By Dennis Manoloff, The Plain Dealer
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- About 10 minutes into watching hours and hours of NFL Draft coverage on ESPN and NFL Network, or five minutes into reading about it on various Web sites and Twitter feeds, it became apparent that the majority of national analysts were unwilling to cut the Browns much slack. The slant did not change in the post-draft coverage. 
The pick of Alabama running back Trent Richardson third overall received high marks, but more than a few "experts" insisted Browns General Manager Tom Heckert got bluffed by Vikings GM Rick Spielman into giving up too much to move from No. 4. Never mind that nothing corroborated the claim: It sounded good, and involved the Browns, so it must have been true.
Beyond Richardson, the Browns might as well have selected 10 cardboard cutouts. The piling on was significant in the matter of No. 22 Brandon Weeden and reached a fever pitch for third-rounder John Hughes.
Weeden is a record-setting quarterback from Oklahoma State. He stands 6-4, has a quick release and throws fastballs all over the field, with accuracy. But he will be 29 in October and played in the spread offense, so he stands no chance to succeed at the next level. To hear the critics tell it, Weeden is:
• 75 years old and needs to be lifted from a wheelchair to join the huddle;
• Unable to throw a ball five yards;
• Making the transition from Pop Warner and won't be able to learn a single NFL play; and
• No better than an undrafted free agent.
That the Browns determined they needed an upgrade at the game's most important position did not matter. Nor did the reality that, after Weeden, there was a big dropoff in skill set and NFL readiness among his peers. That the Browns feared Weeden might not be there are No. 37 also was irrelevant. They "reached."
Just as knocks on Weeden's selection at 22 seemed to ease, Heckert opted for the relatively obscure Hughes, a defensive tackle from Cincinnati, at No. 87. Oh, the Hughesmanity! Cue the Hollywood director jokes.
In fairness to the national folks, local media and fans were down on the pick. Even the most ardent of Heckert supporters might struggle with John Hughes, let alone John Hughes at 87. His rating from numerous services was low, sometimes lower than low. Still, Heckert is paid to know infinitely more about these prospects and his team than those commenting on them, and Hughes had not even made it to rookie mini-camp.
By the end of the draft, the Browns had added: the best running back prospect since Adrian Peterson (Richardson); arguably the best pure passer in college football last year (Weeden); a starting right tackle (California's Mitchell Schwartz, No. 37); one of the fastest receivers in college football (Miami's Travis Benjamin, No. 100); depth to both lines and linebacker; and upgraded special teams.
Yet they were spinning their wheels.
The reception for Schwartz was lukewarm primarily because he was not named Bobby Massie, Jonathan Martin, Cordy Glenn or Mike Adams -- the right-tackle candidates who received much of the pre-draft publicity. Except that the earliest any of the other four went was No. 41 (Glenn), so every team except the Saints had a good look and passed. The supposedly superior Massie went 112th.
Perhaps instant second-guessing or thumb's down is the price the franchise pays for perpetual losing. Given that the picks were made by the lowly Browns, they must be busts-in-waiting. If you dare remotely "defend" the Browns, you are drinking brown-and-orange Kool-Aid or you are oblivious.
ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay kept pounding away on Weeden's inability to complete passes under pressure. No other quarterback struggles under pressure; just Weeden. Then McShay kept gushing about Boise State running back Doug Martin, who went 31st to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Martin was the second running back off the board. (Remember, though, the Browns were foolish to think Tampa Bay, whose first pick originally was No. 5, might want to trade up to No. 3 to get Richardson).
McShay was so excited about Martin, he stated in a post-draft show that Martin will finish his rookie year with more yards from scrimmage than "T-Rich." McShay must have had Jim Brown in his ear.
It was interesting to monitor the love for Martin and the dissing of Weeden. Critics could not wait to say Weeden played against suspect pass defenses, ignoring that Weeden played in the same conference, the Big 12, as Heisman Trophy winner and No. 2 pick Robert Griffin III. When assessing Martin, though, Boise State's comparatively inferior schedule was not held against him.
Weeden took hits for having the audacity to have Justin Blackmon as his principal target at Oklahoma State. If not for Blackmon, the storyline went, Weeden would have been average, at best. When assessing Martin, though, the fact that he played with quarterback Kellen Moore had nothing to do with his success. No running room became available as defenses were busy accounting for Moore, who finished with a mere 14,667 passing yards and 142 touchdowns in his four-year career.
While the Browns could do little right after Richardson in the eyes of the analysts, the rest of the AFC North repeatedly drafted 10-year Pro Bowlers.
The Steelers were lauded for taking Stanford guard David DeCastro at 24 -- and rightly so. DeCastro likely will be very good. But the endless praise for Pittsburgh's pick of Ohio State offensive tackle Mike Adams at No. 56 qualified as over the top. Suddenly, simply because he was going to Pittsburgh, Adams was going to be super-strong, a citizen of the year, and a "steal."
Miami (Fla.) outside linebacker Sean Spence was a middle-round projection according to numerous scouting services. In the run-up to the draft, there was minimal buzz surrounding Spence. But as soon as Pittsburgh took him at No. 86, he morphed into Joey Porter or James Farrior.
A strong case could be made that the Browns got the better linebacker prospect in James-Michael Johnson, a fundamentally sound player with a knack for finding the football. The Browns took him with their second pick of the fourth round, No. 120, but it barely registered a blip. At least NFL Network's Charles Davis had the guts to say he was bullish on Johnson.
The biggest example of Steeler bias showed through when Florida scatback and special-teams ace Chris Rainey was taken at No. 159. Rainey has talent, but his name only was whispered in the weeks leading to the draft. Why? Because of health and character concerns -- especially character concerns. All of the drawbacks vanished when the Steelers came calling. Rainey instantly became a multi-talented weapon who automatically will "fall in line."
The Bengals were universally applauded for taking Alabama cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick (No. 17), Wisconsin guard Kevin Zeitler (No. 27) and Penn State defensive tackle Devon Still (No. 53) with their top three. All quality prospects, to be sure. But the fawning over Rutgers receiver Mohamed Sanu (No. 83), Clemson defensive tackle Brandon Thompson (No. 93) and Georgia tight end Orson Charles (No. 116) was puzzling.
Sanu is hit-or-miss, as with most receivers in the class. Thompson wasn't as good as a senior as he was as a junior. Charles comes with baggage and is part of a weak tight-end class, but some made him sound like the next Tony Gonzalez.
The Ravens are known for their great drafts, so of course their first overall pick, Alabama linebacker/defensive end Courtney Upshaw (No. 35), is going to be a beast. Never mind that he slid because he is a 'tweener; he is going to be mentored by Ray Lewis, which means he will be the next Ray Lewis. Suddenly, Iowa State offensive tackle Kelechi Osemele (No. 60) is a high-value pick.
Even the biggest Ravens apologists were not sold on the remainder of Baltimore's draft. But Benjamin's teammate, receiver Tommy Streeter (No. 198), is undervalued for the same reason as Benjamin: Miami's inconsistent quarterback play.
http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/2012/05/national_pundits_apply_quite_a.html
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