2012 NFL Scouting Combine: Post-Combine Cleveland Browns Mock Draft

Ohio State had four players at the 2012 NFL combine and none of them had particularly high class performances, but none of them were really expected to be world beaters in the first place.

Wide Receiver DeVier Posey got the biggest boost grade wise, earning a 76.5 score from NFL.com after his combine performance, tops among Ohio State players and 13th overall among wide receivers.

From a Cleveland Browns look at things, not much changed with Robert Griffin III having an absolutely sparkling performance to keep himself likely at the second overall position on most draft charts. It's still unclear if the Browns will be able to muster enough to take the pick from St. Louis, or if they even want to do so.

For more on the Ohio State Buckeyes, check out Along The Olentangy. For more on the Cleveland Browns, head to Dawgs By Nature. More on the NFL Combine and Draft can be found at the 2012 NFL Draft hub at SB Nation.

The Cleveland Browns have quite a few needs going into this offseason, but they already made one of the biggest moves of the offseason so far by extending inside linebacker D’Qwell Jackson for a few more years, solidifying that position and the leadership of their defense.

Now, for the past week or so, the Browns’ focus has been on building through the draft, specifically scouting the new group of guys that will be entering the NFL at the annual scouting combine.

For a while now, everyone has been saying the Browns are the front-runners to land Baylor’s Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III, and for good reason. Cleveland has a need at quarterback, and they have two first round picks with which they could dangle in a trade, potentially.

The St. Louis Rams have let it be known that they are posturing to deal the pick, likely sometime shortly after the new league year begins on March 13th. They are reportedly seeking a similar deal to what the Chargers got for Eli Manning back in 2004, which included two first round picks.

From what I’ve been hearing, the Browns are not very high on trading both of their first round picks this year to move up just two spots to take RG3, which makes a lot of sense to me. The idea has been floated around that the Washington Redskins are more likely to move up because of the relationship of the front offices between the Redskins and Rams.

If the Browns are unable to make a deal to move up and get RG3, I still think they can have a really effective draft. Here’s my latest first round projection for Cleveland:

1. First Round, 4th overall: Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama

Not too many people will like the idea of taking a running back this early in the first round, but sometimes you just can’t ignore a prospect. Richardson is one of those guys, a player who a lot of people are saying is the best tailback to come out since Adrian Peterson or Darren McFadden.

Anything your team needs, Richardson can do, and he can do it well. He is built like a bowling ball, always runs hard, has great speed, is an effective receiver and blocker on third down, and he is a hard worker and high character guy off the field. He is every coaches dream, essentially.

The Browns likely won’t be retaining Peyton Hillis unless he takes somewhat of a discount to stay, which they would prefer, but if he winds up leaving Richardson could be a more than effective replacement. A future star in this league, perhaps.

2. First Round, 22nd overall: Brock Osweiler, QB, Arizona State

The writing is clearly on the wall for Colt McCoy. I don’t think that the Browns view him as a franchise quarterback, though I wish they did. I really like McCoy and think he needs to be given some targets before Cleveland demotes him, builds their team better, and lets some other QB take the credit.

Nevertheless, I think the Browns are in the market for a quarterback, and if there’s a guy they view as an eventual starter, they won’t hesitate to take him in the first round. In this case, they get the super-athletic former basketball player, Arizona State’s Brock Osweiler.

Osweiler is really raw and only has one year of starting experience under his belt, but he is a very gifted guy who is probably going to ‘wow’ people at his pro day. He has a very strong arm, good athleticism, and a lot of natural instincts and ability, a good feel for the game.

In the later portion of the first round, I think he would be a good fit and good value for the Browns, who did something similar in 2007 with two first round picks when they took Joe Thomas and Brady Quinn.

Obviously, a lot could change between now and the draft, but as of the end of the scouting combine, this is the first round combination I like for the Browns if they are unable to trade up and get Robert Griffin III, which may happen believe it or not.

The real meat of the NFL combine has come and gone, especially for the Cleveland Browns who were most interested in watching Robert Griffin III blow his competition out of the water. Blow them out of the water he did, and he'll probably still be the favorite for the Browns' first round selection assuming they feel like they have enough ammo to trade up for him.

Monday at the NFL Combine will see groups 7-9 featuring the defensive linemen and the linebackers at the combine do their final day of workouts and then depart from Indianapolis. Meanwhile, the final groups featuring the defensive backs will be doing their testing and interviews preparing for the final day of the combine on Tuesday.

A full schedule of the Combine can be found here.

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As expected, Robert Griffin III has been impressive with both his words and deeds at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis. But he may be exceeding those expectations and making sure he commands consideration for the second pick at the top of the NFL draft.

RGIII turned heads on Sunday morning when he initially ran a 4.41 40 time with a little hitch as he came out of his stance. He then backed up that time with a clean run at 4.38 seconds, easily the quickest QB among the bunch. Later in the combine broadcast on NFL Network, Cleveland Browns' quarterbacks coach Mark Whipple was seen engaged in a private conversation on the field with Griffin.

Cleveland would love a shot at Griffin with the fourth pick in the draft, but they may need to trade up to hold off other suitors for the Baylor quarterback. RGIII did not throw with his quarterback group at the combine, so how he performs during his pro day throwing session at Baylor will eventually set the market.

Wide receiver Marvin McNutt was one of the most productive wide receivers in Iowa football history, and he is rated by a lot of experts anywhere from a third to fifth round draft pick. McNutt measured in at about 6’3" 216 pounds at the Combine, and he said he had an interview with the Cleveland Browns.

McNutt had some of the biggest hands at the wide receiver position at the Combine at 10 inches, which helped him make some incredible grabs over the course of his college career.

This is a guy who is really underrated because he is not expected to run a fast 40 yard dash as a former quarterback, but McNutt is a very fundamentally sound wide receiver who is constantly improving and proving he can be an effective number one or two receiver at the next level. He has the ability to make plays down the field, across the middle, on the outside, on third down, and in the clutch. He is the type of guy who you rely upon to make big plays when the game is on the line, and that’s what he became known for at Iowa this past year, other than catching a ton of touchdown passes.

This would be a really nice fit, in my opinion. If the Browns are able to go out and get an upgrade at quarterback, or even if they stick with Colt McCoy, the quarterback could really benefit from having McNutt on his side. He is a big, reliable target who will go underdrafted because of his straight line speed.

The NFL Combine is now in full swing, heading into the third day of the proceedings. The offensive players from the first and second day are starting to get into the real meat of their working at the Combine and on Day 3, the defensive line and linebacker prospects from groups seven through nine are set to arrive. The new arrivals will, as the other arrivals have, do their medical exams, orientation and interviews on their first day, not leaving until Monday after all of their workouts have been completed.

The Cleveland Browns are probably not going to be looking at anyone arriving on Day 3 with day two arrival Robert Griffin III being their favored prospect with their top pick, but there's a chance that -- assuming they still have their 22nd overall selection come draft day of course -- they could pick one of the DL or LBs showing Friday to bolster their defense, perhaps a guy like USC DE Nick Perry.

Every player at the combine can be found on the official Invite List here.

For more information and updates on the 2012 NFL Scouting Combine, check SB Nation's NFL draft blog, Mocking The Draft. For more on the NFL in general, you can head to the SB Nation NFL hub at sbnation.com/NFL.

The opening day of the NFL Scouting Combine is usually more looked forward to just so that we can say that the combine has begun more than for the players who participate in it.

Day one of the combine will feature the first three groups of players arriving at Indianapolis, but no actual drills will be done until day four as the first gang of players go through orientations, medical exams, interviews and the like for the first few days. The first three groups will consist of the special teams players, offensive lineman and tight ends. There's not too many huge names in the group, as should probably be expected with those positions.

Day two of the combine will provide the intriguing offensive skill players when the quarterbacks, running backs and wide receivers arrive. Day three will provide most of the defensive players, and the defensive backs will show on day four.

Every player at the combine can be found on the official Invite List here.

For more information and updates on the 2012 NFL Scouting Combine, check SB Nation's NFL draft blog, Mocking The Draft. For more on the NFL in general, you can head to the SB Nation NFL hub at sbnation.com/NFL.

The 2012 NFL draft Combine officially kicks off on Wednesday as the first three groups of players, including most special team players, offensive line talent and tight ends, travel to Indianapolis for their registrations, medical exams and orientations.

It will be day 2 that likely has the most intrigue for media and draftniks as that is when Groups 4-6 arrive, consisting of the offensive position specialists at quarterback, running back and wide receiver. Each day will bring a new handful of groups, all staying for four days until February 28 when the final groups of defensive backs leave Indianapolis. The full schedule can be found at the official NFL Combine website.

For Ohio State Buckeyes will be taking part in the proceedings.

For more on the NFL Draft Combine, check out the SB Nation NFL hub at sbnation.com/NFL. For more on the local players from the Ohio State Buckeyes, check out Along The Olentangy.