NFL Draft Grades: Cleveland Browns

Cleveland Browns 2008 Draft Picks:

Round 4 (104): Beau Bell, ILB, UNLV
Round 4 (111): Martin Rucker, TE, Missouri
Round 6 (190): Ahtyba Rubin, DT, Iowa State
Round 6 (191): Paul Hubbard, WR, Wisconsin
Round 7 (231): Alex Hall, DE, St Augustine

The Good: Even though the Browns didn't have a pick in the first three rounds, they added five players who all address current roster deficiencies. Beau Bell was considered one of the best inside linebackers in the country this fall, but he does have some medical issues that obviously scared off a lot of teams. Martin Rucker's presence could usher in more passing situations out of two-tight-end sets, something many teams in the league are moving to.

The Bad: It's tough to build a roster with Day-2-only selections, but general manager Phil Savage did pretty well with what he had, although Cleveland would've had a first-round pick if they hadn't traded it to Dallas for Brady Quinn a year ago. Quinn will be an NFL starter at some point in his career, but with Derek Anderson coming off a Pro Bowl season, the Browns could've used that pick to address other needs.

The Grade: C+. If you consider Corey Williams and Shaun Rogers the teams' second- and third-round picks -- which is what it cost to acquire them via trade -- the draft was a resounding success. If you're not a fan of watching three rounds go by without the team making a selection, you were less excited about how things played out.

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

4-28-2008 @ 11:10PM

Mr.G said...

Consider this - Browns 1st pick to Dallas (Felix Jones)-2nd pick to Green Bay (Brian Brohm)-3rd pick to Detroit (Andre Fluellen)Now instead of these lackluster picks,the Browns get Brady Quinn,Corey Williams and Shaun Rogers.Screw watching the draft.I'd rather watch the Browns with these impact players.And without Quinn already on board with a year under his belt,we would have had to draft a newbie backup QB (like Brohm)anyway.No way you can justify saying "the Browns could have used that pick to address other needs",when they would otherwise have NOTHING to backup Anderson.This team is now a contender,and still has it's 1st day picks for next year.

4-29-2008 @ 12:08AM

George B Vieto said...

The Browns just want to keep the nucleus to the game intact for their playoff hopes this year.

4-29-2008 @ 12:45AM

Hello George: Yes,they done that pretty well by signing their own Free Agents Derek Anderson and Jamal Lewis, along with their other FA backups (Sorensen,McKinney,Baxter).But they've gone way beyond that by trading for Williams and Rogers,plus signing Dante Stalworth.Potentially,their draft picks could be of great help as well.Beau Bell is a big rangy tackling machine and Rucker is very similar to K2.Rubin(prototype NT) and Hubbard(great size WR) add good depth at needed positions.This team may yet be a year away from big things,but boy,you gotta like what they've done in a short amount of time.

4-29-2008 @ 2:43AM

Browns Tickets said...

@ MR G good analysis. But we still have to see what Quinn does.

4-29-2008 @ 3:30AM

True enough,and thats why it was essential to re-sign Derek.No young QB is a lock to succeed in this league,but Quinn has not been rushed, and certainly has the mental and physical tools to have a good shot.