NFL Draft 2015: 5 best team draft classes
By Brad Rowland
Cleveland Browns
This is bizarre.
Blasting the Browns and their draft habits has become an annual tradition in the NFL world, but I actually love what Cleveland did. The Browns had two picks in the top-20, and rather than trade up (a true Cleveland move in the past), they stayed put and selected two foundational pieces on the offensive and defensive lines. Danny Shelton is a monster on the interior of a defensive line, and while I’m not sure where Cameron Erving will play as a rookie, he is the best pure offensive line prospect in this entire class.
Nailing the two first-rounders was huge, but the Browns did manage to pick up a few quality additions later in the draft. I loved the Duke Johnson selection in Round 3, and if he can simply stay on the field, he may be the best running back on the Cleveland roster as rookie. He’s that good. Second-rounder Nate Orchard should pay immediate dividends as part of the pass-rush rotation as well, and that is plus.
The icing on the cake was the selection of Oregon cornerback Ifo Ekpre-Olumu in the seventh round. Ekpre-Olomu’s stock submarined as a result of injury issues, but by snatching him in the seventh, the Browns can basically burn his rookie year as a recovery stint and he was seen as a potential first-round selection prior to the 2014 season.
The Cleveland Browns did smart things in the NFL Draft. What a world.
Next: New York Jets