May 18, 2013

Post-Draft Browns Thoughts on Greg Little and Undrafted Free Agency

May 9, 2011 by 22 Comments

It is May.  The draft has come and gone.  Has the glow of the draft-day trade by Tom Heckert worn off yet?  In some senses, it will be a long year watching the Atlanta Falcons to see how Matt Ryan performs with his new weapon Julio Jones.  Ryan threw for just over 3700 yards and 28 touchdowns in 2010.  Add Julio Jones to Roddy White, Tony Gonzalez and Michael Jenkins.  That isn’t even to mention a nearly 1400 yard rusher in Michael Turner.  The last few sentences are exactly the reason why it is so ponderous to hear ProFootballTalk say that Julio Jones and Greg Little will forever be inextricably tied to one another in the NFL.

The Browns used the second round pick acquired from Atlanta to select Greg Little.  From that standpoint, it seems highly logical.  They both play the same position.  The Browns seemingly passed on Jones directly, as he was the only logical pick left on the board that high, at least according to most people.  But is it fair to make the comparison?

Maybe I am being an over-protective parent here, but I say no.  Maybe I am protecting Greg Little like I would  my youngest son who is following a superstar older brother.  Maybe I am Archie Manning protecting Eli here.  First of all, Greg Little is a year behind in terms of development because he sat out last season due to NCAA troubles.  Second of all, Greg Little was in the midst of a position transition from running back to wide receiver.  Third of all, Greg Little will do battle this season with Colt McCoy, Massaquoi, Robiskie, Ben Watson and Peyton Hillis.

While I prefer to look at that crew with a glass half full hopefulness, I would never begin to compare them to Matt Ryan and company.  Maybe someday, I will be lucky enough to be able to do that with a straight face.  Not today, though.

A true comparison for Julio Jones will be made five to ten years down the road.  The Browns will have Greg Little, two extra draft picks in next year’s draft and currently untold dollars of cap space available to put on the scale opposite Julio Jones.  See what I did there?  Instead of putting all the pressure on Greg Little, shouldn’t we be aiming it all at the guy – Julio Jones –  who was worth five guys capable of saying they were worthy of being in the NFL draft?

Speaking of the draft, what about all those undrafted free agents that normally would have been snatched up in the few hours after “Mr. Irrelevant” was selected?  ESPN is reporting that (SURPRISE!) NFL teams might be “tampering” with the process and contacting players and their agents during the lockout.  That might be one of the least surprising reports to come out in quite some time.  You know what though?  I will be disappointed if the Cleveland Browns aren’t one of those teams.

That was my biggest defense for the Cleveland Browns whiffing on David Veikune in the 2009 draft.  Sometimes bad draft picks happen.  In this case, Veikune was deemed irrelevant partially because the Browns had capitalized by finding Marcus Benard who deserved to stick around far more than the converted 4-3 defensive end from Hawaii.

So, yeah, I hope the Browns are using “burners” to reach out to anyone who will help get undrafted free agents into camp assuming there is going to be any kind of camp this season.

And that is really how every Browns article should end from here on out.  ”Assuming we even have an NFL season this year…”

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  • stin4u

    No, you can’t fairly compare Little and Jones. If we had traded down to the eighth pick or something and selected Little in the first round then you can go ahead and make that comparison. But, the fact they waited till their second pick of the second round to select him puts him in a different tier both monetarily and expectation wise.

    That trade was not made to select Greg Little in the second round it was made to bolster picks for the next few years. So I don’t think there is any comparison to be made.

  • Swig

    Why would someone ever compare Little and Jones, except to fill up airspace? This is probably why I get most of my news from places like WFNY :-P

    It will only be a comparison if Little’s stats can manage to somehow be in the range of Jones, then it becomes a pretty easy comparison. Most likely this will be a win-win situation for both teams given their completely different circumstances.

  • mgbode

    PFT is a joke and their goal is to throw out crazy statements that make people angry and cry out how stupid they are.

    So, PFT, job well done.

  • Gren

    Jones smiles like that ? Man, this trade keeps looking better.

  • A.C.

    I think it’s fairly logical to compare Jones to Little, but it will only gain any traction if Little is great or Jones is a bust.

    Remember the last time Atlanta make a big move up the draft? 2001 for Mike Vick. But the Chargers ended up with Tomlinson and Brees. Hopefully Heckert allowed the Browns to be the Chargers.

  • RyInCBus

    Is JJ wearing an Under Armour suit? Now I’ve seen everything.

  • http://www.waitingfornextyear.com Andrew

    “And that is really how every Browns article should end from here on out. ”Assuming we even have an NFL season this year…””

    I essentially ended my last Cavs article the same way. Only, you know, NBA instead of NFL. Hooray sports!

  • http://www.waitingfornextyear.com Scott

    “Is JJ wearing an Under Armour suit? Now I’ve seen everything”

    I assume its just a lapel pin for his new sponsor.

  • mgbode

    @Andrew – and don’t forget MLB. their CBA expires at the end of the year too (just because people assume they will reach an agreement doesn’t mean they will)

  • bobby

    I agree with A.C. here on this one. I dont think Little has to become a superstar, but I think its just natural for someone to compare Jones to Little since they play the same position and the browns wouldnt have been able to draft Little without the falcons pick. What would make the comparison great is if Jones is a huge bust and Little turns into TO (without the whole ruining QBs/franchise thing…)

  • ben

    It’s not a completely off-base, apples to oranges comparison…more like an apple to an orange-colored apple comparison.

  • mgbode

    @bobby/ben – ah, but what if Phil Taylor and next year’s ATL 1st rounder (let’s say Chase Minnifield because it’d be sweet) end up being dominant defensive forces for the Browns, yet Little busts.

    Will anyone see that as a bad trade if it setup our defense?

  • Harv 21

    Don’t even understand the player comparison given the additional draft choices. If we must have instant trade grading, here’s what we know so far: Julio smiles like a 3 year old whose mother just ordered him to. Little smiles like a club incident waiting to happen. Advantage, Falcons.

  • Nicky Z

    I think what ProFootballTalk is trying to say is that the Falcons will look extremely foolish if Greg Little does better than Julio Jones. They’re aware that Little is less well-groomed than Jones, they’re pretty much saying that if Little preforms anywhere near Jones’ level this year the Browns came up huge.

  • bobby

    Nicky you went right were I was trying to go, thanks. I think its more of if Little becomes better then Jones where they will be tied. I mean already they have Little and Owen as add ons from the deal and look to add 2 more next year. If they are all starters but none stars I still think we win.

  • Shamrock

    Greg Little won’t be better then Julio Jones. End of story.

  • MrCleaveland

    I’ll be happy if Little can just refrain from being a pro version of the arrogant, taunting, lying jerk he was in college. But I’m not optimistic.

  • frederick

    I would personally like to see the Browns sign OSU’s Dane Sanzenbacher. He showed his talent this season and at the senior bowl. He also showed his heart in the Sugar Bowl. I believe it would be a good investment considering he should have been drafted.

  • Vengeful Pat

    frederick, I’d also like to throw out my biased love for my alma mater… Browns should pick up RB Darren Evans from Virginia Tech. The results might not be the same, but his game is similar to Peyton Hillis… top-end speed won’t wow anyone, but he’s got power, good vision, solid hands in the passing game, and is an excellent blocker. He was also in a similar position that Hillis was in at Arkansas… one of three running backs with pro-level talent, so there just weren’t a ton of carries to go around this past season. I was shocked that he didn’t get drafted. He averaged 5.7 yards per carry after coming back from an ACL tear, and that’s considering that he was VT’s short-yardage specialist. Character issues are zero concern as he’s a family-first guy with a great attitude & drive to succeed. Man, he’s going to be a steal. /bias

  • Believelander

    @18, 19, I like where your brains are at. Quality stuff, and I certainly think with the ‘strength’ of our wide receiver corps(e?) before this season taking a -long- look at a guy like Sanzenbacher would be prudent. For Sanzenbacher, taking a -long- look at a team whose #1 breakout wide receiver is the guy from second base from the “Who’s on First?” joke would be prudent. Honestly, if he can just turn into an everyday solid NFL caliber wide receiver without becoming a superstar, he’s practically guaranteed a spot in the depth chart come September.

    As for Darren Evans, I don’t watch V-Tech, but the only thing that can make bruising running backs better is more bruising running backs. Personally I thought we should have offered the Giants something for Brandon Jacobs when he wasn’t happy last year. Could you imagine getting pummeled by Peyton Hillis for the first half of a game, coming out for the second half thinking, “Jeez, I do -not- want to deal with 2 more quarters of Peyton Hillis” only to see Brandon Jacobs stretching, completely fresh and ready to go?

    If Owen Marecic isn’t going to be a reliable ball carrier in and of himself, we should get a guy like Evans who punishes guys for daring to tackle him.

  • Jimmy DiDago

    Sorry, but anyone attempting to compare Jones and Little is just a typical, cynical, fair weather fan of the New Browns.
    The real comparison here will be Taylor, Little, Marecic and next year’s 1st rounder against Jones and Justin Houston of KC.
    As far as a star player, Jones still doesn’t light my fire and we did much better. The only other options with that pick that were of supreme need would’ve been Fairly, Aldon Smith or Amukamara. None of which were worthy of a #6 pick, either.
    Heckert had to hit a home run in this draft for the defense and I believe he did.
    If we want to compare Little to anyone, it should be Leonard Hankerson or Torrey Smith. Both were pegged to be the Browns sure fire second rounders by quite a few draftniks and were still available at #59. What does Heckert and his scouts see in Little that they don’t see in two other more highly touted recievers is the big question.
    Doesn’t anyone remember the fall out after the TJ Ward pick last year? Who was right?

  • Jimmy DiDago

    … Oh, and by the way, name me one superstar (drafted in the first round) currently playing with NE, GB, NO, or NYG.
    sure there is Rodgers and Eli, but neither did much in their first seasons to improve their teams … and people believe Julio Jones, a WR, was going to make even as large of an impact ON THIS BROWNS SQUAD as either of them did with their’s. C’mon now!