Living in Pac country, Ward was a big name before his injury. He was the guy people said, "Is he BETTER than Taylor Mays?" It was tough not to see him as a future first round pick.
Then he got dinged and that talk quieted. He started getting referred to as one-dimensional. When the Browns picked him at 38, there were plenty of "HUHs???" here to go around, and frankly... rightfully so. It was a surprise pick.
That doesn't make it a bad pick. It could be a genius pick and I'm starting to think it was. At that moment, I couldn't fathom passing on Clausen at 38 and I still think the odds of him becoming a serious starting QB n this league are really high and he would've been a steal.
BUT... Clausen is not an A+ quarterback prospect. He clearly knows how to play the position and has that "feel" for moving around and forward in the pocket to make something out of collapsed protection. He's accurate. He knows what he's doing. He has more than enough arm.
But the Browns passing because he isn't clearly THAT GUY? I can live with that. Honestly I can. And if they found a Pro Bowl safety at 38, that's some serious ass drafting. If Hardesty is what we think he is, Ward, Hardesty, Lauvao, and Haden could all be starters and that's a very nice draft.
I think we can compete this year. I also think we're going to draft Locker, Luck, or Ponder next season. I think we'll look for speed at WR, a long-term right tackle, some youth at DE, and some athleticism at LB. A much shorter list.
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