First Impressions...
Look, I don't know that Joe Thomas will be a great player. But he will be good. And so will the Browns O-Line. How long has it been? I am quite happy.
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And Quinn too! Wow, that is something else ain't it? The price is steep -- 2nd rounder + next year's #1 pick. But c'mon, we get BOTH the guys the Browns were targeting at number 3? This is definitely a case where you maybe acknowledge the high price, but you also recognize that it was worth it.
I haven't been the biggest Quinn fan, but I do like him and am quite stoked to get him. He was the best bet at QB in this draft, which isn't a particularly good one for QBs.I'm reasonably confident he'll be a good to very good starting QB, and that was more than I could say about Russell. Plus he's a Browns fan. Really, what is not to like?
Hard-core Analysis (hehe, not...)
Thomas. Love it. This was the guy I wanted from the first day I started looking at the 2007 draft, and I strongly beleived he was the right pick at #3 EVEN IF a potentially better player at another position was going to be available. THe Browns O-line ahs been a problem of historic proportions over the last couple decades. And now, along with Eric Stenibech, that problem should be pretty much solved for years to come. That is huge.
Joe Thomas himself seems destined to be an excellent pass protector, and maybe just average in the running game. But that gives the Browns a chance to acquire one road-grader guard to complete a very formidable offensive line. Thomas should shutdown offosing defenses best pass rushers, and he should be particularly good against the fronts that the Steelers and Bengals will present. Not the sexy pick, but definitely the best pick. Sweet.
Quinn. The most-"ready" QB in the draft. He's got flaws -- hes not the most accurate and I think he gets happy feet at times -- but he is otherwise NFL-grade in all other facets. The thing I like about him the most is his confidence and competitiveness. I think he'll be the presence the Browns really need.
I expect Quinn to start in 2007. He's better than Frey on Day One and better than Anderson too. But if he sits, it won't be for more than half the season. And when he plays, the Browns will field their most promising collectioin of offensive players in many years.
What about the cost to trade up? It's steep. Very steep. But it's a little like buying a house -- you already pay more than you'd like to, and hopefully in a few years you look back and think, "We thought it was a huge price at the time, but in hindsight it was well worth it." You never know, but you have to plan for success. Otherwise you won't be sucessful.
Eric Wright. I am one of those fans who really dislikes willfully acquiring players who have character questions. Maybe I'm drinking the Kool-Aid, but I just don't feel too bad about picking up Wright. Certainly the issues around him are serious, and very uncool. But the reality seems complicated, and when balanced against where the Browns picked him I think it's a fair gamble to make.
A late second-round pick is much different than a first round one. You can't easily afford to miss on a first-rounder, both from a talent standpoint and from a financial standpoint. But in the second, the bonus money is not a crazy amount so the cost of a mistake is not gonna tank a team's salary cap.
As a player we have every reason to be excited about Wright. He's starting caliber and the team desperately needs a corner to replace Baxter. But past allegations of rape are a very serious matter. I think the key thing here is that the incident took place two years ago so there's two more years of behavior one which Wright can be judged. And in this case everyone in the know admits Wright has been something of a model citizen during that time.
So is he a hoodlum who's fooling everyone? Or a decent guy who screwed up? Post-draft Wright certainly sounded like a contrite young man. I'm with savage on this one and willing to give it a chance. This is the team's 3rd pick of the draft and would pay-off quite a bit if Wright is worthy of Savage's faith. So okay -- short leash, and we'll see how it goes. No doubt Wright must know he's gotta focus on football to make the most of his shot in the NFL. I'd like to think everyone's interests align on this one. And am optimistic that the Browns got a starting cornerback.
And you know, one side benefit of Roger Goodell's public policy to punish players more severely if they get into trouble is that players have much more incentive to stay out of trouble. The effect in this draft was for Wright to slide in the draft. But Goodell's policy means the probability that a "risky" player will turn around and get in trouble has almost certainly decreased.
No comment about the second-day picks. I just don't know the players and don't know what to say. I was happy to see some defensive linemen, but until seeing them in the preseason I'm just gonna assume they aren't going to contribute much. And if we get surprised, great.