Dawghouse Blog

In **Kamerion Wimbley**, a guy can dream about a pass rush. If he's half of what he's expected to be our defense will be improved. And teaming him with McGinest is downright exciting for 2006. I love the fact that he's a good guy to boot -- picking a jackass with the #12 pick, even if he's talented, is not a bargain I'd like the Browns to make.

But frankly the second-round pick of ILB **D'Quell Jackson** is what got me excited. Jackson is a great pick, and he stands to be a real asset to the defense. He's exactly the type of linebacker we need -- namely, one with an attitude. While Andra Davis is a mainstay, Jackson's fire will be a welcome addition. And you can pencil in McGinest, Jackson, Davis, and Wimbley as the starters from day one. I read a lot of "WTF?!?!" comments after the Jackson pick. But those posters are all wrong. The guy was a hugely productive college player and will continue to be. He was probably the ILB in the draft most ready to step in an play and he's now a Brown.

WR **Travis Wilson** in the third was a bit of a headscratcher initially but it makes a lot of sense. It also just seems like Savage rated this guy higher than your typical draft preview guide. Wilson sounds a bit like a young Joe Jurevicious and is obviously a good red-zone target. He's not particularly fast but he's relatively polished. I think the idea here is to give the offense another WR who Frye can count on. Northcutt, Jackson, and Cribbs all are athelticly impressive receivers but no one would describe any of them as "steady". Well hopefully Wilson is the fallback guy who seems to be the man in close.

The second day of the draft, however, I think the Browns cleaned up. You never know how these picks will pan out but Savage got guys who almost all met needs and have potential beyond their draft slot.

**Leon Williams** - ILB - special teams and backup. He's a project with a lot of athelticism but not a lot of college production, which is a bit contrary to the type of player I'd expect from Savage. I can only assume they thing he'll fit Crennel's defensive philosophy. Probably the one pick on the Day 2 that I don't quite get, but I'm looking forward to hearing the FO's desciption of this guy.

**Isaac Sowells** - T - Sounds like a legitimate prospect. I'm not going to pretend I know anything about him, other than what I read described him as a likely NFL caliber player. I'll take that. He's 324 pounds, which to me sounds like maybe he could wind up playing guard someday.

**Jerome Harrison** - RB - Are you kidding me? We get one of the better RB prospects in the fifth round, a guy who you can pencil in as the third down back if he proves to be a decent recevier. At the least, he presumes to be a nice change of pace to Droughns and insurance against Lee Suggs' injury proclivities. This kid seems like he should have been off the board sooner and he could wind up being a real steal.

**Demario Minter** - CB/S - Are you kidding me? Minter is up there among the best corners in this draft, and he sounds like a _perfect_ fit for our predominantly zone-coverage defense. He may not become a starter but he seems like a very good bet for a nickel-back. It's not too bad to get a dude in the 5th round who is so likely to contribute.

**Lawrence Vickers** - FB - A fullback who's a good runner and receiver. Scout.com ranks him as the best FB prospect in the draft (for what that's worth, which ain't much...). I doubt he'll threaten Terrell Smith's job, but he could be a good 4th running back because he could sub at FB and fill-in at HB when necessary. Harrison and Vickers mean that William Green's days as a Brown are over.

**Babatunde Oshinowo** - DT - I remember reading in the days prior to the draft some Watercooler's saying the Browns should pick this dude in the 3rd or 4th round. Well, the mid-6th sounds pretty good now. Oshinowo is, by most descriptions, a space clogger in the Ted Washington mode. A proto-typical nosetackle type of guy. He's not going to be making a lot of tackles but he'll occupy 1 or 2 blockers. He's definitely got the potential to replace Washiington in a couple years, and should get every chance to do it. The fact that Savage selected him with the pick acquired from the Ravens could be pretty sweet if Oshinowo pans out.

**Justin Hamilton** - DB - Hamilton is kind of a mystery guy who's hardly even listed in many drat previews. To be perfectly honest, it's a seventh round pick and I don't care. In the seventh you are just taking a guy cause you think you won't be able to sign him as a street free agent. It's a safe bet that the FO saw something in the dude. OBR reported that Hamilton had ben in for a pre-draft visit, so whatever the case, it appears the Browns did some homework on him.

Throughout a very long run I was rooting for both Ngata and Bunkley to be on the baord at #12, and was pumped when Witner went at #8. And as it turned out both guys plus Wimbley was there at 12 and it was clear the Browns would get their preferred guy. You can't ask for much more. I had literally just finished 20-freaking-miles and was collpased in exhaustion (and pain in a pool of Gatorade when the trade with the Ravens was announced and the Ravens selected Ngata. For three hours I'd been hoping we got that guy and was momentarily concerned. But only for a moment, because that moment also proved that we have a GM who doesn't draft scared and who had no problem picking up an extra pick for nothing. And the Browns got their guy. We don't ever know how Wimbley, Ngata or almost anyone will pan out, but we can judge one thing today -- the Browns FO had it together this weekend. That's a fundamental step and it's clearly been achieved.

• It's a joke that Lienert went #10. The guy is a proven winner and sould have gone much sooner. you mean to tell me the Packers, the Lions, the Bills, and the Raiders couldn't have benefited from Lienert? Give me a break. The Lions and Bills, in particular, are both fooling themselves.
• Jay Cutler is in a pretty sweet position in Denver. He should be the happiest dude in the draft.
• I think Broderick Bunkley is going to be a maiinstay for the Eagles. I guess he'll probably fit better there than in Cleveland.
• While good for the wallet, I don't see Dallas as being a good landing spot for Bobby Carpenter. That organization is messed up and will be until Parcells is gone.
• San Francisco had a great Day 1. Too bad they still have Alex Smith at QB.
• Someone needed to tell the Texans that they still need a freaking QB. The re-signing of David Carr will set back that franchise 4-5 years, easily. It doesn't matter how good Mario Williams is.
• People have compared Williams to Kearse and Peppers. Fair enough. But as good as those guys are, they both get shut down routinely. On the Texans defense it's hard to see Mario Williams being able to overcome offenses constantly scheming to take him out of the ballgame.
• I like the Steelers pick of Santonio Holmes because I always thought Holmes was a heck of a receiver and returner. Heck, last year it made no sense to me why Ginn was getting all the press -- didn't anyone see Holmes in '04? But the Steelers paid a steep price to move up and will really be banking that Holmes is the real deal. In hindsight you wonder if they could have had Holmes if they stayed put. They certainly could have gotten Chad Jackson, who at least some people think is as good a prospect.
• The Bengals continue to pick borderline head cases. Hope that works out for you Marvin.
• I'll join the Jets in commending their draft. This wasn't the year for the Jeets to get playmakers. But I wonder how Mangold is gonna stay healthy -- those knees don't look good with those massive braces. Are those purely for protective purposes? I hope so.
• Ditto for the conventional wisdom on the Bills -- Marv Levy seems like he's lost it. But the most damning thing is that even if all those DBs are good, they still won't be able to stop the run and they still don't have a QB. Thus, they will still suck.
• Even if Vince Young flames out, the Titans made the right choice. The guy could be very special and you have to take a shot.
• Of course, the jury will be out on the the Titan's selection of LenDale White. I love White as a runner, so he could really pay off. But he might increase the amount off-field drama in Tennessee to a prohibitively high level.
• And why are the Titans releasing Steve McNair? Wouldn't he be the perfect guy for a year or two? Heck, you can bank on him getting hurt so it's not like Vince Young won't get some valuable playing time in 06.
• The Ravens continue to sell their souls to the devil by selecting Haloti Ngata. Sure, he's a good prospect and I liked him as a Brown. But in the Ravens case they are placating Ray Lewis, who's pulled every childish stunt in the book this offseason to finagle more money, including demanding a trade, publicly complaining about the FO, dissing the coach who previous went to the mat for him over a possible _murder_ conviction, and in general grossly inflating his own on-the-field value. And apparently Ozzie needed to make him happy. Good luck with that. Next they will give him some more money, no doubt.
• That said, it wasn't like the Ravens had a bad draft. They didn't make flashy picks but they seemed to get guys who can make it onto the field.
• What was up with those short-lived rumors that the Browns would trade for Joey Harrington? That just seemed impossible. Why would any team trade for him without a contract agreement? And why would the Browns want him? I won't say he is completely without talent, but I don't see the atraction. And clearly his Lions teammates lost all confidence in him. A strange Sunday storyline to say the least. I guess it means the Browns view Dilfer as a guy they could possibly release if they get another guy in here they like. Personally, I'm very happy this didn't go down.
• The trade of Faine to the Saints was low3rd/high 4th value. Not bad. It's more than we got for Gerard Warren. The only question was whether the Browns really needed to pull tha trigger on that trade and whether Jackdon would have lasted another 7 picks. My vote -- it was a good decision and Jackson was not worth losing. I'll tell everyone who will listen that Jackson will be a real player for us.
• Didn't the Bengals need a tight end?
• After seeing what Savage managed to do with extra 4th, 5th, and 6th round picks I am not inclined to complain if the Browns trade away Suggs, Green or anyone else for what seems like modest compensation. It was nice to follow a Browns draft and not be scratching my head figuring out why the hell they picked certain guys in the late rounds.
• I think Chaun Thompson has been put on notice. He'll probably move inside now and maybe that will suit him well since he won't have to think so much. But that seems like an acknowledgement the browns have moved on to Plan B with Thompson because he still seems like a guy who should ba able to rush the passer.
• The depth chart got much better looking this weekend.