Page 2's D.J. Gallo has a tongue-in cheek NFL Draft Preview, predicting that the Browns will select Notre Dame QB Brady Quinn with the third pick tomorrow. But he's too close to being right to be very funny.
Although the Browns drafted Charlie Frye just two years ago as their quarterback of the future, Quinn is seen as a slight upgrade over Frye and will be the pick here. Expect the Browns to continue this draft strategy of making small improvements at the quarterback position every two years, culminating in their having a slightly above-average NFL quarterback in the year 2027.
It's exactly the reason most Browns fans I talk to don't want any part of Quinn. His selection would leave the Browns with three young, unproven quarterbacks instead of the current two. Many of us just don't see a franchise-caliber quarterback in Quinn, much as we'd love to see the Ohio kid make good....somewhere. And we have grown tired of seeing Browns QB's get tossed around like rag dolls, and have their legs broken, because the team lacks a decent offensive line and a good running game. He might be an upgrade over Frye, but not enough to justify using the third pick in the draft on him.
On top of that, Coach Romeo Crennel needs to win this year in order to save his job, making it less likely that he'll be enthusiastic about drafting a long-term project like Quinn. My hope is that GM Phil Savage will go with running back Adrian Peterson or offensive tackle Joe Thomas when they select shortly after noon on Saturday. I wouldn't be too upset to see them trade down a couple of spots (not any lower than the 6th or 7th spot) in order to pick up an extra pick or two, but I don't expect that to happen. Expect Thomas or Peterson to be wearing the orange hat in the Fall.
Posted by dan at April 27, 2007 8:53 PM