Cleveland Browns 2010 Draft

2010 Browns NFL Draft

1st Round: Wanted: Eric Berry (taken at #5)
Revised: trade down, but if not: Derrick Morgan or Joe Haden
Actual: Joe Haden (My Grade: B+)
-would have preferred a trade-down after Berry was taken but Haden fills a major need

2nd Round: Wanted: Sergio Kindle, Taylor Mays, Golden Tate (all available at #38)
Actual: T.J. Ward (My Grade: C)
-I like the position, safety. big hitter, but everything fans don’t want to see from a draft pick in the second round: a bit of a reach with major injury concerns.
Montario Hardesty (My Grade: B-)
-will provide solid 1-2 punch with Jerome Harrison, decent value pick

3rd Round: Colt McCoy (My Grade: B+)
-I’m not a fan of McCoy as our franchise QB but it was worth the risk this late in the draft

Shawn Lauvao (My Grade: B-)
-I like the pick of a guard with Lauvao but think there may have been better options at his position.

5th Round: Larry Asante (My Grade: B)
-for a 5th round pick this guy has a ton of potential and talent. Not sure if he’ll ever get it right though but not a bad risk. Adds depth to the secondary and special teams

6th Round: Carlton Mitchell (My Grade: A-)
-this may turn out to be the best pick of this draft. Mitchell has been compared by draft guru Mel Kiper to Brandon Marshall and he has the athleticism and hands to be a steal of a wide receiver. Some outlets had him as high as a late 2nd round pick going into the draft

Clifton Geathers (My Grade: B)
-I know little about Geathers but he appears to have some raw athleticism as a 3-4 pass rusher. Not a bad pick to fill an area of need

Overall Draft Grade: B+
-I feel a ton better after this draft than last year (I wonder what changed?). We got a legitimate #1 corner with Haden, successfully overcoming the theft of Eric Berry by the Chiefs. T.J Ward was a puzzling pick but he is a huge hitter with potential if he stays healthy. Hardesty had only one good year at Tennessee but I liked what I saw from him as a compliment to Jerome. McCoy may be our franchise QB and if not, we only used a late 3rd round pick on him. Lauvao adds depth to the line and Geathers to the linebacking core. Asante has a chance to be very good and Carlton Mitchell may be this year’s Marques Colston. Only time will tell for this draft with a lot of “maybe” great players, but at the least I expect to see a lot of Haden and Hardesty in 2010-11.

Indians Trade Prospects - Where Are They Now?

Where Are They Now?

Indians prospects acquired in trades in 2008-09.



Acquired for: CC Sabathia

1B/OF Matt LaPorta- Cleveland (MLB), 25 years old, .252 average, 7 HR, 22 RBI in 61 career games

P Rob Bryson- Lake County (Low-A), 23 years old, 2-0 in relief, 3.86 ERA, 8 Ks, 1 BB

P Zach Jackson- traded to Toronto for Player to be Named Later

OF Michael Brantley- Cleveland (MLB), 23 years old, .284 average, 13 runs scored in 36 career games


Acquired for: Casey Blake

C Carlos Santana- Columbus (AAA), 24 years old, .417 average, 4 HRs, 14 RBI in 10 games


Acquired for: Paul Byrd

OF Mickey Hall- I can't find Mickey at the moment, he isn't on any of the minor league rosters and may be injured. Spent last season mostly at AA Akron



Acquired for: Mark DeRosa

P Jess Todd, Columbus (AAA), 24 years old, 6.75 ERA, 0-0 record, 5 Ks, 1 BB in 4 games out of pen, spent parts of 2009-10 in Cleveland



Acquired for: Ryan Garko

P Scott Barnes, Akron (AA), 23 years old, 0-1, 3.24 ERA, 4 Ks, 4 BBs in 2 starts


Acquired for: Rafael Betancourt

P Connor Graham, Akron (AA), 25 years old, 0-1, 10.61 ERA, 6 Ks, 8 BBs in 2 starts


Acquired for: Cliff Lee

P Carlos Carrasco- Columbus (AAA), 23 years old, 1-0, 2.92 ERA, 12 Ks, 6 BBs in 2 starts

IF Jason Donald- Columbus (AAA), 26 years old, .333 average, 10 runs in 10 games

C Lou Marson- Cleveland (MLB), 24 years old, .219 average, 6 RBI, in 29 career games

P Jason Knapp- Arizona (extended Spring Training), 19 years old, will be rostered later in the year


Acquired for: Victor Martinez

P Justin Masterson- Cleveland (MLB), 25 years old, 10-16, 3.90 ERA, 201 Ks, 102 BBs in 80 career games

P Nick Hagadone- Kinston (High-A), 24 years old, 0.00 ERA, 0-1 record, 8 Ks, 3 BBs in 2 starts

P Bryan Price- Akron (AA), 23 years old, 7.71 ERA, 0-2 record, 9 Ks, 3 BBs in 2 starts


Acquired for: Carl Pavano

P Yohan Pino- Columbus (AAA), 26 years old, 1.50 ERA, 2-0 record, 11 Ks, 2 BBs in 2 starts

Why do I want the Bulls in the First Round?

Path to Redemption

Chicago. Boston. Orlando. Los Angeles.

Four of the Cavaliers biggest rivals in the last 20 years and also their four likely opponents en route to a potential NBA Championship. This is our season, but it is also our path to redemption.

Chicago: Michael Jordan may be gone, but the sting of his "Shot" remains. Chicago has one coming for them for all the years of Jordan's bullying us around.

Boston: the taste of 2008's Eastern Semifinals is still a bitter one on my and many Cavs' fans tongues. The Celtics 15 bazillion NBA titles make them as hateable team as any.

Orlando: the biggest challenge to the Cavs in the East deserve some payback after last season's ECF upset.

Los Angeles: one of the greatest franchises in sports history, LeBron can silence his critics forever by beating Kobe in the Finals.

These are the four I want. GO CAVS!

Browns Land Two Starters in Trade

Good trade for the Browns. We give up two late round picks that we don't need (10 more on hand) and a linebacker whom Mangini and his staff didn't seem to like for a former Pro Bowl corner who still has some gas left in the tank at 31 years old and a young OLB with potential who will likely step in on the other side of Matt Roth.

This trade, and all of the Browns offseason moves, aren't flashy but they are solid and will go a long way towards "Building the Browns."


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Eagles CB Brown traded to Cleveland

ESPN.com news services
Philadelphia Trades CB Brown To Cleveland

CLEVELAND -- While their best defensive player was still in jail, the Cleveland Browns got some help for one of the NFL's worst units.

The Browns acquired cornerback Sheldon Brown and linebacker Chris Gocong in a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles for linebacker Alex Hall and two draft picks on Friday. The fourth- and fifth-round selections are the Nos. 105 and 137 overall in this month's three-day draft.

Brown and Cleveland promptly restructured his contract, a league source told ESPN Insider Adam Schefter.

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The Browns did not give Brown a boost in pay. But they converted a chunk of the money he had left on the last three years of his contract into guaranteed money paid in a signing bonus and added incentives.

Thus, Brown still has the three years left on his original contract, but a good portion has been paid out, the source told Schefter.

The trade was announced as Browns nose tackle Shaun Rogers -- a three-time Pro Bowler -- was being held after his arrest for trying to carry a loaded handgun onto a plane; he was charged later Friday with a fourth-degree felony and released later in the day on $1,000 bond.

. But time stops for nothing in the NFL, and the Browns agreed to terms of the deal pending physicals.

A Browns spokesman confirmed the trade but said the team will not comment until the physicals are completed.

Cleveland general manager Tom Heckert, who spent the previous four seasons as Philadelphia's GM, returned to his roots to continue an overhaul of the Browns' defense, which ranked last in the AFC last season and gave up less yardage than only the Detroit Lions.

Brown, a former Pro Bowler who hasn't missed a game since becoming a full-time starter in 2004, likely will move into Cleveland's starting lineup on the opposite side of Eric Wright, who made 16 starts last season at left cornerback. Brandon McDonald made six starts on the right side, with Mike Adams getting the other six.

Brown wanted a new contract from Philadelphia last season, and despite his unhappiness over the contract, Brown played through a hamstring injury last year and recorded a career-best five interceptions.

A second-round pick in 2002, he and Lito Sheppard replaced veterans Troy Vincent and Bobby Taylor after the 2003 season. They played a key role in helping the Eagles reach the 2005 Super Bowl.

Gocong started 35 games in four seasons with Philadelphia. He had just signed a one-year deal.

"Sheldon Brown has been a very good football player for the Eagles over the last eight years," Eagles coach Andy Reid said. "He's a good person, a legitimate tough guy and he'll do a good job helping the Browns. Chris did a good job converting from defensive end to linebacker and helped us win a lot of football games. We wish both of them all of the best."

Coming off a 5-11 season under first-year coach Eric Mangini, Heckert and new team president Mike Holmgren have been busy reshaping the Browns. Hall's departure follows those of quarterbacks Brady Quinn and Derek Anderson and linebacker Kamerion Wimbley, the team's top pass rusher.

The Browns reached when they selected Hall out of Division II St. Augustine in the seventh round in 2008. Physically gifted, he showed promise in recording three sacks as a rookie but mostly played on special teams last season and finished with just four tackles.

"Alex Hall is a big, athletic linebacker who we've had our eyes on over the last couple of years and he'll have a chance to compete at the SAM linebacker spot," Eagles general manager Howie Roseman said.

The Browns still have 10 picks in the draft, but the arrival of Brown could change their early round strategy. The team has shown a strong interest in Tennessee safety Eric Berry and Florida cornerback Joe Haden and has visits planned with both players.

Brown is the latest veteran to depart Philadelphia this offseason. Former All-Pro running back Brian Westbrook, former All-Pro guard Shawn Andrews, linebacker Will Witherspoon, defensive end Darren Howard and wide receiver Kevin Curtis were released.

Despite that trend, Roseman insisted the Eagles aren't rebuilding after an 11-5 finish and playoff loss to Dallas.

"We're trying to win, we're always trying to win," Roseman said. "For us, this was a football decision. We're excited about some of the players on our team and we're excited about the quality of this draft."

Ellis Hobbs, acquired last year from New England, steps into Brown's spot. Hobbs is coming off neck surgery and probably will have to win the starting role in training camp. He started every game when the Patriots went 16-0 in 2007.

"It's an opportunity for Ellis Hobbs to step up and contribute to our defense," Roseman said. "We like Ellis Hobbs. We think he's a good starting corner in this league and we feel we have other players on this team that can step into that spot and contribute."

Information from The Associated Press and ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter was used in this report.