But tell me the last time a running back proved to be a difference-maker in the construction of a Super Bowl team (the answer is “years ago”). The Browns have the first overall pick but they also pick fourth. “Listen: Ki-Jana Carter was the first pick of the draft back in (’95)”.
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Here’s a look at the possible combinations of players the Browns could procure with those first two picks, in order of likelihood. Some say he has a clear preference for USC quarterback Sam Darnold. The names at the top are Sam Darnold, Josh Rosen, Josh Allen, and Baker Mayfield.
Dorsey was definitive on one thing: The process will be collaborative and the point is to get consensus within the organization.
Darnold excels at scrambling and keeping plays alive. Allen has potential, but it’s tough to fix accuracy.
Odds are that if this list was compiled only a few years later, Harrison Smith would be much higher. Allen said that, despite the seven visits, he had only one private workout.
Perhaps Allen goes first overall and makes all this moot. “For a month, I don’t listen to radio, I don’t watch TV and I don’t pick up the newspaper”. The best fit would be Barkley, a player many call the best pure football player in the draft. Barkley is that kind of back. 43 touchdown passes. 6 interceptions. The Bills take Leighton Vander Esch, teach him the position of middle linebacker in Sean McDermott’s system, and then hope he becomes the explosive, coverage-friendly athletic linebacker that the Bills’ defensive system craves at the middle linebacker position. According to multiple sources, the Browns are toying with the idea of picking a quarterback with both of those picks to give them a better chance of landing the right guy.
The New York Giants are said to love the idea of adding Barkley to their offense. In theory, this scenario could see Barkley become for the Browns what LeBron James became for the Cavaliers but, according to Sports Illustrated, Roc Nation – the entertainment company founded by Jay-Z – would prefer to see Barkley in NY, rather than head to Ohio.
Mayock praised Vea but wondered if he will rush the passer well enough to stay on the field as often as a 10th pick should.
There’s always a shocker or two on National Football League draft night, but this would be a surprise.
Darius Leonard, LB, S.C. State – Played at Lake View High School and two-time MEAC Defensive Player of Year and FCS All-American at S.C. State. And he’s not even saying that Big 12 players won’t succeed in the NFL.
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“He lost a lot of his better players after the ’16 season, and he was working with some new personnel at receiver and offensive line, and I think it affected him”.
