Teams are putting the finishing touches on their preparation as the 2015 NFL Draft is nearly here.
To preview the draft for the Cleveland Browns, I got together with Tom Moore of Dawg Pound Daily. Below are my questions followed by his answers.
1. What are the team’s biggest needs heading into the draft and how might they address them?
"After finishing the 2014 season with the league’s worst run defense, the Browns must find a way to fix that. Selecting Washington defensive lineman Danny Shelton with the No. 12 overall pick in the first round would go a long way toward solving the problem."
Factory of Sadness
2. What needs to happen for this draft to be considered a success?
"General manager Ray Farmer has to come away with either two opening day starters with the team’s two first-round draft picks or turn those picks into a franchise quarterback."
3. What in your mind would make this draft a failure?
"The Browns have enough roster holes to fill that it would take something major for this draft to be considered a failure. Going back to Question 2, if the players the team selects in the first round are not impact starters this fall, that would qualify as a “failure.” Other than that, if general manager Ray Farmer uses the pair of first-round picks on players where the Browns already have depth, for example by selecting a running back in the first round or an offensive lineman, then that could be classified, in loose terms, as a “failure.”"
4. What is a bold prediction for your team this draft?
"The Browns turn their two first-round picks and Johnny Manziel into Marcus Mariota."
5. What is a draft angle the general public might not be aware of for your team?
"That general manager Ray Farmer actually knows what he is doing. While Manziellooks more and more like a mistake, the selection of Justin Gilbert was a sound one and people will come to that realization this fall. Farmer also drafted Joel Bitonio, already one of the best guards in the NFL, along with Terrance West and Chris Kirksey, plus signed Isaiah Crowell as an undrafted free agent. Farmer may not be perfect — no general manager is — but he is far more competent than the media wants to portray him."
For full Browns coverage, check out Dawg Pound Daily.
Next: NFL 2-Round Mock Draft 2015