SPORTSBIZ -- JOEL HAMMOND
To the draft chart, Browns fans!
Blog entry: January 3, 2012, 1:50 pm | Author: JOEL HAMMOND
For fans of 12 teams in the NFL, this is the time of year for strategizing against playoff opponents. For Browns fans, for all but one year of their re-imagined existence, this is the time of year for strategizing for the NFL Draft, held each April. So why wait? I've already seen plenty of mock drafts, with the Browns taking a receiver or (gulp) running back Trent Richardson from Alabama at No. 4.
Let's look at it a different way: If the Browns want a quarterback, and I'm almost certain they do, they might have to do some moving. The Colts, drafting first overall, will take Stanford's Andrew Luck, and the Rams and Vikings each have spent high picks on quarterbacks in the last two seasons.
The Rams or Vikings, however, surely could trade their picks to a quarterback-needy team — Cleveland? Miami? The Jets?
Seeing as how I love looking at the NFL Draft pick value chart, let's take a look-see at what the Browns might have to do to move to Nos. 2 or 3 to take Baylor's Robert Griffin.
First, though, let's take a peek at what the Browns own:
No. 4: 1,800 points
No. 23: (or so, via Atlanta): 760 points
No. 37: 530 points
No. 68: 250 points
No. 101: 96 points
No. 121 (via Atlanta): 52 points
No. 132: 40 points
No. 165: 26 points
No. 196: 14 points
No. 2: The Browns would need to swap places with the Rams and come up with 800 points to move to No. 2 to take Griffin. So, it'd be St. Louis' No. 2 for Cleveland's two first-rounders and its fifth-rounder, No. 132.
No. 3: This deal would require 400 points, so Minnesota would drop one spot in the first round and pick up Cleveland's third- and two fourth-rounders.
Remember: The Browns actually have had two pretty good drafts in a row, with Phil Taylor, Jabaal Sheard, Greg Little and Jason Pinkston becoming starters from 2011 alone. So, maybe it's time to go for the home run?
Of course, this could be a little off. This draft pick point chart was developed in 2006, before the new NFL collective bargaining agreement took effect and severely restricted the cost of the top picks. For instance: a mistake such as the Raiders made with Jamarcus Russell cost Oakland $50 million. If Cam Newton would have failed for Carolina — he obviously didn't — he would have cost the Panthers $22 million or so, instead of the massive damage Russell inflicted upon the Raiders.
That's all a long way of saying that those top picks are worth even more these days, and the Browns might have to pay a bunch more than the above-listed prices to move up.
For the readers: Would you do those deals for Griffin? Email me at the link below and register your opinion, and I'll use them in a future post.
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