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| 2016 Browns Draftees Kessler, Shon Coleman, Nassib, Ogbah and Corey Coleman. |
To make a long story short, the Class of 2016 was not very strong. Corey Coleman was the top pick and was unimpressive his first year. He came into camp out of shape, had a couple good games but then got hurt and never made it all the way back. Now in the off season he's been involved in an off the field incident in which someone got assaulted. Yeah, yeah, it's not his fault, blah, blah, blah. Well, the Village Elliot is not impressed. Mr. Coleman did not do nearly enough to earn a spot at the top of the depth chart, except that everyone else was worse.
Emmanual Ogbah was the second pick and was very good at rushing the passer, but not a factor for run defense. At 269 pounds, he was simply not big enough to be a 3-4 lineman. Basically these days the 3-4 usually uses three guys over 300 plus pounds up front. Asking Ogbah as a rookie to give up 40 pounds against his opponents was ridiculous. A 4-3 defensive end is a better fit, or at least he's the right size.
Round 3 was the best one for the Browns. Carl Nassib, was one of the better players, though like Ogbah his vital statistics fit a 4-3 and not a 3-4. He looks like he could develop into a 4-3 defensive end on the left side.
The other Coleman, Shon was also taken in the third round and looked promising at right tackle. At 6-foot-6 and weighs 313 pounds, he deserves a long look. Finally the Browns got a good quarterback in Cody Kessler, also in Round 3. He did very well in a few games when he wasn't injured. Remember what Hue said: "I understand where everybody's coming from," Jackson said. "You gotta trust me on this one." So maybe this is the guy who needs to be at top of the depth chart, if not a Pro Bowler.
In Round 4, Pick 99: Joe Schobert, OLB was not outstanding. He was yet another guy that was undersized for an OLB, but he might be a fit for the Willie Linebacker, and probably a backup in 2017.
Also in Round 4, the Browns picked up a special teams ace in Ricardo Louis. He is fast and athletic but he doesn't catch the ball consistently enough to be a starting wide receiver. I think his real position should be defensive back to tell the truth, but he did make 18 catches for 205 yards, which is not bad for the Browns.
Derrick Kindred, S, showed signs of being a stud free safety last, but broke an ankle and wound up on IR. I believe he will be the starter in 2017.
I was against taking Seth DeValve, a WR with the size of a tight end. But the Browns used him as a pass catching tight end and he made a few sensational catches. You can call him a third WR or second TE or whatever, but I think he will get playing time in 2017.
Round 5 pick Jordan Payton is the guy who beat out Taylor Gabriel for the last receiver spot on the roster. Gabriel has gone on to star for Atlanta, while Payton was suspended for drug use. Maybe there is a reason that he dropped to the fifth round. I can't imagine he makes the team in 2017.
Spencer Drango was also taken in Round 5, and wound up filling in for Joel Bitonio at LG. He will have to improve a lot to keep his spot on the roster, after being part of a record setting awful pass blocking line.
Also in Round 5 was Rashard Higgins, WR, who caught 6 balls for 77 yards. That's not quite enough to justify a roster spot unless he improves a lot.
Trey Caldwell plays CB, which means if he had any ability at all he should have gotten playing time with the Browns. Since he didn't, he's probably a longshot for the 2017 roster. In Round 7, the Browns picked up linebacker Scooby Wright III, but he was eventually plucked off the reserve team roster by Arizona.
To summarize:
Zero stars, so far.
Probable regulars: Kessler, Ogbah, Nassib, Kindred, C. Coleman.
Zero stars, so far.
Probable regulars: Kessler, Ogbah, Nassib, Kindred, C. Coleman.
Developing players: Schobert, S Coleman, Devalve, Louis
On the bubble: Drango, Higgins, Caldwell, Payton
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