Michael W. Youngman--Lead Analyst C.B.R.
When looking around the NFL over the years you will see a trend when referring to the success of a team’s draft. Specifically when looking at a franchise’s management regime and its success or failure being tied to a quarterback selection. When a team reaches high for a quarterback, it becomes a double edged sword. This is the situation that Holmgren and Heckert now find themselves in with their selection of Brandon Weeden with the 22nd overall pick.
It is no secret in the NFL that a bust selection in the first round can be detrimental to a team and set their progress back for years. No franchise knows that better than the Browns. With Picks like Courtney Brown, Brady Quinn, Braylon Edwards, and Gerard Warren the Browns franchise has been in a perpetual restart mode. But none is as damaging as that highly coveted 1st round quarterback. Draft busts like Ryan leaf, J.P. Losman, and Akili Smith have spelled the end of couches and GM careers.
Looking at the selection of quarterback Brandon Weeden with the 22d pick is particularly unique. He is not your typical college prospect. He is a 28 year-old rookie who spent time in the Yankees minor league farm system before giving up his Major League dreams and going to Oklahoma State as a QB. Selecting him ahead of other quarterbacks in this draft like Kirk Cousins from Michigan State (who appears to be more polished), is a statement that they feel that Weeden will end up being a huge payday for the Browns franchise.
And this pick has other repercussions that compound the issue and make his high selection even more like a “high stakes” move. Taking a quarterback in the first round is directly contrary to the statements of support that Heckert, Holmgren, and Shurmur have given to Colt McCoy during this off-season. We now know that the Browns’ brain trust do not feel that the team could win with him, and a trade in McCoy’s future is now a distinct possibility.
Put this all together and the formula is simple. If Weeden wins games, H&H will be geniuses. If Weeden is just another failed project in the Browns QB carousel, then H&H will probably find themselves unemployed.
But only time will tell us how this all plays out. Only the future will tell us if we are on the path to glory once again, or if we will be starting over from scratch. For me, I hope it’s the former, rather than the later. I will put my faith in H&H and hope that they see something in Weeden that I do not. Because I am not sure how much more this city, or this fan base can take.
http://www.clevelandbrownsreport.info/2012/04/cleveland-browns-selection-of-brandon.html
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