For all of their draft mistakes, the Browns have a head start on assets acquired via picks in the neighborhood where they have two high Round 2 pick on April 27. Four hits in that range made a monster difference for one iconic coach. Who's out there this year?
The Browns charge into the draft planning for the best of both worlds.
Their pick at No. 1 overall might bring the long-awaited elite quarterback. Their selections at No. 4, No. 33 and No. 35 might upgrade the rest of the roster to "promising."
Hitting on a quarterback, finally, would be an immense relief. Strengthening the rest of the roster seems at least as important. The picks at 33 and 35, where real producers are harder to identify but almost always available from one draft to the next, could make all the difference.
Ask Bill Cowher. He was a Browns and Chiefs assistant who had been deemed too young to be their head coach in 1991 before Pittsburgh hired him in 1992. He worked through the next dozen seasons with a mediocre cast of starting QBs (Neil O'Donnell, Mike Tomczak, Jim Miller, Kordell Stewart, Kent Graham, Tommy Maddox). Yet, before Ben Roethlisberger arrived in the 2004 draft, Cowher had eight playoff seasons and a Super Bowl trip on his résumé.
He was helped big-time by four major hits from the draft range where Dorsey hopes to make hay on April 27.
Cowher inherited a center, Dermontti Dawson, who had been a No. 44 overall pick in 1988. Dawson was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2012.
Cowher also inherited a safety, Carnell Lake, who was a No. 34 overall pick in 1989. Lake made the NFL's all-decade team for the 1990s.
In 1992, general manager Tom Donahoe got him linebacker Levon Kirkland at No. 38. Kirkland would join Lake on the all-decade team.
The '93 draft brought linebacker Chad Brown at No. 44. In one stretch overlapping the 1994 and '95 seasons, he delivered 13 sacks in 12 games.
Dawson, Lake, Kirkland and Brown all started in Super Bowl XXX. It might not have been a loss to Dallas if the quarterback matchup had been more favorable than O'Donnell (former No. 70 overall pick) vs. Troy Aikman (former No. 1 overall pick).
Dorsey has the credentials and staff to sniff out the best players while on the clock at 33 and 35.
The draft-beleaguered Browns actually have done some of their best recent work in the 33-40 range. GM Tom Heckert landed safety T.J. Ward at No. 38 in 2010, outside linebacker Jabaal Sheard at No. 37 in 2011 and right tackle Mitchell Schwartz at No. 37 in 2012. GM Ray Farmer secured guard Joel Bitonio at No. 35 in 2015.
Bitonio remains part of the 2018 Browns' nucleus. Two other key 2018 players essentially came from the 33-40 range.
Wideout Josh Gordon was a second-round pick in the 2012 supplemental draft, at the price of forfeiting what would have been a No. 39 pick in the 2013 regular draft. Tight end David Njoku was obtained last year when the Sashi Brown group traded up from No. 33 to No. 25.
What's out there this year?
Here are some of the names scout-analysts kick around as potentially available and worth picking at 33 or 35.
- Running backs: Derrius Guice, LSU; Sony Michel, Georgia; Ronald Jones II, USC; Rashaad Penny, San Diego State.
- Wide receivers: Courtland Sutton, SMU; Christian Kirk, Texas A&M; D.J. Chark, LSU; D.J. Moore, Maryland; Deon Cain, Clemson; Calvin Ridley, Alabama.
- Offensive linemen: Connor Williams, Texas; Tyrell Crosby, Oregon; Kolton Miller, UCLA; Mike McGlinchey, Notre Dame; Brian O'Neill, Pitt; Orlando Brown; Oklahoma; Billy Price, Ohio State; James Daniels, Iowa.
- Defensive linemen: Maurice Hurst, Michigan; Harrison Phillips, Stanford; Dre'mont Jones, Ohio State.
- Edge rushers: Harold Landry, Boston College; Ogbonnia Okoronkow, Oklahoma; Dorance Armstrong, Kansas; Sam Hubbard, Ohio State.
- Linebackers: Rashaan Evans, Alabama; Jerome Baker, Ohio State; Tegray Scales, Indiana; Malik Jefferson, Texas.
- Safeties: Ronnie Harrison, Alabama; Justin Reid, Stanford; Jessie Bates III, Wake Forest; Marcus Allen, Penn State.
- Cornerbacks: Josh Jackson, Iowa; Mike Hughes, Central Florida; Isaiah Oliver, Colorado; Carlton Davis, Auburn; Donte Jackson, LSU.
That's an almost ludicrous plethora of candidates, completely unlike the situation around the No. 1 and No. 4 picks, centering around Sam Darnold, Josh Allen, Saquon Barkley, Bradley Chubb and one or two others.
Dorsey is making the big bucks to sort out who's who. That's the way it is every year. Again, ask Cowher.
The 1993 draft, which pointed him toward his first Super Bowl, featured a wide range of prospects in the first half of the second round.
The Steelers, perched at No. 44, were among teams looking for help on defense.
At No. 34, the Bucs plucked Notre Dame linebacker Demetrius DuBose. He made only five starts in a brief NFL career. At No. 36, the Jets plucked defensive end Coleman Rudolph, who would make three starts in his short pro run. Cleveland's Bill Belichick-Mike Lombardi tag team chose defensive end Dan Footman at No. 42. He had a mostly nondescript career.
The best defensive player in that cluster was Michael Strahan, who went 40th overall to the Giants en route to Canton. Pittsburgh didn't have a crack at Strahan, but did get Chad Brown at No. 44. He turned into a major player.
Here comes Dorsey, with a chance to parlay the 33 and 35 spots into two major players.
Reach Steve at 330-580-8347 or
steve.doerschuk@cantonrep.com
On Twitter: @sdoerschukREP