NFL Draft: Browns Select TJ Ward

With the 38th pick in the 2010 NFL Draft the Cleveland Browns select Safety TJ Ward from Oregon…

(silence)

(crickets)

Who?

So far there is a theme to Cleveland’s draft. They really liked Sam Bradford, but not enough to trade up and get him. They really liked Eric Berry, but weren’t willing to move up and get him. They really liked safety Nate Allen from South Florida, but didn’t trade up to get him. All of these players were taken (except Bradford) just a few picks before us. After Allen went to the Eagles, the Browns pulled the trigger on Oregon’s TJ Ward.

Here are some notes on Ward from GoDucks.com-

2009 — After returning to the starting lineup Oct. 31 vs. USC, shared the team-lead in tackles in four of his final six appearances to leap to fifth on the team in stops (68) despite missing five games … Lost for nearly half of the season after suffering an ankle injury in the opener at Boise State … Ended his collegiate playing career with a 10-tackle performance vs. Ohio State in the Rose Bowl … Credited with a season-high 12 stops at Stanford, in addition to forcing one fumble and securing one TFL … Led the Ducks with 10 stops against the Trojans in addition to intercepting a pass on the final play of the game … Posted a game-high 11 tackles and added 1.0 TFL and two pass breakups versus the Broncos despite leaving the contest early in the second half with an ankle injury.

2008 — Oregon’s leader in tackles (101) tied for fifth in the conference (7.8 avg.) as a first-year starter … Earned third team (Phil Steele Publications) and honorable mention (coaches) Pacific-10 all-conference accolades … Tied for second on the squad with eight pass breakups … His 5.5 tackles for loss were the second most by a defensive back … Made 10 or more tackles on four occasions, including a career-best 14 vs. Stanford … Forced a pair of fumbles at California while recording 10 tackles … Also contributed 11 tackles against UCLA as well as 10 vs. Arizona … Had eight tackles and a forced fumble at Oregon State … Made just one tackle at Arizona State, but forced a fumble … Returned an interception 16 yards at Purdue … Joined a pair of teammates in equaling the program’s best power clean lift of all time (330 lbs.) among defensive backs during 2008 winter testing, in addition to posting the position’s top squat mark (495 lbs.).

2007 — The former walk-on parlayed his role as one of the secondary’s top reserves with his development as one of team’s top special teams standouts … The bulk of his 21 tackles in 13 appearances occurred while covering kickoffs, including a career-high four takedowns against Washington State as well as three others vs. Fresno State and Stanford … Also recovered a fourth-quarter fumble against the Cardinal … Worked his way into the lineup for a season-high 50 snaps vs. South Florida in the Sun Bowl, where he had two solo stops including a tackle for loss.

2006 — Emerged from spring drills as a starter at cornerback yet a knee injury early in fall camp placed those plans on hold … Delayed his collegiate debut until Sept. 30, coming up with a key interception in the end zone to curtail an Arizona State scoring drive … Yet injuries prevented his next action until the regular-season finale, finishing the season playing in only three games … Stepped onto the field for a season-high 16 snaps in the Las Vegas Bowl.