By Mary Kay Cabot, The Plain Dealer
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- NFL Network draft expert Mike Mayock said Wednesday he "loves everything about'' Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III and that the Browns should do everything they can to land him in the draft, including trading up.
"As much as I like Colt McCoy, I still think they have to look to upgrade that position and I think they have to do whatever it takes to get there,'' said Mayock of grabbing Griffin. "If it's me, yeah, I'm looking at that real hard. I want to go get RG3.''
Mayock said he'd consider a free agent such as Green Bay's Matt Flynn, too, but that he'd focus on moving up to No. 2 and giving the Rams the Browns' No. 4 and No. 22 overall picks to take Griffin.
"If you're talking purely draft, I'm looking to move up to No. 2 as opposed to No. 3, because if I move to three what if the Redskins come up to two? Obviously I'd like to give less -- I'd rather not give up No. 22 also -- but I think that's shortsighted when you're talking about trying to secure your future at the most important position in all of sports.''
Mayock stressed that if the Browns draft Griffin, they'll need to adapt their offense to suit his strong arm and world-class speed instead of molding him to their West Coast offense.
"I thought the coaches around the NFL last year did a better job than with rookie quarterbacks than they’ve ever done,'' said Mayock. "They adapted some of their offense to suit what the rookie quarterback does best. Look at Cam Newton. Look at (Andy) Dalton. Look at (Christian) Ponder. They gave those kids chances to make plays in comfortable situations.
“If Cleveland moves up to get this kid, they have to make this kid comfortable. He’s too explosive and too much of a playmaker to have him just sit there and read the triangle the West Coast offense is. In other words, (new offensive coordinator) Brad Childress and that group of coaches in Cleveland is going to have to change some things to make this kid the playmaker he is.''
Mayock described Griffin as "one of the most gifted kids in the last several years in this draft.
"Is there some downside to Robert Griffin? Yes, there is. However, you probably have the opportunity to move up and get him if you want him, and to me that's a pretty exciting proposition to build your young franchise around maybe the most exciting player in this year's draft.''
He said Flynn would provide "a more conventional NFL-style attack, versus with Griffin, grab a hold of the seat of your pants and we're going for a ride. It might be really special, and on the other hand, it might not. I think it's intriguing.''
Mayock said that although he loves "everything about the kid,'' he does have one question, and that's where the shred of doubt comes in. "He doesn't throw with anticipation, mostly because he doesn't have to,'' said Mayock. "In that offense, there's minimal footwork and they spread it out so wide. He's got some talented, gifted receivers, and he's got great touch and accuracy in medium and deep (throws). He's got arm strength, he's got athletic ability, he takes hits, but he doesn't anticipate throws.
"He waits until they develop and then throws them. My only question is, will he develop it? You won't find it at the combine. Where I think you'll find it is when teams meet with this kid and they sit down and put the tape on and they break it down with him and talk football and ask him what he sees or doesn't see.''
Despite that, Mayock thinks the Heisman Trophy winner is well worth the two No. 1s.
"I think it will be a hell of a ride,'' he said. "The more tape I put on of this kid, the more fun I have watching him. I was pleasantly surprised by his pocket awareness, his eyes down the field, and his physical toughness is outstanding. He takes a lot of hits and it doesn't bother him. All of those things mean a lot to me. And again, the one "however'' piece of it is just that he's going to have to learn to anticipate and get the ball out of his hands more quickly so he doesn't continue to take those kind of hits.''
Mayock said Griffin brings the one element the Browns really need.
"The bottom line for me is that he's a playmaker,'' said Mayock. "Bottom line, he's a playmaker and that's what this league's all about, especially at that position.''
Mayock said the comparisons between Griffin and 2011 rookie sensation Cam Newton make no sense.
"I think RG3 is a more natural thrower of the football, even though Cam was also,'' said Mayock. "I think RG3 looks down the field and throws more routes, and I don't think we had any of the off-the-field issues that we had with Cam. From my perspective, you're looking at a clean kid and now you're just trying to evaluate the football piece of it. To me it's a completely different animal.''
He said Griffin's height -- he's listed as 6-2 but some might think he'll be closer to 6-1 at the combine -- won't be an issue.
"This kid I think is such a great athlete that he can find lanes differently and still keep his eyes down the field and still make plays,'' said Mayock. "He's not just a runner. I think people are getting hung up on that. I think he's a gifted thrower also.''
He said the Browns would have to be looking at Oklahoma State receiver Justin Blackmon and Alabama running back Trent Richardson if they don't draft Griffin.
"Blackmon and Richardson are two very logical people if you stay there at four,'' he said.
”The last (running back) you banged the table this hard for was Adrian Peterson when he came out of Oklahoma,'' said Mayock. "I think his height, weight speed toughness all adds up to a pretty solid pick. I would surmise absolutely (he's a good pick for the Browns).''
Villa meets Browns: The Browns confirmed that the manager of Randy Lerner's Aston Villa soccer team was here for a few days this week visiting with coach Pat Shurmur and other members of the organization.
Manager Alex McLeish was here to pick up coaching tips from Shurmur in the midst of his team on the verge of relegation from the English Premier League, according to the Associated Press.
Villa chief executive Paul Faulkner told the AP that MeLeish "is always looking for any advantage he can get and he felt this was an ideal opportunity to exchange ideas with his American counterparts at the Browns.”
http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/2012/02/nfl_networks_mike_mayock_think.html
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