Cleveland Browns draft picks according to ESPN insider

[BernietheKid]

Cleveland Browns 2010 Picks
RD PK (OVR) NAME POS SCHOOL

1 7 (7) Joe Haden CB Florida
What he brings: Haden has yet to reach his full potential because he needs to work on his route-recognition skills and the consistency of his footwork. He clearly has a great deal of upside. He turned in a disappointing 40 time at the combine, but look at the film and you'll see a player who's fast, quick and agile enough to develop into a cover cornerback at the NFL level.
Video analysis: McShay | Edwards
How he fits: While the Browns needed help in multiple areas, they were 29th versus the pass and 31st overall on defense. The secondary recorded only 10 interceptions last year, and Haden will add speed and great upside to this under-producing unit. Though the Browns recently traded for Sheldon Brown, another impact corner was still needed. This pick gives the team a true four-corner rotation and allows 2009 rookie Coye Francies a chance to be a reserve and focus on special teams.

2 6 (38) T.J. Ward S Oregon
What he brings: Ward has had some problems staying healthy, and he has not shown enough to lead us to believe he can develop into a playmaker at the NFL level. Still, Cleveland got a very sound football player. He is a tough run-stopper and can hold his own in coverage. In addition, he has excellent instincts and work ethic.
How he fits: The Browns are clearly upgrading their pass defense after finishing near the bottom of the league in passing yards allowed. They needed a ballhawking safety because Brodney Pool is gone to the Jets and Abram Elam is better near the line of scrimmage than as a single-high safety. Mike Adams will be a serviceable backup, while Nick Sorenson and Ray Ventrone can battle for the remaining special teams spot.

2 27 (59) Montario Hardesty RB Tennessee from Dallas through Philadelphia
What he brings:Hardesty runs high and has a history of knee problems, which is not a good thing for a running back prospect. Nonetheless, there is a lot to like about his competitive nature. He has the balance and lower-body strength to consistently pick up yards after contact. He also has excellent top-end speed for a 225-pounder.
How he fits: Jerome Harrison played well down the stretch last season coming back from injury, but he is not an every-down back. Hardesty's combination of size and speed will make him the most logical starter immediately. Harrison will be allowed to be the third-down sub back, and James Davis to be the change-of-pace runner. Newly-acquired Peyton Hillis can continue his hybrid role that he had in Denver. This is a good pick.

3 21 (85) Colt McCoy QB Texas from New England through Oakland
What he brings: McCoy doesn't have the big time arm to stretch the field and his accuracy can also dip on the longer throws. However, he shows a quick release the ability to move in the pocket and is extremely accurate with his underneath throws. He also brings great intangibles with his leadership and toughness. Those traits will help him develop into a functional quarterback in Cleveland's West Coast system.
How he fits: Jake Delhomme will likely begin the season as the offensive leader and starter. However, his sporadic play of late will allow McCoy to possibly see the field and learn the speed of the game quickly. He will have to compete with a very similar Seneca Wallace.

3 28 (92) Shawn Lauvao OG Arizona State from NY Jets
What he brings: Lauvao is a limited overall athlete who possesses functional overall strength. He is a wide body in pass protection who makes it tough for defenders to get around him. He needs to clean up his angles to the point and learn to stay on blocks more. He will provide depth and could potentially develop into a starter down the road.
How he fits: Lauvao will have a chance to compete for the third offensive guard spot with Billy Yates and Scott Kooistra quickly. The starters are set up front, but Lauvao has a chance to make the team. He may have a chance to replace Floyd Womack in the future.

5 29 (160) Larry Asante S Nebraska from NY Jets Asante doesn't project as a playmaker at the NFL level. He doesn't show great hands or time his jumps well. In addition, he lacks ideal hip fluidity and recovery speed. On the other hand, he's a tough run-stopper who fills hard and flashes the ability to deliver the big hit. He also has enough range to cover the deep half of the field when he makes sounds reads.

6 8 (177) Carlton Mitchell WR South Florida Mitchell has a nice combination of size and speed to become an immediate deep threat for Cleveland. He is still a bit raw at this point and needs major polishing with his routes and must improve his hands.

6 17 (186) Clifton Geathers DE South Carolina from Carolina Geathers is a physical freak with outstanding size and length. He's a perfect fit as a 5-technique in Cleveland. He lacks explosion and quickness, but he can eat up space and stack the edge and find the football.

2010 NFL Draft Results by Team - National Football League - ESPN

[Shep]

Pluto's take in today's paper was that Hardesty and Assante stood out the most in rookie camp. There was some talk that Assante seemed less overwhelmed than Ward and looked like a way better pass coverage guy than advertised. It could get competitive.

Hardesty knew what he was doing and showed a serious burst and great one-cut ability. The Browns continue to believe he can be a great platoon with Harrison... and maybe a true franchise back.

Pluto reiterated that McCoy is NOT seen as a blue chip quarterback prospect, but with tender loving care under Holmgren might eventually develop into a very good player. He has the work ethic and football smarts. But there was a clear "curb your enthusiasm" vibe to Pluto's blurbs on McCoy.

[Flugel]

Originally Posted by Shep

Pluto's take in today's paper was that Hardesty and Assante stood out the most in rookie camp. There was some talk that Assante seemed less overwhelmed than Ward and looked like a way better pass coverage guy than advertised. It could get competitive.

Hardesty knew what he was doing and showed a serious burst and great one-cut ability. The Browns continue to believe he can be a great platoon with Harrison... and maybe a true franchise back.

Pluto reiterated that McCoy is NOT seen as a blue chip quarterback prospect, but with tender loving care under Holmgren might eventually develop into a very good player. He has the work ethic and football smarts. But there was a clear "curb your enthusiasm" vibe to Pluto's blurbs on McCoy.

These are good points and I think MANY of them were said about Tom Brady once upon a time. The unifrom Brady wore to his first 15 football games included blue jeans and a baseball cap for that reason.

It's critically important to understand he shouldn't be raced into action before he's ready. There's quite a few STAR QBs today like Romo, Warner, Palmer, Rivers and Brady that weren't RACED into starting before they were ready. Unfortunately, Drewe Brees was raced into action and his franchise and entire fan base felt they needed to draft a QB at the apex of round 1 in hisd 3rd year. Guess when Brees' arm starting looking like an NFL arm? During the period of time Rivers was holding out for more cake, Keenan McCardell was aded and i think so was Gates and presot; San Diego you never NEEDED a new QB at the top of round 1 because you have an All pro emerging from the little guy with the alleged noodle arm.

Not gearing this at YOU Shep just the general population that held premature conclusions on Brees. I'm sure there's countless archives about what was thought of Brees headign into season #3 there. And now we just pretend none of that exists in lieu of hindsight 20/20. Hostry would almost repeat itself after suregeon Andrews decalred Brees ready for business as usual. The Saints didn't have 1 team competing with them to sign Brees. Unbelievable HOW MANY times this guy has had to prove himself to critics in this league. Today he is a SB Champion.
- Tom F.

[Shep]

I'm a huge Brees fan. He's one of my very favorites to watch. I believe you and I both thought he was underdrafted.

That said... anybody who watched Brees' first two years and thought he might NOT have been under-drafted can certainly be forgiven. He looked bad. His turnaround is one of the most stunning I've ever seen. The zip he added between years two, three, and four were amazing.

I hear Brady and Brees' names more than Jesus' these days, but let's remember that their stories are so compelling because they're so rare. You can't just point at any late round pick or every guy who struggles for a couple years and say they'll end up as Brees or Brady.

Odds are they won't.

I'm hopeful on McCoy. He's in the offense everybody said he should be in. Kiper likes him a lot. Holmgren liked him enough to pick him 85th, but he did pass on him twice in the second round. He's certainly an interesting test case, to see if a guy like Holmgren can take a prospect like McCoy and mold him into an ideal WCO QB.

[Enigmatic Evil]

Im not sure how warranted the Brees comparison is but I think it would be a flattering compliment for any QB prospect. For me the most appealing things about McCoy are obviously his attitude and his intangibles. I think he's got a ton of up-side and if the Browns are patient with him to build him and let him grow as a player we could end up with a QB that could be a mainstay for the Browns as opposed to virtally every other QB we've taken in the draft since '99.

Hardesty is the other pick that I will be keeping my eyes on. I think the Hardesty pick shows that we arent 100% sold on Jerome Harrison (We still haven't even re-signed him) and I think Hardesty is the kind of back that could be a big time player once he's in NFL game condition. I still wish we would've taken a D-Lineman and drafted a RB with one of our later picks but the fact was the guy we wanted was off the board so we went with who we felt was best out of what was left. I hope we get to see what H3 saw in Hardesty to warrant taking him where we did.

I keep seeing the word 'raw' when people talk about Carlton Mitchell. I get that he was a late round pick and as such, I don't really have a lot of expectations for him aside from he's the kind of WR in the mold of a wideout that we felt we 'needed'. Hopefully he can develop. I think Braylon Edwards tought us that a WR can't just 'learn' how to use his hands so hopefully it's not as big an issue with Mitchell. I'd love if he grew into a productive role on this team but we may not see that yet for a few years.

[YtownBacker]

I think the Brees comparisons with McCoy are way off base. IMO the comparisons are closer to Jeff Garcia. If they end up being close to either I'd be thrilled.

As far as the rest of the draft. Hardesty could be the steal of the draft. Haden was the best corner in the draft and most everyone says he has room to grow as a corner. That gives me a boner. How good could this kid end up being.

The rest are attempts to build what Mangini and Ryan wanted so bad as they kept trying to find guys on wavers last year to replace what we had. They both wanted tougher, hard nosed players on defense and on the Oline. Mangini and Ryan both have indicated that this team played soft and it drove Ryan crazy. Ryan and Mangini fell in love with Trusek and Roth because they both came in here and played with an attitude. Our DBs were soft. Some say Ward was a big reach. Well, Haden, Ward and even Asante can be questioned as picks but they aren't soft and won't play that way. Hell, I could see Wright and Elam fighting for playing time because they needs to get tougher and start playing with an attitude.

Personally, I like the draft. I don't see anybody that won't be going out on the field and playing with an attitude.

[Shep]

If McCoy ever snaps the ball as quick as Brees or spins it like that? I'll throw a party every Sunday. It's just a little tough to envision at the moment.