Fresh Brownies: A dozen takes from Berea as the Browns pull to within a week of the draft.
1, Kirk Herbstreit, stepping into Jon Gruden's shoes as a star analyst of quarterbacks, ranks Baker Mayfield as the top dog in the draft.
"It has everything to do with accuracy and decision-making," Herbstreit said. "Mayfield is off the charts in those areas."
At the Combine, Mayfield measured 6-foot, 5/8 inch, less than an inch taller than Johnny Manziel at the 2014 Combine.
"If he was 6-3, people would be marveling," Herbstreit said. "He played behind as big an offensive line at Oklahoma as you'll see in the NFL and had no problems whatsoever. He reminds me of a young Drew Brees."
For what it's worth, Sam Darnold measured 6-3 3/8 at the Combine. And, while a lot of people see him as the Browns bet at No. 1, is anyone really ... marveling?
2, Herbstreit said Darnold is "still raw."
"He may have the most upside four, five or six years down the road," Herbstreit said. "But he could have used another year in college."
Herbstreit on Josh Rosen:
"He'll make the right decision 9.5 or 10 times out of 10. My concern is when he gets pressed, he's not quite as comfortable as some of these guys."
Herbstreit ranks Josh Allen behind the other three but adds, "He could be a superstar."
His views add to the plausibility that John Dorsey really hasn't made up his mind yet.
3, The 2013 QB draft class, bad. The 2018 QB draft class, good (maybe).
That's not a news flash, but Dorsey referred to it when asked why, as Kansas City's general manger in 2013, he spent a No. 1 overall pick on a tackle, Eric Fisher.
“There are probably more quarterbacks in this draft," Dorsey said. "Seriously, there may be five taken in the first round here or there may be four. The 2013 draft … EJ Manuel, he went (16th overall). Geno (Smith) went in the second (No. 39). There really was not a true guy in the upper echelon of that draft.”
4, "Process" is a word Browns fans dread, coming to be translated as, "It will take five years to get nowhere."
Dorsey uses the word a lot, unapologetically. He spelled out the steps in his draft process.
His scouts begin 17 days of group meetings in February. They rank prospects and provide player lists to coaches and invite them to make their own rankings.
Then comes the Combine, workouts, and film watching.
Much of the scouting staff stays on the road attending pro days, after which everyone returns to Berea for 10 days of meeting to refine rankings.
"Then we come together as an organization," Dorsey said. "We sit there so I can hear everybody's viewpoints and objectives and come to a consensus."
The group-decision theme isn't just lip service with Dorsey. One reason his mentor, Ron Wolf, is in the Hall of Fame is skill at building a staff and relying on it.
Yet, there is some "benevolent dictator" in this. In cases of sharp disagreement and elusive consensus, Dorsey rules.
5, The GM only smiled when questioned about a report that a "friend of Dorsey" is convinced the Browns will spent the No. 1 pick on Josh Allen.
"Who is 'friend of Dorsey?'" he said, dismissing the Allen rumors as "white noise."
6, So you want to be a Browns quarterback. Here's what Dorsey said he is looking for:
"How does he react to adverse situations? How does he move on the field? Hand size is important … in December, when it's rainy and muddy or it's snowing. Do they have the physical skill sets that will move the franchise forward?
"Can he fit into the offensive packages the Cleveland Browns are trying to get?
"Are they good people? Do they love the game?
"Is he accurate? Does he have a strong arm? Can he throw in the red zone and through tight windows? Can he drive the ball? At the end of the game, does he win?
"Will he fit in the locker room? Will he be a good guy in the locker room? Will guys like him? Can he lead young men to wins and victories?"
Process that and fill in the blank.
7, Dorsey scheduled a five-hour marathon with new offensive coordinator Todd Haley and his coaches for 1 p.m. Thursday.
A related pack-a-lunch pow-wow was scheduled with Gregg Williams and his defensive coaches Friday.
8, If USC's Sam Darnold is the pick, it will make all the more sense that the Browns added Drew Stanton to their quarterback room.
Stanton, 33, spent recent seasons hanging out in Arizona with former No. 1 pick Carson Palmer, a USC guy.
"Drew is going to help," Dorsey said. "That No. 2 quarterback is invaluable to the starter, getting ready for the game. Also, if we go the young-guy route, there is only one way a young man is going to learn how to be a pro, and that is by true pros."
9, Defensive lineman Jamie Meder, whose blocked field goal led to the Browns' lone win in their last 35 games, has been resigned as a restricted free agent.
Still sporting his trademark lumberjack beard, Meder was in the team complex Thursday. "The pierogi prince of Parma," as Joe Thomas called him, has been a Brown longer than any current roster members other than Joel Bitonio, Christian Kirksey, Tank Carder and Josh Gordon.
10, Who knew Danny Shelton would be the short-timer and Meder would be the long-timer?
Meder played 179 snaps in the 2017 defensive line rotation before suffering a season-ending ankle injury in Game 10. But he started 15 games and was in on 720 snaps in 2016.
Meder's value increases in the wake of trading Shelton, whose snap count was 745 in 2016 and 467 in 2017.
11, Speaking of snap counts, center J.C. Tretter, guard Kevin Zeitler and guard Joel Bitonio were on the field for every offensive snap (1,068 of them) last season. Right tackle Shon Coleman was out there for 1,044 snaps, which should help one way or another if he makes the transition to left tackle.
12, Dorsey would like to draft a premium left tackle. The problem is finding one who is a good value as the early picks play out, and other team needs are addressed.
Desirable left tackles don't often come from Coleman's draft neighborhood (No. 76 overall, 2016).
Reach Steve at 330-580-8347 or steve.doerschuk@cantonrep.com
On Twitter: @sdoerschukREP