Cleveland Browns Redraft:2001
After redoing the 1999 and 2000 drafts for the Cleveland Browns, this team would have most of the key pieces to being a powerhouse for the next several years. They would have future Pro Bowlers at quarterback (Tom Brady), wide receiver (Donald Driver, Laveranues Coles), offensive line (Chris Samuels, Brian Waters), defensive end (Jevon Kearse, Aaron Smith, Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila, Adewale Ogunleye), linebacker (Joey Porter, Brian Urlacher, Adalius Thomas), saftey (Mike Brown), and special teams (Mike Schneck, Dante Hall). They would also have a roster of solid players in other positions, and possibly another Pro Bowl player in Jeff Saturday (signed as a free agent in 1999). Now in year three, the draft can be used to fill some holes to solidify this team for years to come.
2001 Redraft
Round 1: RB LaDainian Tomlinson
Original pick: DT Gerald Warren. “Big Money” could be labelled BIG BUST. The third pick overall, Warren never lived up to expectations. His 61 tackles his rookie year has been a career high. Whereas Courtney Brown, the 2000 overall pick by the Browns, was hampered by injuries, Warren just never seemed motivated. He played in all but four games during his time in Cleveland. After four mediocre years in Cleveland, he took his high-expectation, low-performace show to Denver, where he was cut after two years. He’s now with the Raiders.
The fifth overall pick, Tomlinson has missed only one game during his seven-year career. He’s averaging 1,521 yards rushing, 482 yards receiving, and 16 TDs. He’s made the Pro Bowl every year excet his rookie year, when he rushed for “only” 1,236 yards and 10 TDs. In 2003, he became the first player in NFL history to rush for 1,000 yards and record 100 receptions in the same season. For the record, I was begging Cleveland to draft him, and pissed when they took Warren.
Round 2: DT Kris Jenkins
Original pick: WR Quincy Morgan. Morgan is another former Brown that showed flashes of greatness, but could never turn the corner of becoming a star. His second year in Cleveland was his best (56 rec., 964 yards, 7 TDs). But two years later, had fallen out of graces with the organization and traded mid-year to Dallas. He spent the following year with Pittsburgh, only making nine catches, and played sparingly with Denver in 2007.
Jenkins would fill the need for a stud defensive tackle on a team loaded with talented ends. Outside his two injury-plagued seasons of 2004 and 2005, Jenkins has been the anchor of the Panthers defense. When healthy, he averages over 40 tackles and 4 sacks a season. His best single season in sacks was 2002 with seven. He’s made the Pro Bowl three times (2002, 2003, 2006).
Round 3: Steve Smith
Original pick: RB James Jackson. Jackson had a decent rookie year, rushing for 554 yards in 11 games. He was soon nonexistent the next three years in Cleveland, rushing for a total of 517 yards, before going to Green Bay later in 2004. He spent 2005 with Arizona, but didn’t see any playing time.
Smith made a mark his rookie year as a dangerous kick returner. He les all rookies in net yardage with a 1,994 yard, and finished fourth in the NFL in that category in 2001. This performance earned him a Pro Bowl berth as a kick returner. The next year, he became a starting wide receiver, making 54 receptions for 872 yards. In 2005, Smith lead the league in receptions (103), yards (1563), and TDs (12). With the exception of 2004, where he was out all but one game with an injury, Smith has averaged 90 receptions, 1,210 yards, and 9 TDs the last four years despite being the only deep threat on the Panthers. In addition to going his rookie year as a returner, Smith returned to the Pro Bowl in 2005 and 2006.
Round 4: G/T Floyd Womack
Original pick: DB Anthony Henry. Henry was with the Browns for four years, becoming a regular starter in his second year. In 2005, he signed with Dallas as a free agent. He’s averaged 59 tackles and four interceptions a season. Nicknamed “Pork Chop,” Floyd Womack has played in 75 games over the last seven years with the Seahawks, starting 33 of them. He can play both guard and tackle. He would have been the local pick of this draft, having played high school football at Cleveland East.
Round 5: CB Nick Harper
Original pick: LB Jeremiah Pharms. Pharms never made it to training camp after a drug-related shooting arrest two weeks after the draft. He spent 27 months in a correctional facility and now plays in the Arena League. Nick Harper went undrafted, but signed with the Colts. His best year was in 2003, his first as a starter, with 98 tackles and four interceptions. He’s recorded at least 66 tackles and three INTs every year since. He joined the Tennessee Titans as a free agent in 2007.
Round 6: WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh
Original pick: CB Michael Jameson. Jameson was with Cleveland for five years, but only saw action in three. He started one game. Slipping to the seventh round, Housmandzadeh played sparingly during his first three years with the Bengals. He broke out in 2004 with 73 catches for 978 yards and four TDs. During the last four seasons, he’s averaged 88 receptions, 1,040 yards and eight TDs a season. Housmandzadeh made the Pro Bowl for the first time in 2007 with 112 catches for 1,143 yards and 12 TDs.
Round 7: RB Dominic Rhodes
Original pick: G Paul Zukaukas. Zukaukas played four years for the Browns, starting 18 games. Rhodes signed with the Colts after going undrafted in 2001. He played in 15 games his rookie year, starting 10 in place of the injured Edgerrin James. That year, Rhodes rushed for 1,104 yards and nine TDs. He was out for all of 2002, and touched the ball sparringly the next three years behind James. After James left via free agency, Rhodes split time with rookie Joseph Addia, rushing for 641 yards and five TDs. He left as a free agent the following year for Oakland, but at out the first four games due to violating the NFL’s Substance Abuse Policy, and never did much on the field once he returned. He was then released, and resigned with the COlts for 2008.
Round 7: MLB Antonio Pierce
Original pick: WR Andre King. King played four years for Cleveland, amassing 30 receptions for 327 yards and no touchdowns for his career. Undrafted, Pierigned with Washngton and had a decent rookie year (52 tackles). He didn’t see the field much the next two years, but broke out in 2004 replacing the injured Michael Barrow. He recorded 112 tackles (85 solo) and two interceptions. He then signed with the Giants, recording 99 tackles in only 13 games, and 137 the following year (107 solo). His 2006 season earned him a Pro Bowl berth. This past year, he recorded 103 tackles (77 solo).
2001 Redraft Summary
The original 2001 draft breaks down like this over eight picks:
- one defensive tackle (1)
- two wide receivers (3)
- one running back (4)
- two cornerbacks (6)
- one linebacker (7)
- one offensive lineman (8)
Outside of the Jeremiah Pharms disaster, every player logged at least four years in the league, and three are still active. Henry is the only one that’s turning into a respectible starter. Better draft than the previous two years, but that’s like preferring getting attacked by bees verses a lion. The bee attack is less painful and life threatening, but still sucks. Now let’s compare it to the redraft (no extra picks this year):
- two running backs (2)
- one defensive tackle (3)
- two wide receivers (5)
- one offensive lineman (6)
- one cornerback (7)
- one linebacker (8)
Just about the same picks, with an extra running back instead of an extra corner. In fact, the first three picks in both drafts addressed the exact same positions, just in a different order. The new draft picked up three multi-time Pro Bowl selections (the first three picks I might add), and two other Pro Bowl selections. Plus, every player is still in the league, and only two aren’t starting for their current teams. The redraft is definitely a major improvement over what the Browns actually selected that year.
Review of the Three Redrafts
Here’s where it gets painful to look. If the three drafts occured as I redid them, here’s likely what the starting lineups would be at this point:
- QB: Tom Brady
- FB: Dan Kreider
- RB: LaDainian Tomlinson
- WR: Steve Smith/Laveranues Coles
- WR: Donald Driver/T.J. Houshmandzadeh
- TE: Desmond Clark
- C: Jeff Saturday/Todd McClure
- G: Brian Waters
- G: Randy Thomas
- T: Chris Samuels
- T: Jon Jansen
- DT: Kris Jenkins
- DT: Kelly Gregg/Alvin McKinley
- DE: Jevon Kearse
- DE: Adewale Ogunleye/Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila
- MLB: Brian Urlacher
- OLB: Joey Porter
- OLB: Adalius Thomas
- CB: Mike McKenzie
- CB: Nick Harper
- SS: Mike Green
- FS: Mike Brown
Assuming these guys would play that they are, the new Cleveland Browns would likely be the elite team in the league and be in a position to win multiple Super Bowls. Compare this to their actual picks, which produced one decent starter in Anthony Henry. It’s no surprise the Browns struggled like they did out of the gate, and just now showing signs of being a playoff contender. It’s worth noting that this was the last draft run by Dwight Clark before he was forced to resign. Looking back, he had absolutely no eye for talent. Next I’ll look at the 2002 draft and see if Butch Davis did any better.
