NFL Draft: Grossi’s mock nabs Browns Richardson, Hill and shows lots of movement
April 16, 2012NFL to release schedule Tuesday 4/17 at 7:00 PM
April 16, 2012After listening to the interview that Adam the Bull and Dustin Fox conducted with Justin Blackmon, I am thinking that he could have been one of the top ten draft picks that didn’t want to come to Cleveland. When asked about his visit to Cleveland, Blackmon first seemed reticent to even acknowledge that he had visited the team. Then when pressed for elaboration, Blackmon told Dustin Fox that “It was just a visit.”
I am not a voice expert and I did come into the interview with preconceived notions that he was a guy who was likely one who helped foster that rumor that top picks didn’t want to be selected in the draft by Cleveland. So I do admit my prejudices.
To the radio show’s credit, they asked Blackmon directly if he was one of the guys who didn’t want to come to Cleveland. Blackmon denied it, but the whole sound in the tone of his voice all interview long had me questioning his sincerity.
When Adam the Bull finally asked him about his perceptions of Colt McCoy, Blackmon couldn’t help but giggle first. Either he was nervous to answer the question or that’s what he thinks of the Browns and the guy who currently tops the depth chart at quarterback. And after last season’s results a lot of people would wonder who could blame him?
Point being that the Browns will need to find guys who look at the situation in Cleveland and want to be a part of the solution. They need guys who think they are good enough to help do the job of righting this ship and turning the team around. When a guy is picky about the quality of team he is going to, I think it says a lot about their overall attitude, and how big their aspirations are. I had my doubts ahead of time and Blackmon’s interview today didn’t turn that around for me.
Based on my prejudiced listen to Justin Blackmon today, I have my doubts that he is a guy who is ready to lead a team anywhere. I don’t doubt that he can be a good or even great player, but he doesn’t seem like a guy you ever have to be pegged as the best player on your team. You can go ahead and slot him where you will among the top ten, but he didn’t move up in my book.
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69 Comments
There aren’t any players that WANT Cleveland–this much should be obvious.
There are players who are happy to play wherever. But nobody is wishing CLE picks them when they look at the spots surrounding the #4.
This is why we should not have low-balled STL. RG3 was the perfect candidate to shoulder the burden this franchise bears.
I would not have wanted us to give up anywhere CLOSE to what the Skins gave up.
Trent Richardson seems like a guy who would want to take lots of carries…
I dislike players like this. Reminds me of Braylon Edwards. I’d rather have a guy like Richardson at 4 instead of some diva WR that will bail after his rookie contract because it isn’t his perfect situation.
I’m very high on Blackmon as a talent, but if Craig’s read on this is right, and I have no reason to believe it’s not, I’ll pass.
Reminds me of Crabtree…who was thought to be a surefire top 5 pick before his Cleveland visit. Anither overhyped, undersized WR out if the Big 12.
I wanted Blackmon to be the 4th pick but after hearing the interview I agree ,either he’s very immature or just flat out doesn’t want to play here..with that being said pencil me in for Richardson at 4
I’ve been a proponent of drafting this kid since the end of the season, but if this impression is at all true, then no way should we take him. I’m sure that the Browns are able to discern this nonsense in these “visits” and will appropriately back away. I still believe that WR is our #1 priority, and assuming any of this is true at all, I’m therefore all for trading down out of #4 (but not too far) and drafting Floyd if they think they can do it.
Just listened to that interview…yeesh. He seems like a nice enough kid but really bland, cookie cutter answers with zero enthusiasm. I don’t doubt that he would play here if selected but not really the kind of bang up, no doubt enthusiasm I would want out of a guy who is supposed to be my elite talent.
I can’t imagine why he wouldn’t want to play for a 4-12 team coached by Pat Shurmur!
I think there’s been some over-reaction here. I wouldn’t write off a top guy because of what someone thought they might have gleaned from one radio interview. Too much chicken-entrails reading here. We need more information before we can form a good opinion.
Maybe he’ll tweet something stupid. That’s always good enough for me.
Don’t know how much stock I’d put in the perceived tone of radio interview comments. Some of these type of interviews are conducted while they’re checking for hot sauce in their bag.
Stole my thunder I was going to say if it only took one interview for people to turn sour on Blackmon then they probably weren’t as high on him to start. Even worse is taking the word of someone else who heard it.
how many times can people compare stats of previous QB’s that have gone on to great careers? Colt’s stats are what they are and they aren’t bad for essentially a 1st yr starter playing with no offensive weapons and poor playcalling. if blackmon is non-committal in an interview, there are plenty of WR’s out there and there will be some 2nd-5th rounder or even an undrafted player who exceeds blackmon.
no, that’s Kendall Wright
exactly. the Browns have people whose job it is to judge in interview sessions all of this stuff. good for conjecture and certainly not as good as Richardson’s fake tweets about loving Cleveland, but, at the end of the day, we have people checking his background, delving into his work ethic etc. (at least we better)
exactly. the Browns have people whose job it is to judge in interview sessions all of this stuff. good for conjecture and certainly not as good as Richardson’s fake tweets about loving Cleveland, but, at the end of the day, we have people checking his background, delving into his work ethic etc. (at least we better)
a week before the draft there isn’t much more “new” to discuss.
a week before the draft there isn’t much more “new” to discuss.
You people have got to get over that. RG3 is anything but a sure thing. Only a sure thing is worth that haul of picks.
You people have got to get over that. RG3 is anything but a sure thing. Only a sure thing is worth that haul of picks.
After hearing the interview and the such… I wouldn’t put too much stock into this.
First off, his agent has to have told him the fallout of the Trent Richardson tweets – thus his profile has to be lower.
Also, while he had chuckles and the such – I felt he still attempted to answer every question properly – it’s not my decision, etc. Yes, I was only in Cleveland for a day and have been to 15 other teams and cities, so forgive me if I don’t really remember.
Now it wasn’t memorable – the visit… but does it matter? It was a visit, not a workout. 🙂
Besides, the way Adam worded the questions, it made it sound like…
“Everyone hates Cleveland, do you tink so too?”
“We hate Colt McCoy and think he sucks, do you tink so too?”
I think he’s in the mindset of, I’ll land where I will and deal with it then… rather than trying to play any pick and choose game. I think he’s heard these things, and chuckles at the notion that we continue to bring it up.
I’m sure other cities are asking him cooler questions, like, what was your favorite play of the season, who was your idol growing up, talk about the NFL and poke him about football knowledge, as opposed to this other crap.
seeing a lot of colt-ragging lately so i want to remind everyone that:
– shurmur ran a remedial offense in st louis
– shurmur’s offense came out of camp unprepared and not crisp for (at least) first five games
– shurmur was over his skis with play-calling and head coaching and didnt seem to do either very well
– shurmur didnt give colt audible opportunities (per colt)
– shurmur insisted colt stay under center, no shotguns
– shurmur allowed (or directed) colt to throw to the right side of the field over 70% of time
– heckert didnt replace the starting LG
– heckert didnt replace starting FB
– heckert went to war with LG, RG, RT who played 5 games collectively in NFL year before
– three starting caliber RBs were lost to injury for most of season
– starting WRs had under 10 games collective experience
ok?
i soured on colt last year too and i’m game for looking at a QB in the draft.
but to lay that turd of an offense entirely at COLT MCCOY’s feet is beyond unfair, certainly lazy, and moving toward stupid.
Amen but I’m not going to say I wish draft day would hurry up and get here because I have a feeling there will be plenty to discuss afterwards and I don’t mean positive. On this I hope I’m 100% wrong and will gladly eat crowe but I just get a bad feeling.
sorry for the tangent below, lol.
i listened to the interview and i didnt catch the red flags you did craig. i think blackmon will be fine if that’s the pick.
im pretty much agnostic between blackmon, richardson, and claiborne at this point. seems like you cant miss with any of them and i’ll be ok however heckert goes on that pick.
Well said that’s why I’m not ready to run McCoy out of town on a rail. To piggyback on what you said, a perfect turd storm hit McCoy last year and frankly I’m surprised he survived it, literally.
it was nothing personal or even an agnoligment that he did or did not want to be a brown. thats his personality laid back and quit. but leads by his field play. he visits sick children in hospitals and is a great kid. he even wears a little girls wrist band who isa survivor of cancer…..and richardson recently took a kid to the prom that was sick….these are good kids…as being a cancer survivor it does make you happy to see there is great people out there like that. …as for not wanting to play for the browns…that just a load of b.s. are team is just as good as any of the top ten in the draft,its just a writer who hates cleveland.
EXACTLY. This is what Browns fans don’t understand. Could Blackmon have been more enthusiastic/professional? Yes. But if you think players like Richardson, Blackmon, etc. are chomping at the bit to play for the Browns, you’re crazy. They’ll say in inteviews that they would love to and, in reality, they’d happily come here if picked, but I think most top picks would rather play somewhere else.
Blackmon’s reaction when asked what he thought of McCoy is what a lot of people think (FA WRs included). Blackmon was just transparent enough to let it shine through. Fair or not.
I think with the varying opinions on who should be drafted where, there are going to be a lot of disappointed and negative fans and plenty of completely content ones.
I’m fully expecting the post draft talk to be more volatile than the pre-draft talk.
While that may be true, the perception around the league is that McCoy sucks, whether his hands were tied last season or not. H&H inquiring about Sam Bradford and going after RGIII simply don’t help your argument, either. Further, the fact remains that FA WRs and WRs coming out of the draft really don’t take McCoy seriously.
I bet Heckert got laughed at when he first called Pierre Garcon’s agent. Not saying that’s right or wrong, but perception is reality.
Great, just great. I liked Blackmon a lot before this but now I’m not so sure. I still trust Heckert when it comes to the draft, but I hope he considers this when he’s drafting: we shouldn’t draft anyone who doesn’t want to be here. These young kids should value every chance they get, cuz they play a game for a living. If Blackmon is one of those guys who doesn’t realize that, then maybe we should move on.
This is all assuming that Blackmon is the guy who doesn’t want to be here and was badmouthing Cleveland. Its hard to believe this all to be true because I’ve seen a lot on how great he is to a little girl who has cancer that isn’t related to him. I hope I’m wrong about him not wanting CLE, because he would be a great addition and seems to have great character and leadership skills.
Overall, I trust Heckert to make the smart choices
no worries man it just some reporters that spread rumors that don’t like cleveland….he is a good kid…..blackmon,richardson,kalil,or even claiborne should and would love not only to play nfl football but anywhere in the top ten. i think its blown way out of portion and as for people not wanting to come here ..its just b.s.
I listened to most of the interview, I didn’t think it was that bad, I just felt he was giving really boring and lame answers, but I can easily see how a listener can glean a reluctance to come here. At the same time, I would definitely say he didn’t sound excited come to Cleveland – but that can change when you start getting millions of dollars.
But this is what you get when you put a horrible product on the field and do nothing to improve the team in the off-season.
Safe to say most teams at the top of the draft are there for a reason…
Trade down, get extra picks, and draft Floyd. OR take Mo Claiborn at 4. Blackmon and Richardson are both not worth the #4 pick.
wr and rb and play makers are big needs for clevelnd and would love for all them to play for us. but for the big picture and building our foundation and the base of our team and guts of our team and being thier third draft and takes five years to turn a team around and we are still building not ready for rb and wr to take us anywhere because no guts no glory,your guts are your d-line,o-line,secondary,and qb, when we need are guts built tough and strong through the draft……i wish they take ot kalil at 4,og glenn at 22 or fs barron,or de quinton coples if some way he slides or best there, pick 37cb janoris jenkins. third round-og brandon brooks then best availble….then great front o-lines and d-lines will be set and next year get qb barkley and grab him weapons and the guts of your team is built tough and strong.
This is one of those situations where I feel like Cleveland has skinny girl who calls herself fat so people will tell her she’s skinny complex. Okay that didn’t make sense, I’ll try again: STOP TRYING TO READ SOMETHING INTO EVERYTHING THAT EVERYONE SAYS OR DOESN”T SAY. ooh sorry that gave me an ice cream headache. At some point you are all going to have to get over your collective Lebron heartache and get it through your heads that not everyone has a specific message in mind about this city. Its a town its a gig, and some people are totally capable of being great players without “falling in love with the city”.
I didn’t hear him on Fox/Bull I heard him on whatever the 850 show is.
First lets be clear that sports talk radio is the absolutel lowest common denominator in the sports news kingdom. Jerry Springer and Howard Stern agree that these guys have low standards.
So in addition to doing these things in 12 other cities in 12 days he did two shows in 2 hours here. Do you believe a rock star really believes your town “rocks the hardest”? What I heard was someone who didn’t want to talk too much in specifics. Whatever the radio guys name is kept pushing him on “who exactly he met with coaching wise, and what was said”. He clearly didn’t want to talk too much about it, so instead of showing some interview talent and diverting to something else to relax the kid and maybe come back to it, the guy just goes gotcha rambo interview and starts hammering it again, at which point Blackmon just kinda tunes out.
Now maybe he doesn’t want to be in Cleveland, but do you honestly think he “wants” to be in St Louis, I’ve been there its like Youngstown with a river. There is no better lap dance to be found then in Tampa but that organization is more of a disaster than Cleveland right now.
The major points are that he is probably indifferent because he doesn’t want to say “I love this city” and that team doesn’t take him so he has to explain himself to some other fan base. Second talking to the slobbering monosyllabic goons on talk radio doesn’t exactly bring out the best in an interview. Third, settle down, all will be well.
jim, I like your correlation between hand size and success in NFL quarterbacks, do you know where McCoy fits in to this? Also, is there a similar hand size correlation for WRs? Seems like they’d benefit from larger hands as well.
hah. dont know if youre kidding but i DO remember colt has 7.38 hand vs tannehill’s carny hands of 7.0.
id have to look it up on WRs, i dont recall blackmon. i DO remember nick foles (#2) to juron criner (#1) were the two biggest hands in the draft and ive been looking into importing arizona water for the last several weeks. 🙂
I heard some of the Blackmon interview on WKNR and wasn’t impressed with him at all, so I turned it off. It seemed that the guy couldn’t even comprehend a question – let alone give any kind of an answer. Here’s hoping the Browns go with Richardson.
kiley and booms WISH they could find another hank the angry drunken dwarf.
Yup. It’ll be ugly.
Unless you’re using some modified hand size chart
Colt 9 and 3/8ths”Ryan 9″
but why not make a pick at #4 and use about 5 of our 13 picks to pick up another first-rounder?
No reason to trade down here. none. we have more picks than spots to even just make the team. let’s package our 37, 67, 100, and 118, and next year’s 3rd rounder for a mid-teen 1st round pick this year. We’d STILL have 10 picks this year if we did that.
talent wins.
Hakeem Nicks has RIDICULOUS hands. FWIW.
sorry, right, 9 inches. here’s the data.
http://www.nfl.com/combine/profiles/colt%20-mccoy?id=497123
http://www.nfl.com/combine/profiles/ryan-tannehill?id=2532956
Craig, normally I agree with you on most subjects but you’re way off the mark on your interpretation of this interview. I thought he came off as a really well-spoken, humble young man. He started talking about his visit and it struck me as he had a positive tone in his voice. I think he then abruptly said “it was just a visit” as if he was told not to talk about his visit too much, which would be completely normal, especially after the Richardson tweets. The giggling about Colt McCoy sounded like the giggles were more about the question than about Colt. I mean its pretty much an absurd question to put forth to a guy who might potentially be drafted here. “Hey rookie, how do you feel about the guy who might be throwing you the ball next year?” He’s quick enough to see how ridiculous the question is, even though I don’t have any problem with Adam asking it. It’s a good question for the fans, but laughable to think he would answer it in any other way.
Well said, I thought he handled it well. He didn’t get flustered nor did he say something he shouldn’t have. He was probably told not to say too much and he did his job. The guy probably takes direction well – OH NO!
not kidding. The first time I saw you bring it up you referenced “gripping the ball in December” or some such and it made a ton of sense. I also feel like this is much more important in the AFCN than 40 time. Also, if saggy is right and a “shorter” guy like Nicks can “make up for it” with ridiculous hands then I say we start tracking that too. Time to look up Stephen Hill’s hand size.
It’s tough to say but is this guy that much better than Dez Bryant. You can get the same quality receiver maybe in the 3rd, 4th, or 5th round that you might get in the first. Dez Bryant isn’t even the best receiver on his team and Dallas isn’t winning divisions. Who cares if this guy doesn’t want to come here because we have to figure out our o-line and qb before any receiver would be effective. All these teams that are winning superbowls aren’t drafting receivers high they are hitting on their skill players later in the draft. We have 2 picks at #4 and #22 that we can get o-line that we won’t get past pick 50. There are picks past 50 that we can hit on with running backs and wide receivers. Kalil or Reiff and Glenn or Decastro will help our team more than any receiver at this point. Next year if we figure out our line is when we draft a qb and wr earlier.