NFL Draft Report: Browns interested in LB Vontaze Burfict
April 11, 2012Cabot: Browns work out Georgia offensive lineman Cordy Glenn
April 11, 2012With the first two selections in the 2012 NFL Draft essentially spoken for with regard to Stanford’s Andrew Luck and Baylor’s Robert Griffin III, former Indianapolis Colts vice chairman Bill Polian feels that Alabama’s Trent Richardson is the only other “sure thing.”
Speaking on Sirius XM’s NFL Blitz, Polian says that there are three “sure thing players,” and the explosive running back is as much of one as either of the two quarterbacks whom have drawn most of the attention.
The Cleveland Browns have long been considered a potential landing spot for Richardson due to the departure of running back Peyton Hillis who signed a one-year deal with the Kansas City Chiefs. If the Browns opt to select another player or trade down, Richardson has also been heavily linked to the Tampa Bay Bucanneers at No. 5 or the St. Louis Rams at No. 6.
Polian is credited with the selection of quarterback Peyton Manning over Ryan Leaf as well as constructing the team which won Super Bowl XLI.
[Related: Highlight Videos: 2012 Cleveland Browns NFL Draft Visits]
(Source: Sporting News)
26 Comments
Sadly, there is no “sure thing” when it comes to the Browns.
A “sure thing” to be exactly what? Peterson? Ray Rice? An explosive gamebreaking threat or a reliable 900 – 1,100 yd/season churner?
Makes a diff at #4 overall.
Bill polian got fired for several reasons one of them being taking rb donald brown so Im not sure I put much stock in his evaluation
Only 15 days, three hours, and 52 minutes more of can’t-miss hype.
i guess you could say that that^ is a sure thing
Yep. Polian lucked (pardon the pun) into one “sure thing” in his career, and see how the Colts did last year when that one player wasn’t there. I’d take anything Polian says with an ODOT storage of salt.
wonder how many nearly final/final/last second mock drafts and face palms that translates into.
Followed immediately thereafter by instantaneous draft grades, draft winners/losers, biggest suprises, and of course, The Steal.
Ah, the semi-sports event we love to hate, or hate to love, or something. If Justin Masterson gets pounded in Cleveland 2 weeks before the NFL draft, does it count against his ERA? Should it?
Garry – you are way off here. Polian has been a GREAT NFL executive. He was the GM of the Bills when they went to 4 straight Super Bowls, then became the GM of the expansion Panthers and had them in the NFC title game in two seasons then took over the Colts and built a great team there. He is a HOF executive. He has drafted multiple HOF players. His opinion carries a ton of weight.
Yes, the Colts fell apart last year and their recent drafts have been lacking. My very limited understanding is the Bill Polian was transitioning his son into the GM role and it hadn’t gone well. That is probably his biggest error.
Is that why he still has his job with the Colts?
Oh God, I completely forgot about the instantaneous draft grades and winner/loser evaluations. Ugh.
I still fondly recall one of the experts declaring third-rounder Charlie Frye the steal of the ’05 draft.
P.S. Harv, put me down for “hate to love.”
Cool. I retract.
What if Shelley Duncan turns into a hitting machine? Does he get to keep his batting average?
Tomorrow I’m publishing my first Mock Draft Post-Draft Mock Grades Projections wherein I project what grades each team will get after the draft based on projected actual selections. It will factor in all anticipated trades, all possible trades, and all anticipated and possible post-draft Free Agent acquisitions.
Put me down for “something.”
That sounds outstanding. How much will they cost? if they’re less than $500, put me down for one.
Well it IS silly season.
A sure thing. Until a few years of running full sprint into roided up behemoths has created a few nagging injuries that saps his ability to beat guys to the corner or power through arm tackles.
You can get plenty of production at running back later in the draft as long, the position is just inherently too fungible.
“Shelley Duncan, Love Machine,” that one he can keep along with his scoring average.
You know, I’m kind of digging that, a slightly whimsical twist on his slightly goofy persona. This team has no corner hitters and no whimsy. Let’s at least work the part of the problem to which we have access. Shelley, I dub thee Love Machine.
They’re free, but you have to have an !nsider(TM) subscription, which costs exactly $500. Per week. It’s value on top of value.
(I love the word “value,” by the way, which is itself a valueless word.)
I love when they talk about their sleeper picks. Byany definition a sleeper is one who comes out of nowhere. If you are aware of the player he can’t come out of nowhere.
at least he’d be a popular prom date 🙂
LoL anxious? I don’t know why I’m sure the Browns will ruin it. I was hoping the Indians would play decent to distract from the draft talk but so much for that!
ugh – nothing worse than a team with no whimsy.
If the Browns screw this draft up and take a quarter at number 4, I am would be done until they removed Mike and Tom. Everyone knows that Cleveland needs a running back, especially the one that has potentially as Richardson. They can Weeden at 37. Take Richardson, OT or OL, then Weeden. What needs to be filled after that.
ScottDawg1960
The Browns should take Richardson and then get a speed wide out with good hands and a high vertical,cuz until they get good offensive linemen our 5foot QB’s gonna throw a lot of hurry ups!