsburgh has been finding very good and even some great players in the mid and low rounds consistently and for decades.
The Baltimore Ravens have been competing with the Steelers for the top of the AFC North Division for the last 13 years. The Ravens have also won a Super Bowl in the 2000's as have the Steelers. Baltimore has had this success for many of the same reasons as Pittsburgh. For example, running back Ray Rice was the 55th player chosen in his draft year. Torey Smith their starting wide receiver last season was selected 58th in the 2011draft. Both of those players started their first years and are two of the better players at their position in the NFL.
Ravens starting corner back Lardarius Webb was the 88th player chosen in the 2009 draft. Terrence Cody Baltimore's starting defensive tackle was the 57th pick of 2010.
All of these Raven players were chosen after the 2001 Super Bowl team lost most of their starters. So how can Pittsburgh and Baltimore replace starting Super Bowl players and still continue to play at a high level when the Browns could not build one good team in 12 years. Well, they have supplemented their rosters with a few free agents like Anquan Bolden, but the main reason for continued success lies with the talented people selecting the players. Identifying talented players who can succeed at the NFL level is a talent in itself. Teams across the NFL that win consistently year after year like the Ravens, Steelers, Patriots, and Colts have very talented people making decisions on players.
The draft is not a roll of the dice as many think it to be. These teams have sound philosophies that they stick with in identifying players. The players they draft fit the profile or skill set requirements that winning teams desire. Even though the mid to low level pick may lack some desired quality their profile makes them worthy. Former Cleveland Brown tight end Ozzie Newsome almost instantly turned Baltimore into a winner in 1996. This was his first year as general manager. Ozzie drafted Jonathan Ogden, a physically dominating offensive lineman. Jonathan became arguably the best ever at his position. Later in the same draft he took Ray Lewis although he was a early round pick Ray was the 5th linebacker chosen in that draft. The four linebackers taken before him did not make an all star team, but as we know Ray Lewis could also be called the greatest middle linebacker ever.
Ozzie Newsome has continued to show why he is considered one of the best talent evaluators in the league. He can look at a college player and determine if his skill set can transfer to the NFL game with success in their scheme. Browns fans may remember how Ozzie orchestrated one of the biggest one sided trades in draft history. Again, unfortunately for Cleveland fans it was with the Browns. In the 2006 draft the Browns traded down with the Ravens and selected Kameron Wimbley and the Ravens took several time all pro Halati Ngata to anchor their defense. Baltimore and Pittsburgh along with New England continue to show how offenses and defenses should be built.
They all have physically and mentally tough offensive lines and defensive front sevens with athletic skill position players, and instinctively, cerebral players who are not afraid to work to be great.
These are other key qualities that very good and very great teams have as part of their player profile. Instinctive athletes are the ones who are usually play makers.
Reach Karl Kimbrough at kjkimbro@gmail.com.
Reach Cleveland Urban News.Com by email at editor@clevelandurbannews.com and by telephone at 216-659-0473.
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