The Cleveland Browns entered the 2010 NFL Draft with 10 total picks and began the draft by selecting Florida CB Joe Haden in the first round on Thursday night. Cleveland followed that pick up on Friday night by once again bolstering their secondary in selecting Oregon Safety TJ Ward with their lone 2nd round pick at #38 overall. While Mike Holmgrem said his staff had to “twist his arm a bit” to make the choice of Ward, he said that they needed to select a safety based on the team’s needs. With 8 picks remaining the 2010 Browns draft picks will be many, assuming they do not make any deals to move up, as they still have 3 picks remaining tonight, all in the 3rd round.

The 2010 NFL Draft is underway in primetime on ESPN tonight and the first round is winding down. As expected, Sam Bradford and Ndamukong Suh went #1 and #2 to the Rams and Lions, but the Cleveland Browns rumored #1 target for the 7th overall selection, Eric Berry from Tennessee, was selected two spots prior to Cleveland selecting at #5 to Kansas City. With the Browns on the clock ESPN cut to Florida CB Joe Haden showing him crying as he received the news. While it is not yet clear if he was shedding tears due to the fact that he has to play for the Browns or because he was so excited to be drafted, the Browns have a fantastic corner who will likely step in and start right away. With 9 picks remaining including 3 in the 3rd round alone, Cleveland may look to trade up into the end of the first round or earlier in the 2nd round and we will be sure to track all of the 2010 Cleveland Browns draft picks.

The Browns Beat

April 21 2010

The Cleveland Browns are approaching their biggest draft in years as Mike Holmgren and GM Tom Heckert go into their first draft in Cleveland.  There are plenty of needs in a draft that may be the deepest ever.  Following is a list of the Browns picks by round with the overall number:

1st Round-    7th
2nd Round- 38th
3rd Round- 71st
3rd Round- 85th
3rd Round- 92nd
5th Round- 134th
5th Round- 146th
5th Round- 160th
6th Round- 177th
6th Round- 186th

Although the offense was horrible for the 2009 Browns, a defensive player will likely be the 1st pick.  Hopefully that resides in the form of Eric Berry or Rolando McClain.  In the 2nd round the Browns will select Colt McCoy if he is available.  If he is not the possibilities are endless.  If they can select Eric Norwood in the early part of the 3rd round the Browns will immediately be much better with Berry, McCoy and Norwood.

The fact is that draft picks are often overvalued-it’s a guessing game.  Incredibly, teams will trade proven commodities on a lottery ticket.  The fact remains that Brandon Marshall and Santonio Holmes are extremely talented but were shipped for middle to late round picks.  A team like the St. Louis Rams could have unloaded some later round picks and had the best duo of starting receivers in the league.  Instead, they have an atrocious group of wide outs to go with a rookie QB.  Big Ben Roethlisberger is simply one of the best QBs in the league.  He is only 28 years old and holds two Super Bowl rings.  Yes, Big Ben has questionable morals and poor judgment but the bottom line is he wins game.  He will clean up his act following his four game suspension (according to reports) and be a difference maker.  So why wouldn’t teams offer a legitimate trade offer to the Steelers who would likely take far less than he’s worth?  Because today’s franchises are enamored with the what could be instead of the what is.  Any team that needs a QB they should offer their 1st round pick in a heartbeat-that includes the Cleveland Browns.

With the NFL Draft’s new schedule it is highly likely the Browns will move around to get coveted players.  They have a wealth of picks and with Holmgren calling the shots, this is an exciting time to be a Brown’s fan.  Although they showed dramatic improvement over the 2nd half of the season, there is still plenty of room for improvement.  However, with Holmgren in charge and the dramatic improvement of the defense, the Browns could be a factor in the AFC North in 2010.

Stemavo Rheulus, Senior Writer

The 2010 NFL team schedules have been released with both the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals schedules now having become public. The 2010 Cleveland Browns schedule begins with two very winnable games playing at Tampa Bay in week one and against Kansas City in week two. Overall, if the Browns can show improvement in the first year with Mike Holmgrem in charge and in Eric Mangini’s second season as head coach, the Browns could potentially start moving their franchise in the right direction thanks to a somewhat favorable schedule. The 2010 Cincinnati Bengals schedule has the defending AFC North Champions starting the season @ New England before hosting division rival Baltimore in week two.

Reds Rant

April 21st 2010

The Reds, as usual, are filled with promise and hope of glory.  The team started out with a spring in their step but quickly fell from the ranks with a putrid offense.  The Reds currently stand at 6-8 after a thrilling victory over the Dodgers at Great American Ball Park.

The Good- Rookie Mike Leake has looked good in both starts.  Although he hasn’t picked up a victory, his ERA is 2.63 over 13 innings.  Joey Votto is starting to pick up the pace.  He is now batting .306 but only has two home runs and six RBI.  He will have to up his power numbers for the Reds to score any runs.

The Bad- In a nutshell, the offense.  Jay Bruce’s situation is becoming even more troubling.  The outfielder is batting .188 with 2 homers and only 5 knocked in.  Cabrera, Stubbs, Phillips and Hernandez continue to struggle.  The pitching staff will likely rebound although they have also struggled.  For the Reds to compete in the Central, the offense will have to catch fire.

The Solution- The Reds must be patient with their young pitching staff and also Drew Stubbs.  A move down in the lineup for Stubbs may be the cure but the super fast outfielder should make a big impact down the road.  The Reds have typically been very slow to bring prospects up but now is the time for the heralded Aroldis Chapman.  The flame throwing lefty could be the jolt the Reds need.  The ultimate solution may be to send Manager Dusty Baker down the dusty trail.  He has yet to discipline his hitters as they are notorious for their free swinging and letting opposing pitchers off the hook.  The 2010 Cincinnati Reds should be playing in the style of Whitey Herzog’s St. Louis Cardinals of the mid 80s.  Given the recent history of the Reds the words, be patient, are hard to adapt to but the organization has a ton of talent, enough to compete for a wild card slot.

Stemavo Rheulus, Senior Writer