Making a trade with the Minnesota Vikings to move up one spot in the draft to #3, the Cleveland Browns made it very clear who they see as the future star of The Cleveland Browns, and that is Trent Richardson. In my opinion they made the best decision that they could have made in drafting RB Trent Richardson. Trent is a Star; He was by far the best player in the draft. Playing the RB position in the SEC a league filled with NFL stars Trent Dominated two years in a row. In the modern NFL where passing has taken precedence over a great running game, Trent brings back that old school football mentality to Cleveland. Running, Catching, Blocking, able to run you over and run around you. Jon Gruden said it best on ESPN,” Tackling Trent Richardson is a business decision”, and we know that the business of tackling in the NFL is not good. Too often we see players whiff at tackles and try to make the highlight hit instead of bringing the man down.
Now the defense will have a chance to rest and recover and give The Browns a fighting chance in the 4th quarter. We no longer have to be afraid to go into the 4th quarter with a lead because we can hand the ball off and finally have some ball control.
With the 22nd pick in the draft the Cleveland Browns stayed on the offense taking QB Brandon Weeden of Oklahoma State. Yes the Old guy. The QB who will turn 29 years old in his rookie year. The QB who will already be in his 30’s by the time he figures out the NFL game. No I don’t love this pick at all.
Can I live with it? Yes. What other choice do I have?
This is the overview of Weeden.
A QB, who can make all the throws, stands tall in the pocket and is smart. He can be accurate on throws when he sets his feet, but he does not pick up the blitz well. This could be a problem because he played mainly in the shotgun spread offense. Having to make quick reads while coming from under center and having less time to throw the ball are the things that he struggles with the most, and the things most needed in passing the ball in Cleveland. Weeden is coachable and can be coached up. The only issue is that you’re taking on a project that does not have the years to develop. Weeden must be thrown to the wolves in order to give him a chance to ever be successful. In the NFL the QB window is not long, just ask Colt.
I leave you with this Question.
Name a QB from the BIG 12 that has had success in the NFL in recent years?