2021 Browns Draft Recap and Analysis
by connorrice26 | 4 years ago | 0 Comments
R1P6: WR Kasen Ali, Texas A&M (75 OVR, 23 yrs old) Grade: A-
Can’t argue with 97 speed baby! Though Ali is definitely a bit raw when it comes to the more technical aspects of the WR position (route running, awareness), he instantly provides the Browns offense a true deep threat at the WR2 position and will be a lethal second option behind OBJ. Do I dare say it? Push your safeties back… deeper…
R1P25: DT Shaquille Laws, USC (75 OVR, 21 yrs old) Grade: A
When you make a pick and immediately hear multiple people in your draft party groan in dismay (not with pleasure like a certain Cmass soundboard clip), you know you’ve struck gold. I have no clue how Laws fell to the 25th pick, but with 94 strength and decent block shedding stats he will be an instant starter on a D-line that hopes to rack up sacks on the outside and clog up interior running lanes. The age helps as well, as even with a normal dev trait Laws will be able to be developed for multiple seasons into a truly elite weapon.
R2P7: RB Nathan Richards, Iowa (74 OVR, 22 yrs old) Grade: B+
The good news: Star dev and very solid ball carrier and juke/spin stats give Richards a very strong base to work from as a rookie. The bad news: He’s only 89 speed, and until we get a couple speed upgrades (not hard to do apparently) his big-play ability will be severely limited and he will only be used as a situational runner. For where I got him I’m happy, but there’s a reason he dropped to me and at best he looks to be a backup behind Christopher Banyard.
R2P19: CB David Toler, TCU (68 OVR, 22 yrs old) Grade: C
This was a bit of a panic pick. It is what it is. The good thing is this secondary needed depth (drops off HARD after Ward/Greedy), but with well below-average coverage stats Toler is a prospect at best and will only be used in emergencies. He has the speed to keep up with most slot receivers, but any WR with decent route running’s gonna burn him.
R4P8: QB George Foreham, Utah (64 OVR, 22 yrs old) Grade: B-
To be completely honest, I could have done way worse. 92 THP already, his accuracy stats aren’t THAT bad, and I have faith in him to provide about 80% of what Matthew Stafford provides in case Stafford goes down. The fact is after Zach Bean no other QB’s in the draft class were viable as year-1 starters, but Foreham isn’t the worst out there by any stretch. For a round 4 pick, I’ll take it.
R4P19: LE Addison Lane, Purdue (69 OVR, 23 yrs old) Grade: B+
This draft was deeeeeeeeeep with edge rushers, and Addison Lane is another one of those solid players who probably shouldn’t have fallen to the mid-4th round. You don’t expect to get instant starters in the 4th round and Lane definitely isn’t one, but as a rotational piece he’s definitely not bad. With solid strength and power moves, he can look to get spot touches if one of Garrett or Von Miller go down (please god no). We needed the depth at the end of the day.
R5P19: LE Mike Durant, USC (67 OVR, 21 yrs old) Grade: B
Again, I cannot stress this enough: WE NEEDED THE DEPTH. Lane and Durant are damn near the same player (very similar FMV and PMV) but Lane wins out slightly on strength. Two unimpressive but potentially important picks depending on potential injury, but you’ll take unimpressive and potentially important in the 4th and 5th rounds.
R6P19: ROLB James Wilburn, Buffalo (66 OVR, 22 yrs old) Grade: C+
For having as solid an overall as he does (by 6th round standards) his coverage stats are ATROCIOUS and that’s mostly what we would use him for in Cleveland. This is the only player in the draft that I would say let me down when I took a deeper dive into his specific stats and attributes. Wilburn did not live up to the sleeper LB picks of the previous draft and will likely not see any meaningful playing time this season.
R7P19: DT Emmett Hicks, NC State (65 OVR, 24 yrs old) Grade: B
In a round littered with sub-60 OVR’s. Hicks was a welcome sight as a DT who won’t be a complete liability if he ever sees the field. Will he ever be anything more than a rotational piece? No. Is he a complete bum? Also no. Will you gladly take that with a mid-7th round pick? 100% of the time.
Overall grade: B+
We filled some holes today (OH DADDY) and completely changed the dynamic of our passing offense with the addition of Ali. The only thing I would do if I could run the draft back is to take one fewer d-line player and replace him with a depth OL piece (ideally swap out Mike Durant for now-Chief Troy Holloway) but for a draft that involved a lot of moving parts I’m extremely happy with how it went. It wasn’t a Payne-level GM performance, but for the Sanders family it turned out pretty well.