SBN NFL Mock Draft 1/31: If Available, Da'Quan Bowers Still The Man For Browns

In Brian Galliford’s latest mock draft on SB Nation, defensive players are running the show, as eight of the top ten picks are either linebackers, cornerbacks or linemen. The other two are A.J. Green from Georgia and Alabama’s Julio Jones.

The top of the draft is a bit of a mystery, since so many new coaches are in play, and so many of the defensive linemen are seemingly interchangeable. Galliford believes that if he slips to #6, the Browns would take Da’Quan Bowers from Clemson, as a result of Dick Jauron’s focus in the 4-3 defense, and the sheer fact that the Browns need pass rushers badly.

The Browns are in good shape, regardless of how the first five picks shape up. Nick Fairley, Robert Quinn, Patrick Peterson, A.J. Green, Von Miller, Marcel Dareus and Prince Amukamara would all help the Browns, as their main needs are at the WR position and all over the defense.

CB might be a bit of a stretch, but if a guy like Peterson or Prince are available, the Browns could look that direction to give Cleveland a very strong 1-2 punch with Joe Haden.

Here is the Top Ten as it stands today:

1. Carolina Panthers: Nick Fairley, DT, Auburn. Fairley is still the slight early front-runner to be the first player off the board this April, as he would be a great fit in Ron Rivera’s defense. His character concerns – however minor – are all that stand in the way of his being the first defensive lineman selected this April after a dominant junior season.

2. Denver Broncos: Robert Quinn, DE, North Carolina. With Denver moving back to a 4-3 defense under John Fox, there’s a great chance that they look to complement Elvis Dumervil at end. Nobody’s talking about Quinn right now – with good reason, considering how his 2010 went – but rest assured that they will be following the Combine.

3. Buffalo Bills: Patrick Peterson, CB, LSU. There are several different directions that Buffalo could go here, but almost all of them are on the defensive side of the football. Peterson might be the only junior to get positive reviews from the Senior Bowl, and he’d fit a growing need for a Bills team that has seen its DB depth depleted of late.

4. Cincinnati Bengals: A.J. Green, WR, Georgia. Terrell Owens is on his way out of Cincy, and given that Chad Johnson Ochocinco Johnson is fed up with Marvin Lewis, it’s safe to assume he’s soon to follow T.O. Green is not only the best player available here, but fills a need – and could help keep the disgruntled Carson Palmer happy.

5. Arizona Cardinals: Von Miller, OLB, Texas A&M. Miller, a 3-4 rush linebacker at A&M, played outside linebacker in a 4-3 at the Senior Bowl, and handled the responsibility shift extremely well. He proved that he is versatile and athletic enough to cover; combined with his rush ability, he’s an absolutely perfect fit in Arizona’s 3-4 under system.

6. Cleveland Browns: Da’Quan Bowers, DE, Clemson. Dick Jauron is Cleveland’s new defensive coordinator, and early signs are that the Browns will be moving back to the 4-3. If Bowers is available to them, he’d have to be the pick, as Cleveland isn’t equipped with personnel that could handle end in that system, aside from free agent Matt Roth.

7. San Francisco 49ers: Prince Amukamara, CB, Nebraska. The Boston Celtics drafted Larry Bird as a draft-eligible junior, signing him a year later. Does anyone doubt that Jim Harbaugh wishes he could do the same with Andrew Luck? With no QB a lock here, the Niners would do well to add Amukamara to help replace the fading Nate Clements.

8. Tennessee Titans: Marcell Dareus, DT, Alabama. This is the hot spot for the first quarterback off the board, but if Dareus were available to the Titans, they’d give him serious consideration. Tennessee needs better players along its defensive line (aside from free agent Jason Babin), and Dareus has elite potential.

9. Dallas Cowboys: Cameron Jordan, DE, California. With the top two corners off the board, Dallas can simply take the best defender available. There’s little doubt that that’s Jordan here, who drew rave reviews from the Senior Bowl after dominating a surprisingly good group of blockers in 1-on-1 drills during three straight practices last week.

10. Washington Redskins: Julio Jones, WR, Alabama. This would be an intriguing scenario for Mike Shanahan, who would have his pick of the quarterback crop here. They’d still give serious consideration to Jones, one of the draft’s most under-appreciated prospects that some believe will be a better pro than Georgia’s Green.

First Mock For Banks Has Browns Targeting DE

Don Banks of Sports Illustrated released his first 2011 Mock NFL Draft and he includes a name I haven’t seen tied to the Browns yet – DE Robert Quinn from North Carolina. Yes, the same UNC coached by former Browns head coach Butch Davis.

Quinn has the size – 6-5, 270 – and burst to be an elite pass rusher in the NFL. He also comes with baggage. Quinn missed his entire junior season after being ruled ineligible for receiving improper benefits from a sports agent. That means Quinn is talented, but rusty and it is hard to say what you’ll get once he returns to the field.

Banks, however, is convinced that Quinn could be a solution for the Browns:

Quinn is quite the story. He has overcome a brain tumor as a high school senior, posted a monster 11-sack sophomore season for the Tar Heels in 2009, and also sat out all of last year after being ruled ineligible for taking more than $5,600 worth of gifts and improper benefits from agents. But he’s an undeniable talent and his pass-rush burst off the edge makes him a prime candidate for a defense that’s switching to a 4-3 under new coordinator Dick Jauron.

NFL Draft Guru Kiper Thinks Browns Should Go DE Or WR With Sixth Pick

When Mel Kiper speaks, people listen. ESPN's resident draft expert makes the NFL Draft his life. And he has an opinion on the direction the Cleveland Browns should take come April.

"I think it's pretty easy to project the Cleveland Browns in terms of what they need and what will be there," Kiper said on a conference call today. "A.J. Green and Robert Quinn would be the two candidates.

Kiper goes on to say that drafting a WR is not as much as a faux pas as people think.

"I look back at Larry Fitzgerald. Would you have been shy about taking him? Would you have been shy about taking Andre Johnson? I don't think so," he said. "There's been other examples of guys going pretty early that have done very very well. I don't shy away from it. "You look at the sixth pick, it's not the first, second or third pick. A.J. Green is worthy of being one of the top guys. He's no. 3 on my board. Julio Jones (of Alabama) I have at 10. It's not like you're taking him No. 1 overall or No. 2. So I don't see the fear at six."

Of course, who gets taken in the first five picks will have a definite impact on the Browns' strategy in the Draft. There is no clear-cut number one, and each of the five teams ahead of the Browns have multiple needs both offensively and defensively.

The talent is very DL-heavy at the top of most mock drafts, but new coaches and their schemes come into play heavily as to which players fit the system best.

Regardless, no matter which player the Browns end up taking, they should be able to help immediately.

SBN 2011 NFL Mock Draft: Da'Quan Bowers To Browns?

With the Senior Bowl on the way, it's time to take another look at the SBN Mock Draft. The big news is obviously the rising stock of players like Nick Fairley and A.J. Green. With teams locking in their head coaches, the priorities start to come out a little more clearly. Three defensive linemen are projected in the top five, with Green and CB Prince Amukamara rounding out the list.

That leaves the Browns at No. 6.

6. Cleveland Browns: Da'Quan Bowers, DE, Clemson. Dick Jauron is in the fold as Cleveland's new defensive coordinator, so in addition to needing weapons for Colt McCoy, now they need to import 4-3 personnel. Bowers is a traditional 4-3 end that would be the cornerstone player in the team's new defensive system.

If Bowers slips to the sixth pick, I will be absolutely thrilled. Bowers was ranked as high as No. 1 on Mel Kiper's big board, and his "slip" is nothing more than teams reevaluating their needs. The point is, any of these six players could make a case for moving up or down a spot or two, and Bowers is as talented as any of the five above him.

The Browns need pass rushers, and Da'Quan had 16 sacks and 150 tackles a year ago. He played on an underachieving team, but that didn't stop him from being a unanimous All-American selection and earning the ACC Defensive Player of the Year. If by some miracle Bowers is available at the sixth pick, Browns fans should be elated.