Courtesy: ClevelandBrowns.com
With the start of NFL training camp coming at the end of the month coming up I thought I’d do a quick write up about each of the Browns’ second-day draft picks. Why only the second day picks you ask? The answer is quite simple; we had already read or heard enough about first day picks Joe Thomas, Brady Quinn, and Eric “Eazy-E” Wright that…well, need I say more? I think we all get the idea.
Brandon McDonald – CB – MemphisHeading into the 2006 season, the Browns’ depth chart, as far as the corner position was concerned, appeared to feature a couple pretty good underrated starters in both Leigh Bodden and Gary Baxter along with original new-era Brown Daylon McCutcheon expected to play the nickel slot. However, there was danger due to the depth beyond those three was lacking in both talent and NFL experience.
What happened next was well…just like many seasons have in the new era for the team; injuries took hold early and often. All three of the above mentioned players went down faster than the main cast during the last hour of The Departed. Gary Baxter suffered a career threatening injury; Daylon McCutcheon never made it onto the field and was on IR before opening week; and Leigh Bodden just couldn’t shake those nagging ankle injuries all season. What resulted was a carousel of players getting playing time all season. Names like Therrion Fontenot, Michael Hawkins, Ralph Brown [!], Jerome Perry, and Daven Holley suddenly started to garner playing time. Of the above, only Holley really seemed to flash
some ability. What do you expect? Half of these guys were collecting your parking fees in the Muni-Lot last August after all!
Predictably, this of course leads us to the draft where the Browns addressed this situation by drafting two players to lend a hand in the secondary. The first pick was Eric Wright in the second round and the second being Memphis’ Brandon McDonald in the fifth round (140 overall).
Courtesy: U. of Memphis (file photo)
Brandon McDonald (5’10” – 180) is another of those “plays faster than his 40-time suggests” kind of guys (he’s been timed anywhere from 4.47 to 4.61). During his senior season at Memphis, Brandon was voted as the team’s defensive MVP while also named All-Conference-USA 2nd team. In just two years as a starter in division-1 (JUCO transfer), McDonald totaled 7 interceptions and 15 pass breakups. Another thing Brandon has going for him includes having both Steve McNair and Correll Buckhalter as cousins. What does this mean you ask? Potentially…everything or absolutely nothing is what I say.
Some strengths of McDonald include: a reputation as a reliable tackler, both adequate skills in both one-on-one and zone coverage, a very hard worker, and also experience as a safety. However, there are a few skills he needs to work on for the next level. Most notably those skills that he needs to improve include his ability to shed blocks during running plays as well as his overall durability.
Overall, the outlook for McDonald in 2007 and beyond may hinge on his ability to bulk up a little bit. Some believe that if he does so, he can have a brighter future in the league as a safety...or at least while playing against the run. In the meantime, McDonald could likely see some time this year in both nickel and dime packages. This pick was based solely on adding depth to the team’s secondary. A wise move considering McDonald’s potential versatility.
NFL comparison: a poor man’s Daylon McCutcheon
Read the complete post at http://kidcleveland.blogspot.com/2007/07/introducing-brandon-mcdonald.html