By Terry Pluto, The Plain Dealer
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Talking to myself about the Browns and receivers.
Question: Why did you do it?
Answer: Do what? 
Q: Look at the Browns' recent history of drafting receivers? Do you like to suffer?
A: What do you think? I've been writing about Cleveland sports full-time since 1980.
Q: Isn't that the last time the Browns had good receivers?
A: Yes, the 1980s were everyone from Dave Logan to Reggie Rucker to Brian Brennan to Reggie Langhorne to Webster Slaughter. And Ozzie Newsome was one of the great pass-catching tight ends.
Q: Weren't those the days?
A: The answer is Webster Slaughter and Braylon Edwards.
Q: What's the question?
A: The last two Browns receivers to make a Pro Bowl: Slaughter in 1990 and Edwards in 2007.
Q: Well, at least that's two.
A: That's two in 22 years. That's one since the team returned in 1999.
Q: Don't you think the quarterbacks are to blame, at least to some extent?
A: They don't help, but let's consider what has happened since 1999.
Q: You mean: Besides the losing . . . besides quarterbacks being replaced along . . . besides coaches and general managers being fired?
A: We're talking receivers, right? Well, since 1999, the only one picked in the first round is Edwards. He had one superb season in 2007 with 16 touchdown passes. Two years later, he was traded to the Jets. He's had some decent years. In the last two years, he has 20 total catches . . . 15 with San Francisco in 2011 and five this season with Seattle.
Q: Meaning what?
A: The Browns have taken eight receivers in the second round since 1999. That's right, EIGHT. Guess who has been the best of that group?
Q: Kevin Johnson?
A: He led the Browns in receptions from 1999 to 2002. For four years, he caught the ball. The longer I watch Browns receivers, the more I appreciate Johnson and guys with good hands. But after he left the Browns, he only caught 52 more passes and retired after the 2005 season.
Q: The point?
A: They took Dennis Northcutt (2000), Quincy Morgan (2001) and Andre Davis (2002) in the second round. Northcutt had value as a slot receiver and returner. Morgan often appeared to be trying to catch the ball with two pingpong paddles for hands. After he left the Browns, he caught only 31 more passes. Davis was a sprinter, a returner and a marginal receiver. He played five more years after leaving the Browns, catching a total of 63 passes.
Q: I repeat, the point?
A: Brian Robiskie was a second-round pick in 2009. He was cut by the Browns, cut by Jacksonville. Travis Wilson was a third-round pick in 2006. He caught two passes for the Browns, was cut and hasn't played since.
Q: What are you trying to say?
A: It's not as if these receivers leave the Browns and become stars, as Keenan McCardell did in the middle 1990s. Most of them had their best seasons here, and most of those years were mediocre or worse. So it's not as if the Browns mishandle their receivers, who then figure out the NFL when they play for another team. They just draft the wrong guys, over and over.
Q: Why are you trying to depress everyone?
A: It hasn't mattered who did the drafting, who was the coach and who threw the passes -- the Browns have picked nine receivers in the first or second round since 1999 . . . and they rarely get it right.
Q: Didn't the current Browns regime seem to think the West Coast offense would help the receivers?
A: Yes. Along with changing quarterbacks. But Greg Little dropped balls for Colt McCoy, and now he's dropping them for Brandon Weeden. He has 17 drops in 20 NFL games.
Q: Should the Browns have picked Justin Blackmon instead of Trent Richardson?
A: Josh Gordon (a supplemental second-round Browns pick in 2012) is having a similar start to his pro career. He's caught seven passes for 93 yards. Blackmon has 10 catches for 79 yards. Jacksonville traded up to pick the Oklahoma State star at No. 5, and they want him to make an impact. So far, nothing.
Q: What about Gordon?
A: Other than having the obvious size (6-3, 220 pounds) and speed that make him look like he could be a viable NFL receiver, it's hard to know. Just as Little was a risky pick in 2011 because he didn't play the season before the draft, the same was true of Gordon. Browns General Manager Tom Heckert sees these two as having the athleticism needed by a receiver. Gordon started one year, catching 42 passes in 2010 for Baylor.
Q: And what about Little?
A: He was a star high school running back and played that position in his first two seasons at North Carolina. In 2009, coach Butch Davis switched Little to receiver, where he caught 62 passes. Then Little sat out 2010 for taking money from an agent. He did not come into the NFL with the reputation of having questionable hands -- something that was said about Braylon Edwards and Quincy Morgan in pre-draft reports.
Q: That history says what?
A: Little hasn't played much receiver. Yes, he had 12 drops but also caught 61 passes as a rookie, leading the team. Like Gordon, he hasn't played that much receiver in college or the pros. So, who knows? The key for both will be the coaching staff, along with their desire to improve.
Q: Wasn't Mohamed Massaquoi a second-round pick?
A: Eric Mangini took him (along with Robiskie) in 2009. Massaquoi caught 34, 36 and 31 passes in his first three seasons. He has nine catches this year, by far his best start. But then he missed the last game with a hamstring injury. He has been the team's most consistent receiver. Travis Benjamin (fourth round, 2012) has shown some promise, but it's so early in his career.
Q: Should the Browns have picked Julio Jones instead of making that trade?
A: In 2011, the Browns gave up the No. 5 pick to Atlanta for Jones. In return, they have these players to show for it: Phil Taylor, Brandon Weeden, Little and Owen Marecic. They also tossed in a third-rounder to move up and take Taylor, the defensive tackle who had a promising rookie season but has been injured this year.
Q: How has Jones played?
A: He caught 54 passes -- eight for touchdowns -- as a rookie. He has 16 catches and three touchdowns this season. He is receiving good reviews. He also plays with four-time Pro Bowl receiver Roddy White and a good quarterback in Matt Ryan.
Q: Was the deal worth it?
A: Too soon to know. A lot depends on Weeden. If he can establish himself as an effective quarterback, the Browns were smart to make it. If Taylor becomes a Pro Bowl-type defensive lineman as the Browns hope . . . if Little can catch the ball . . . lots of IFs. But I'll say the trade doesn't bother me because it did bring a lot of young talent to the Browns.
Q: Aren't you missing something?
A: What?
Q: Why don't the Browns sign a veteran free-agent receiver?
A: Fans have asked that for years. They have signed only one significant free-agent receiver since 1999 -- Joe Jurevicius. He's one of my favorite Browns of the new era. He caught 90 passes over two seasons (2006 and '07). But then he had a knee injury, a staph infection and several surgeries that ended his career. He was a good player, and these Browns could use someone like him now.
Q: So what's the bottom line?
A: Over and over, the Browns have dropped the ball when it comes to receivers. Maybe Massaquoi will stay healthy and develop a chemistry with Weeden. Maybe Little, Gordon and/or Benjamin will figure out the NFL. But definitely, the Browns should consider adding a veteran receiver in the off-season, no matter what happens with their young guys.
http://www.cleveland.com/pluto/blog/index.ssf/2012/09/if_only_the_cleveland_browns_c.html
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