What the Browns Need to do in the 1st Round of the 2012 Draft

The Cleveland Browns hold both the 4^th and 22^nd overall picks in the first round this year’s NFL draft, and there has been some rumors of Jeff Fisher wanting to trade up to the number 4 spot, however ignoring that possibility who should the Browns go after in this year’s draft has been a question that has been asked many times.  With the first two picks in this year’s draft already set in stone (RGIII and Andrew Luck), and the third pick in the draft who belongs to the Vikings which seems to be a pick that will be spent on an offensive tackle it would make sense for the Browns to pick offense.  That means Justin Blackmon or Trent Richardson will be picked here, the Browns really should draft Blackmon, because he is a beast, and extremely talented, and also somebody who will give Colt McCoy that deep threat he has needed since he has taken over as the starting quarterback.  While the Browns could go for Richardson, it would be hard to pass on a player of Blackmon’s caliber, especially since the Browns receiving corps is atrocious, and it is like McCoy is throwing to ghosts out there on Sundays.  Cedric Benson looks to be a free agent this upcoming season after the Bengals picked up a running back in free agency; this would be a good fit for him, and also for the Browns.  He is already familiar with the AFC North teams, and is a power runner like Peyton Hillis is, and Peyton not being in Cleveland leaves a vacancy for the team at the running back spot.

That aside, the Browns really should just pick Blackmon, and then sign Benson, assuming that he will be a free agent, which seems very likely at this point in time.  With the 22^nd overall pick the Browns should go after a right tackle and help shore up the offensive line in order to help protect McCoy, and also help with the running game.  Most people tend to forget that when a team wants to build a winning team in the NFL a good offensive line is a must in order to protect the QB so he can feed the ball to his weapons and also for an effective running game.  Otherwise it’s going to be hard for an offense to move the ball and score points, which is something the Browns, were not good at last year.

If the Browns really want a winning team they need to start helping McCoy out, he is a winner, and a hard worker, and having someone like that on a team that has been bad since they came back into the NFL back in 1999 is important.  The Browns need to start drafting to help him otherwise he will end up leaving, and that is something the Browns have seen since they have come into the NFL.  By helping him out it will work wonders, he will have a good offensive line to protect him, and actually give him a legit weapon to throw the ball to, instead of a bunch of no name receivers who have not helped him in the least.  The Browns can use their later picks on defense, and build around Joe Haden, but in the AFC North, not having an offense that can score points against teams like the Steelers and the Ravens will simply not work.