The Cleveland Browns have been getting mixed reviews following their big draft weekend. By Sunday night, the team鈥檚 analytics gurus selected a whopping 14 players 鈥� and it鈥檚 a diverse group. Our commentator says this new stats approach to picking players kept fans guessing and waiting.
Terry Pluto says once the Browns started picking, they didn鈥檛 stop. The team made five trades and ended up selecting 14 players. Among those, they stacked up four receivers and onequarterback.
"Fourteen players in a seven-round draft matches an NFL record for the most players taken by a team in any draft," Pluto says. "Usually you don鈥檛 want more than seven or eight because it鈥檚 hard to keep all those rookies on the roster."
But, Pluto says the Browns need a lot of players at almost every position. He says the strategy is to get as many as you can and see who comes out on top.
"You have one [receiver] that you really like, [picked 15th overall] then the rest are all in the fifth round. Out of there, you鈥檙e hoping to find one," he says.
"The more of them you have, the more likely you鈥檒l find the infamous diamond in the rough."
Taking a risk
Pluto says the Browns are willing to take players that come with some baggage.
"Sometimes they鈥檒l even draft a player who鈥檚 injured." And, they did. The last player they picked was Arizona linebacker .
"In 2014, he was a really good player 鈥� had he come into the draft then, he probably would have been in the first three rounds. But he鈥檚 had some injuries, so the Browns took him in the last round and we鈥檒l see if he heals and they might get what they call good value."
He says, if it doesn't work out, the Browns won't lose much.
"Your first year salary is about all that鈥檚 guaranteed. A guy like Scooby Wright, he鈥檒l probably be guaranteed $50,000, which, in the NFL, is nothing."
Building a team for the future
Pluto says that the Browns 2016 draft shows that they're going to be a young team that will lose a lot of games. "Next year, they have two picks in the first round, two in the second round, they鈥檒l probably have at least 12. I won鈥檛 be surprised if they have at least 14 when they鈥檙e done."
Still, Pluto likes this new direction.
"It's a big change from 2014 -- the infamous Johnny Manziel draft. They went into the draft with 10 picks and they only took six players. They traded some picks to move up. So, is this going to work? I have no idea. But I like the concept," Pluto says.
The coach picks an unlikely quarterback
Pluto says the one quarterback the Browns selected, USC's , was a target of coach Hue Jackson, who told the media, "Trust me on this one."
"All the draft guys had Kessler being a fifth-rounder or sixth-rounder or maybe not even drafted." Pluto says. "They took him late in the third round. I asked Hue what鈥檚 so special about him; he said accuracy."
"Chicken Soup for the Soul" of drafts
The Browns also picked some players with backgrounds that tug at the heart strings. "It鈥檚 kind of 'Chicken Soup for the Soul' for Browns fans," Pluto says. "They have all these uplifting stories.
One of those is offensive lineman out of Auburn.
"He was a top high school player from Mississippi when he signed to go to Auburn. He doesn鈥檛 feel well when he gets on campus. He spends two years battling this very acute form of leukemia. Comes back and ends up getting drafted."
Another heartwarming story is that of defensive end out of Oklahoma State. He's a native of Nigeria.
"His dad was a pastor there and they left when he was 9 because of persecution. He was the top defensive player in the Big 12."
Trust in the coach
Pluto says he's not sure whether the new draft strategy will work, but he likes the man who's in charge of the team on the field.
"I feel pretty good about [Hue Jackson] because he鈥檚 very experienced. This is like America鈥檚 most optimistic man. But if you鈥檙e coming into the Browns where they鈥檙e horrible all the time, it helps to be the most optimistic man in the world."
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