Well, so much for high hopes from the experts, but who can blame them? The Cleveland Browns prospects aren't looking good according to the draft gurus, but mock drafts a week after the draft aren't exactly accurate to begin with. Regardless, fans can never stop thinking about future picks in general, and with the status of the NFL up in the air, it is at least a good diversion tactic.
With the consensus that Andrew Luck will be the first overall pick, Todd McShay thinks the Browns will not only be the worst team in football next year, but that the Colt McCoy experiment will be a failed one.
Luck is a once-in-a-decade kind of talent with all the tools to be an elite NFL quarterback. He returned to Stanford for the 2011 season even though coach Jim Harbaugh moved to the NFL, and the team with the No. 1 overall pick in 2012 should trade its existing quarterback to draft Luck. He's that good. If not, the pick will be up for public auction.
I understand what McShay is saying. Andrew Luck is too good to pass up, period. It is still mindblowing to me why he didn't come out this year, unless he really hates North Carolina--and that's bunk; I should know, I went to school there for four years. The debate on WKNR yesterday was a good one--if Colt is a good fit for the West Coast Offense, is it worth keeping him to pick up another stud with a high draft pick, or do you go with a potential All-Pro QB? Honestly, it's a toss-up in my opinion. But the point is moot since I truly do not believe Cleveland will be last in the NFL next year.
Andrew Perloff of SI.com has a similar mindset to McShay, but sees the Browns drafting third and going with Oklahoma's QB, Landry Jones.
3. Cleveland Browns: Landry Jones, QB, Oklahoma
The 6-foot-4 Jones has NFL size and arm strength and has proved a lot in college already. He threw 38 touchdowns and 12 interceptions last season and should put up Sam Bradford-like numbers this season.
So no one likes Colt. Poor guy. Mr. Real McCoy, I like you. You're good enough, you're smart enough, and people like you.
Obviously, a lot of this is contingent on how the Browns play and how Colt adjusts to the new offense. It is very well possible he has a decent season--he won in college, and he's a very heady player. But health and arm strength are always concerns, and he is still an unknown quantity at this point.
There's something exciting about watching a fresh quarterback grow and evolve as a player, and if McCoy has the right weapons around him, system QB or not, the offense could click. If that's the case, the Browns won't have to worry about this decision in the first place, and they can focus on continuing to build the defense.