The Cleveland Browns are getting high marks for their NFL draft performance. The team selected 10 players this past weekend, including a potential quarterback of the future.
WKSU commentator Terry Pluto says the Browns played it safe with their No. 1 overall pick, defensive end Myles Garrett of Texas A&M.
"This is one of the few times where the old-fashioned football guys and the newfangled analytics guys got together and shook hands on the same name."
Other notable picks include Michigan safety Jabrill Peppers and Miami tight end David Njoku.
Who will be the quarterback?
Pluto says the Browns resisted the temptation to draft North Carolina quarterback and Mentor native Mitchell Trubisky, who was selected by the Chicago Bears No. 2 overall.
"He was considered the best quarterback in this draft but not considered an elite prospect. He was the best of a bad lot."
Pluto says NFL teams have a tendency to get quarterback trigger-happy with a No. 1 pick, but he's glad the Browns decided to wait another year.
“I’ve read things like, 'Well they’ve just kicked the can down the right road.' Just because you want a certain type of player doesn’t mean you should take them just because they’re there," he says.
Enter DeShone Kizer
In the second round, the Browns selected Notre Dame quarterback DeShone Kizer. And Pluto likes the move. "He checks all the boxes. He's 21-years-old, 6-foot-4 and 230 pounds. He has a strong arm."
And Pluto says playing at Notre Dame means Kizer is ready for Cleveland weather, unlike several picks in recent past from Texas (Colt McCoy and Johnny Manziel) and Oklahoma (Brandon Weedon).
Pluto says Kizer was inconsistent last year at Notre Dame and hopes the Browns decide to wait to play him. "They should open the season with Cody Kessler at quarterback and Brock Osweiler as a back up "and find out if Kizer is going to be who you expect."
Needing a star QB
Pluto says fans are clamoring for a franchise quarterback now, but he says it's important to understand that "only about seven of those exist in the NFL, and there's only about a dozen players out there who could actually be a good quarterback in the NFL."
"In team sports, the hardest position to play is quarterback. That’s why so many teams, not just the Browns, are looking for one. It’s also why so many mistakes are made at quarterback, because it’s hard to do.
"A lot of times quarterbacks are set up to fail because they’re thrown in too soon."
