Browns’ draft choices get passing grade

When you think about it, grading an NFL team’s draft the day after the selection process ends doesn’t make sense.

It’s like an English teacher giving a student a B-minus before the student has had the opportunity to dangle a participle.

But as has become customary, most of us that cover the NFL perform the ritual every year. If the zealots watching the draft Saturday at Radio City Music Hall can state their opinions loudly after each selection, why not do the same after a couple of days of reflection?

It’s one of the crazy things about professional sports. Athletes are given high grades by the media and are handed millions of dollars by teams before they have a chance to drop a pass, blow a coverage or perform a look-out block in training camp.

The Cleveland Browns entered the process without a pick until the fourth round (122nd overall) because of three separate trades. General Manager Phil Savage eventually made three trades on the second day that netted an extra pick. Instead of having one choice each in rounds four through seven, the Browns had two picks in the fourth round, two in the sixth and one in the seventh.

The lack of high picks made it a tough call in handing out an overall grade. Do you take into consideration the players the Browns received in the trades, or do you strictly look at the drafted players?

It wasn’t surprising when the first grade I saw posted by a national Web site gave the Browns a mark of D. John Czarbecki of “Fox Sports” obviously didn’t take into consideration the arrivals via trades of quarterback Brady Quinn and defensive linemen Corey Williams and Shaun Rogers when doing his assessment.

The next stop was draft expert Mel Kiper Jr., who gave the Browns a B-plus. The grade was the highest among the four AFC North teams (he gave Baltimore a B, Pittsburgh a B and Cincinnati a C-plus).

Kiper liked what the Browns did in acquiring Quinn, Williams and Rogers. Landing a quarterback last year that might have topped this year’s list of signal-callers, along with two proven defensive linemen, were more important to Kiper than selecting second-tier players at a position of need this year.

It’s hard to disagree with Kiper. You can never underestimate the importance of proven experience. Williams developed into a quality lineman for the Packers and will be an upgrade over Orpheus Roye. Rogers has been criticized for taking off plays and being in poor shape, but when properly motivated he can be difficult to block.

As for this year’s draft choices, it’s not easy to gauge how the careers of each will pan out. Savage was clearly pleased to trade up in the fourth round and get UNLV inside linebacker Beau Bell, an aggressive, physically strong player with the potential to become starter.

Savage also targeted Missouri tight end Martin Rucker, the Browns’ second pick in the fourth round. With Kellen Winslow’s history of knee problems and perhaps a contentious contract re-negotiation in the works, there was a need to get Rucker, who led all tight ends in the nation in receptions last season with 84.

The Browns added intriguing 315-pound nose tackle Ahtyba Rubin of Iowa State and Wisconsin receiver Paul Hubbard in the sixth round. They finished off the draft by selecting converted outside linebacker Alex Hall of St. Augustine’s College in the seventh round.

I haven’t mentioned Quinn much simply because he remains an unknown. If he eventually gets a chance to start and becomes a star, the trades and draft picks orchestrated by Savage the last two years will pay off in a big way.

In that scenario, an A grade would be appropriate.

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