This column was first published on LandLoyalty.com on April 27, 2011.
Tim Couch. Courtney Brown. Gerard Warren. William Green. Jeff Faine. Kellen Winslow. Braylon Edwards. Kamerion Wimbley. Joe Thomas. Brady Quinn. Alex Mack. Joe Haden.
In the NFL, where you’re good or you aren’t, drafts should be judged the same way. You worked out or you didn’t. Winslow and Edwards worked – for a while – but ultimately overstayed their welcome. Thomas is the only one you look back and say, without question, was the right pick. It’s probably too soon to call in the case of both Mack and Haden, but so far so good.
Faine, Winslow, Edwards and Wimbley have all hung around the league, but none have reached the summit you hope a first round pick will reach. Three for 12 – at best. That’s what it comes down to. A .250 batting average.
As much as the fans hate to admit it, we were all behind Dwight Clark taking Tim Couch. Some may have wanted Ricky Williams, but generally people wanted the franchise quarterback from the start. We had no reason not to be behind Courtney Brown – injuries just detailed what could have been.
Warren was the choice over Richard Seymour and LaDanian Tomlinson – a move Butch Davis is rumored to have insisted upon. Davis missed terribly on Warren and Green, but wasn’t COMPLETELY off with Faine or Winslow.
Phil Savage then took over and selected Edwards, Wimbley, Thomas and Quinn. Eric Mangini took Mack, and Tom Heckert took Haden.
So aside from Heckert, they’ve all hit … and they’ve all missed. That’s the nature of the beast. The important thing is to hit more than you miss, and Heckert generally has.
Some “critics” suggest a Draft is successful if you draft three guys who become starters. Last year the Browns took Haden, T.J. Ward and Colt McCoy who all started in at least half the games last year. Montario Hardesty and Shaun Lauvao both had setbacks in their first season with the Browns, but expectations are relatively high for both going forward. Some thought Hardesty would start last year before the emergence of Peyton Hillis, so four starters (banking on Lauvao cracking into the starting lineup on the right side of the line) and a change-of-pace back in one draft with the Browns? Solid draft to build a foundation on.
Heckert selected two starters for Philadephia in Jeremy Maclin (19th overall) and LeSean McCoy (53rd overall) in the 2009 Draft. He then had to wait 100 more picks as the Eagles didn’t hold another selection until the fifth round. Still, he came away with Macho Harris and Brandon Gibson, both of whom have started half the games they’ve appeared in over the last two years, albeit with different teams than the Eagles.
In both 2007 and 2008, the Eagles didn’t have a first round pick and still Heckert was productive. He stole DeSean Jackson (second round) in 2008 and in April of 2007 walked away with Kevin Kolb (second round), Stewart Bradley (third round) and Brent Celek (fifth round). His 2006 Draft, which failed to produce a headliner, has five guys that have started half of their games in the NFL, and another in Jason Avant who is solid.
I’m a huge believer in track records. When you examine the players Heckert has picked, there is no reason not to trust that he will vastly improve the team not only tomorrow night, but throughout the weekend.
With that said, I’m all behind Heckert. Call me a homer, but I think he has done a terrific job in the Draft over the years. I trust him completely.
We have all talked about the Draft since the Steelers pummeled the Browns back on January 2nd to end the season. This town loves the NFL Draft and I would bet the farm it comes up more in conversation than any other town. Since that first week in January people have asked me who I want the Browns to pick. Things are always changing in the NFL Draft, so I always say the same thing: I want who Tom Heckert wants.
It’s the safest thing to say. He’s usually right.
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