Welcome to Cleveland Sports Nation...
Im kinda excited to have the first post for this blog :)
The first thing we need to talk about is the Cleveland Browns. This past weekend was the NFL draft and in my opinion this was one of the best drafts the Cleveland Browns have had in a long time. Mike Holmgren started the Browns draft day by trading the No. 6 pick to Atlanta, dropping down 21 spots in the 1st round but gaining a 2nd, a 4th in the 2011 draft and two picks next year (1st and 4th ). It would have been sweet to take a potential #1 WR but we didn’t want to take the chance to see Braylon Edwards 2.0 playing for the Browns. We had to take that offer…
When KC was on the clock the Browns worked a trade to swap first round picks and it only cost them a 3rd round pick to move up to #21. Rumors came swirling around that a 2-3 teams were trying to trade up to 24-25 spots to draft Phil Taylor from Baylor. Holmgren and Heckert heard of that ans they traded up to 21 to get their man. Let me tell you, Phil Taylor of Baylor is a beast and will drastically improve the Browns run defense.
Here is a write of my feelings on the players the Browns drafted
DT Phil Taylor/Baylor: 6’3’’ 330+lb
He is a very physically gifted man for being 330+lbs. He had a very impressive combine for a man his size. He ran a 5.23 40, threw up 225’ 32x, vertical jump of 29.5 and had a 3cone drill at 7.75. For being 330+ those are impressive numbers. He has great size and impressive strength and has very surprising athletic ability. Can anchor at the point of attack and stone wall offensive lineman, Takes on Blockers very well, and has a great bullrush, wont rack up the sacks but will collapse the pocket from the middle. Concerns for him is Character problems (read below), has a weight issues, his weight can become a problem if he becomes too heavy, not in the greatest shape, he wore down late in games, and won’t make a lot of plays out side of the box
Out of High School Taylor was a 4star recruit and was one of the top DL Penn State landed. He had to transfer because he was kicked off the Penn State football team. He was connected to an on-campus fight, I heard it was a fight in a Frat and he was backing up a teammate.
Taylor is a two-year letterwinner, earned consensus second team All Big-12 honors as a senior. In 2010, had 62 tackles, 7.0 tackles for loss, and 2.0 sacks, and had 2 pass breakups and 3 quarterback hurries. In 2009, He played all 12 games and started nine at defensive tackle, He totaled 25 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, an assisted sack, five QB hurries, 2 blocked kicks and 1 INT. In 2008, he sat out the season due to transfer rules. 2007 with Penn State he record 20 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, 3sacks, and 2 fumble recoveries. So looking at his stats he has shown the ability to make an impact on the defensive line and that is something the Browns badly need. He had a very impressive senior bowl that really made him jump up the draft boards and he solidify what he did during the senior bowl practices with his combine
Why Taylor is a great pick for the Browns.
Cleveland had one of the worse rushing defenses in the league, ranked 27th in the rush defense and gave up 129yards a game. Phil Taylor is the perfect fit for - Jauron’s 2gap 4-3 defense. Evidence off other good 2gap 4-3 defenses “Baltimore's 43 SB defense in 2000 had Tony Sirgausa who was about 370 and Sam Adams who was almost 350. - Jauron's 13-3, 2001 Bears had fatties Ted Washington and Keith Traylor, both about 360.” So the Interior defensive line for the Browns will be big Phil Taylor and Ahtyba Rubin, that’s close to 700lbs up the middle. That is gonna be extremely tough for interior offensive linemen to move those two to create inside running lanes. I believe he will make a great impact on the run defense. He just isn’t gonna help the run, he will help the pass defense. You think it be hard to run block 700lbs, now try pass blocking 700lbs…our two DTs are gonna move the offensive line back, and in doing so they are gonna reset the line of scrimmage and they will shallow out the pocket to even collapsing it forcing opposing QBs to shortin their stride meaning throwing bad passes or forcing the QBs to roll out to our DEs or OLB. Also having Rubin and Taylor in the middle will clog up the 3 interior offensive linemen and the two DEs will take up the Tackles, meaning there will be less lineman getting in the way of our LBs, allowing Jackson, GoCong, Fujita, Bernard and others chances to shine
DE Jabaal Sheard/Pittsburgh 6'3'' 260+lb
Very underrated defensive end in college. He is first round talent that fell into the second round. He isnt a DE who will use the speed rush to beat slow OT but he has a very surprisng bullrush for a man who is 6'3'' 260+. He has a great motor and has shown great improvement every year he played for the panthers. That shows he is very good at accepting coaching. Everyone thought when his teammate, "star" DE Greg Romeus, went down due to injury that Sheard would be slowed down with more double teams being thrown his way but in reality he got better. He ended the season as the Big East defensive player of the year with 53tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss, 9sacks, and 4 forced fumbles. The things I love about Sheard is his Passing rush: He is a power rusher with a great motor. Run Defense: Not the Largest strong side DEs but has great leverage, very good at crashing hard down inside, and exposes the TEs when they try to block him. Explosion: He isnt the fastest player but he has a good jump off the line and has very violent hands. Strength: He plays a lot stronger then a guy who is listed at 6'3'' 260+. Tackling: He loves to punish ball carriers. Very good at pursuits, will make a lot of plays down the line and down field. Intangibles: Team leader and captain because of his work ethic and intensity. Helped an elderly lady escape a burning building, received a bravery award, majored in Forensic Science.
In high school he was one of the top players in the south east part of the US, he was the #23 ranked weak side DE his senior year. He lettered his Freshman year but only record 3 tackles. Sophomore season he started all 13games and recorded 45 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks. Junior year, he started all 13 games, had 42 tackles, 10,5 tackles for loss, 5 sacks, and 12 QB hurries. His Senior year, he was an AFCA All-American, had 52tackles, 14.5tackles for loss, 9 sacks, 4 foubles. First-team big east and Big East defensive player of the year
Why Taylor is a great pick for the Browns.
Browns were ranked 27th in rushing defense last year and were giving up 120+ rushing yards a game. What did the Browns do with their first two picks...They drafted two defensive linemen who are very good against the run. With the pick of Phil Taylor from Baylor, we combine him with Rubin and the interior defensive line is now pushing 700lbs. That is going to consume the G-C-G, so the Browns will have 2 DTs consuming 3 interior offensive line. That is going to leave a lot of one on one match ups with our DEs. Sheard with his combo of speed and strength should be able to beat some of the less talented DEs in the league. He might be one of the better DEs the Browns have had in a long time...
I will discuss the rest of the draft picks at another time...
