Browns Draft

1st Round pick (7)- Joe Haden CB/ Florida 5′11″ 193
Cleveland had a need in the secondary. They attempted to adress it. Joe Haden was the top rank corner in the draft. Haden had four picks last year for the Gators, and 192 career tackles in his 3 year Florida collegiate career. The only question about Haden, who has abnormally long reach for his height, is his 40-times. Clocked at around 4.6, he plays much faster than his workout time. He will be starting opposite Eric “Easy E” Wright, hopefully, opening day. He will have to compete with last year starter Brandon McDonald and Sheldon Brown.

2nd Round pick (38)- T.J. Ward S/ Oregon 5′11″ 211
I didn’t agree with this pick early on. Not sure if I do now or not. But, safety was needed especially after the losses of Pool and Jones the last couple years. Ward has good work ethic and is a good run stopper. He only had 3 career interceptions in his 4 years at Oregon. He did have 98 tackles and 4 forced fumbles in 2008 for the Ducks. This pick may have been a reach, as he was projected to be around a 4th rounder, but this adds adequate depth to a Browns secondary that depended on Hank Poteat last year. Durability was an issue with Ward.

2nd Round pick (59)- Montario Hardesty RB/ Tennessee 6′0″ 225
Hardesty is a big powerful RB out of Tennessee. Who does that remind you of? He ran for 1345 yards and 13 TDs last year alone as a Volunteer. Hardesty runs upright and he will try to run through you, not around you. He has had a history of knee injuries, but this player greatly complements Jerome Harrison’s skill set. This also give the Browns great depth at RB with Davis, Hillis, and Jennings all still in the mix as well.

3rd Round pick (85)- Colt McCoy QB/ Texas 6′1″ 216
Who would have thought that McCoy would still be on the board at 85. I started to sweat a little bit when the Bengals picked at 84. They got McCoy’s college teammate and favorite collegiate target Jordan Shipley. I was disappointed when the Browns didn’t get him at 38, but someone (Holmgren, Heckert) knew what they were doing. I was shocked that he wasn’t selected in the 2nd by anyone, after throwing for 3521 yards 27 TDs and having a 147.4 QB passer rating. McCoy was a very successful leader at Texas with great agility, mobility, and arm strength. He doesn’t have the elite size you would want from a 1st rounder. But, that is what they said about Drew Brees.

3rd Round pick (92)- Shawn Lauvao OG/ Arizona State 6′3″ 315
Not considered to be a very gifted athelete. He could definitely compete as the starter for the Browns at the RG position. St. Clair and Womak will be in the mix for the Browns at the position as well. The left side is solidified and could Pashos and Lauvao be the starters opening day on the right? If not he certainly improves the teams depth at OG.

5th Round pick (150)- Larry Asante S/ Nebraska 6′0″ 212
Lets face it, the Browns had one of the worst secondaries in the league last year with the defense ranking at the bottom of the league in yards allowed. Thats what makes the focus of the secondary in this draft understandable. Larry Asante was nicknamed the ‘Assassin while at Nebraska for his big hitting. Asante will compete with Ward (teams 2nd rounder) and Abram Elam for time at the safety position. He was 1st Team all Big 12 in 2009 with 79 tackles, 2 ints, and 2 forced fumbles.

6th Round pick (177)- Carlton Mitchell WR/ South Florida 6′3″ 215
The wide receiver position was one the Browns definitely needed to address. I would have liked to see them do it earlier also and maybe have saved a pick from trading up to get Montario Hardesty. But, overall I am happy with the way the team improved the offense in the skill positons. Even though Mitchell played for 3 seasons in Tampa for USF, he is still considered to be an undeveloped talent. From the 07 to 09 seasons he caught 37, 28, and 40 balls respectively in his collegiate career. He runs a 4.46, but has also shown inconsistent hands. I look forward to seeing him compete for time with other Browns WRs like Chansi Stuckey, Syndrik Steptoe, Brian Robiskie, and Josh Cribbs. Hopefully he won’t be another Paul Hubbard or Travis Wilson, two receivers from Wisconsin and Oklahoma Cleveland drafted early in the past several years that never contributed (decision on Robiskie pending)

6th Round (186)- Clifton Geathers DE/ South Carolina 6′8″ 299
Geathers is raw. He left South Carolina a Junior and comes from a family with an athletic background. Clifton’s brother is Robert, a talented young DE himself for division rival Cincinnati. Geathers had 40 tackles, 3 sacks and 1 force fumble last year for the Game Cocks. The defensive line is still definitely a need position for Cleveland. Rogers is a great NT, but is facing federal gun charges and the DE position lacks big sack numbers from R.Smith and K.Coleman. There is a lack of depth at both positions, so hopefully Geathers can learn to get after the QB.