One of the many reasons why the Browns hired Mike Holmgren to help turn around their franchise was because he knows the quarterback position. He knows what kind of player it takes to run his offense and he understands value when it comes to spotting players in the draft.
Take Texas quarterback Colt McCoy for example. He has enough talent to have been selected anywhere in the second round, yet he fell all the way to the 85th overall pick in the third. The Browns could have selected him at the top of the second, but Holmgren gambled that McCoy would fall and that’s exactly what happened. Not only did the Browns get great value, but they also took the best player on the board and one that fits their system well.
McCoy isn’t an elite prospect, which is probably why he fell all the way to the third round. He doesn’t have a strong arm, isn’t a real big kid and he was exposed by Ndamukong Suh in the Big 12 Championship Game. But he’s the perfect fit for the West Coast Offense because he reads defenses well, is extremely accurate and makes good decisions.
To be honest, I would have liked McCoy to the Browns at No. 38. So for them to land him at No. 85 represents tremendous value. Again, he’s not an elite prospect, but that could work to his advantage. He has no pressure to start with Seneca Wallace and Jake Delawful ahead of him, so he can learn the offense and mature at a natural pace. Plus, Cleveland fans should love him. He’s a great kid, a hard worker and a winner.
Many pundits thought that Clausen would be long gone by the 48th overall pick, yet there he was, prime for the taking when the Carolina Panthers were on the clock in the second round. Despite the need for a wide receiver, the Panthers saw value in Clausen, who might be the most NFL-ready quarterback in this draft.
Rumor has it that Clausen’s toe injury scared teams away. There’s also concern over his attitude and leadership abilities, but no matter how you slice it, he shouldn’t have fallen as far as he did. He has decent arm strength, good decision-making and is a fairly accurate signal caller. The Panthers got great value for a player that might turn out to be their franchise quarterback.
While Matt Moore is still expected to be Carolina’s Week 1 starter, Clausen will likely push for the job in preseason. Even if Moore wins the job, Clausen could see time if Moore struggles.
I’ve given it a day. I’ve tried to see it from their point of view and play devil’s advocate. I’ve allowed things to sink in and tried to look at the decision from a couple of different angles.
It didn’t help. I still have no idea what the hell the Broncos were thinking when they traded three picks in order to draft Tim Tebow with the 25th overall pick in Thursday night’s first round.
Make no mistake: the Broncos drafted Tebow to be their starting quarterback of the future, despite the fact that they traded for Kyle Orton and Brady Quinn in each of the last two offseasons. They want him to eventually become their No. 1 guy and considering what they gave up for him, he better pan out as a quarterback or else the words “epic failure” will come to mind when this trade is reviewed in the future.
Regardless of whether or not you believe Tebow can be a NFL quarterback is irreverent. The Broncos gave up three draft picks (a second, a third and a fourth) in order to select him where they did, meaning they gave up three potential starters for the former Heisman winner. Teams don’t give up that kind of compensation and deem the trade a success unless that player turns out to be special. That means if Tebow turns out to be an H-back or a Wild Card specialist, then Denver wasted three picks on a role player.
This is the guy that people often refer to as the greatest defender to have ever played the game. And somehow, I’m fine with that in the wake of this clip.
Even though the Lions and Titans have dropped out of the running, the Redskins remain open to trading Albert Haynesworth and according to Jason Reid of the Washington Post, the Saints have inquired about the defensive tackle.
The Saints have the No. 64 overall pick and it would take at least that selection and possibly one more to acquire Haynesworth from Washington. That said, he has already voiced his displeasure over playing nose tackle in the Redskins’ new 3-4 alignment and the team recently acquired Adam Carriker from the Rams. Thus, maybe the Skins would be willing to take less value for Haynesworth, even though they just forked over $21 million in bonuses earlier this month.
While neither played poorly, the Saints didn’t get a lot of production out of either Tony Hargrove or Sedrick Ellis last season. Ellis is the better pass-rusher while Hargrove is sounder against the run, but neither is the player Haynesworth is. He would instantly upgrade the interior of the Saints’ defensive line and would cause panic for contenders in the NFC that already have a hard enough time keeping up with New Orleans’ potent offense.
