Around the NFL. From drafts conducted before 2016, Pittsburgh has an array of Pro Bowlers; Cleveland has a guard. Here's what John Dorsey was up against in catching up with the AFC North, and what he did about it.
BEREA Some of the buzz running through Browns spring practice is a young-talent thing.
Their stash of first-round picks and near-first-round picks from the last three drafts is enormous.
The actual first-rounders are two No. 1s (Myles Garrett, Baker Mayfield), a No. 4 (Denzel Ward), a No. 15 (Corey Coleman) and a pair of 20-somethings (Jabrill Peppers, David Njoku).
Emmanuel Ogbah was a No. 32 pick, which in most drafts is a first-rounder but wasn't in this case because the Patriots lost a pick to Deflategate. The round included only 31 selections. No. 32 (Ogbah) became the first pick of the second round.
Two others (Austin Corbett, Nick Chubb) arrived at No. 33 and No. 35, close enough to Round 1 to be in the same talent stratum as some 20-something.
General manager John Dorsey of course endorses the ones he chose in April (Mayfield, Ward, Corbett, Chubb). He believes Garrett is a cut above, say, Bradley Chubb. He has adopted a bust-free philosophy on the others, keeping an open mind.
He must realize that the ones not named Mayfield must be 2018 producers if "the sleeping giant" is to stir this season.
Some rudimentary analytics for you:
The Browns' nine high picks from 2016, 2017 and 2018 were secured at an average draft position of 17.2 overall. The Steelers, Ravens and Bengals had a combined 10 picks in the top 40 from that span, at an average position of 21.6. Sounds good for Cleveland.
But there were other drafts.
The Browns' top-40 picks from 2010-15 were Joe Haden, T. J. Ward, Trent Richardson, Brandon Weeden, Mitch Schwartz, Barkevious Mingo, Justin Gilbert, Johnny Manziel, Joel Bitonio, Danny Shelton and Cameron Erving. Only Bitonio is still on the team. One-for-11 ... yikes.
Drafts from before 2016 are where Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and Baltimore present problems for Cleveland. The division rivals' top-40 picks still on their original rosters from that time frame:
STEELERS
Outside linebacker Bud Dupree, a No. 22 overall pick out of Kentucky in 2015, is coming off his best year.
Linebacker Ryan Shazier, a No. 15 overall pick out of Ohio State in 2014, is recovering from a spinal injury suffered last December. He was named to his second Pro Bowl despite being unable to play.
Right guard David DeCastro, a No. 24 overall pick out of Stanford in 2012, has missed only two games and been named to three Pro Bowls in the last five seasons.
Defensive end Cameron Heyward, a No. 31 overall pick out of Ohio State in 2011, made first team All-Pro in 2017.
Center Maurkice Pouncey, a No. 18 overall pick out of Florida in 2010, is a six-time Pro Bowler.
Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, a No. 11 overall pick out of Miami (Ohio) in 2004, has a 148-71 record as a pro starter (13-8 postseason).
Outside the top 40, Pittsburgh still has a No. 48 overall pick from the 2013 draft, Le'Veon Bell. He began showing up in NFL Network's list of the league's 10 best players in 2016.
Even with Shazier likely out for 2018, this group gives the Pennsylvanians imposing advantages.
BENGALS
Offensive lineman Cedric Ogbuehi, a No. 21 overall pick out of Texas A&M in 2015, hasn't been the left tackle Cincinnati wanted, but he is still on the roster.
Cornerback Darqueze Dennard, a No. 24 overall pick out of Michigan State in 2014, played more snaps (899) than any other Bengals defensive back in 2017. Next (with 868) was cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick, a No. 17 overall pick out of Alabama in 2012.
Running back Giovani Bernard, a No. 37 overall pick in 2014, averaged 4.4 yards on his 105 carries while catching 43 passes as the No. 2 back in 2017.
Tight end Tyler Eifert, a No. 21 overall pick out of Notre Dame in 2013, has lost 22 games to injuries since delivering 13 touchdown catches in 2015. He signed a one-year contract to stay with the team in 2018.
Wideout A.J. Green, a No. 4 overall pick in 2011, has been named to the Pro Bowl in all seven of his Bengals seasons.
Quarterback Andy Dalton, a No. 35 overall pick out of Texas Christian in 2011, gets booed by Bengals fans. He has 63 victories as the starter during a period when Browns QBs have combined for 24 Ws. Analyze that.
If one cares to extend Cincinnati's list, defensive stalwarts Carlos Dunlap and Geno Atkins both arrived via later picks in 2010.
If Dalton gets back to where he was with Hue Jackson as his coordinator in 2015, this group could help Cincinnati escape its two-year slump.
RAVENS
Wideout Breshad Perriman, a No. 26 overall pick out of Central Florida in 2015, will be a free agent in 2019 after Baltimore declined his fifth-year option. He regressed from 33 catches in 2016 to 10 in 2017.
Middle linebacker C.J. Mosley, a No. 17 overall pick out of Alabama in 2014, is coming off his third Pro Bowl season.
Cornerback Jimmy Smith, a No. 27 overall pick out of Colorado in 2011, has been a starter for the last five seasons but has lost nine games to injuries in the last two.
Quarterback Joe Flacco, a No. 18 overall pick out of Delaware in 2008, has a 102-67 record (10-5 postseason) as the starter but could be replaced by Robert Griffin III or rookie Lamar Jackson if his career slump worsens.
This small Baltimore group is shaky; yet, the Ravens' whole roster beat the Browns twice by a combined 51-20 score last year.
Dorsey knew he must compensate for players who aren't around from past drafts. He did non-draft business accordingly.
He made Jarvis Landry the world's richest slot receiver.
He recruited a right tackle, Chris Hubbard, who was developed by the Steelers across five seasons.
He acquired a quarterback who at best is a B-list starter; yet, Tyrod Taylor still won twice as many games for Buffalo in 2017 as the Browns won in 2015, '16 and '17 combined.
He made a projection on former pro basketball player Darren Fells, who, however strangely at 32, could be coming into his own as a tight end.
He snagged running back Carlos Hyde just in time for his debut on NFL Network's list of top 100 players.
He traded for Damarious Randall, who has a chance to succeed at free safety if he can get past the freedom of speech that left him in a Twitter storm.
He brought in T.J. Carrie, a 2017 starter in Oakland, and E.J. Gaines, a 2017 starter in Buffalo, to fortify the DBs room.
He retooled the front office, consorted on a retooling of the offensive coaching staff, and added veteran players who might add up to something important.
In short, Dorsey got busy.
Consequently, all of those high picks from the last three drafts aren't the only reason for the buzz running through spring practice.
Reach Steve at 330-580-8347 or
steve.doerschuk@cantonrep.com
On Twitter: @sdoerschukREP