Monday, January 31, 2011

Defensive lineman or wide receiver the preferred 1st-round draft pick?

With the NFL draft still nearly three months away, many pundits feel the Cleveland Browns will select a wide receiver or defensive lineman with their first pick, the sixth overall in the draft.
Marla Ridenour of the Akron Beacon Journal writes about two players often mentioned as potential first-round Browns picks: Georgia wide receiver A.J. Green 

 
and North Carolina defensive end Robert Quinn.
Ridenour's early pick between the two, who are both juniors: 
On defense, the Browns have a few young players to build around in nose tackle Ahtyba Rubin, cornerback Joe Haden and safety T.J. Ward. But the defensive line last season was old and racked by injuries.
There is still no one who scares quarterbacks on a weekly basis. The Browns' sack leader was undrafted Marcus Benard, a situational player who started only two games. In 2010, the Browns went sackless in three in the six division games. They amassed seven sacks in the six games, but four came Oct. 3 against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Imagine how much better Rubin could look with a stud pass-rusher alongside him. Imagine the Browns finally finding someone who can get to Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. Imagine someone who can toss left tackles aside.
So in my mind, a No. 1 receiver can wait. At the moment, I'm all in for Quinn.

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