Instead of Fixing Tanking, NBA Should Remove the Lottery
April 28, 2012Schefter: Browns Do Not Expect to Trade McCoy
April 28, 2012The fans finally got what they were looking for, even if it was an unfamiliar name. With the fifth pick in the fourth round, the Cleveland Browns selected wide receiver Travis Benjamin out of the University of Miami.
Rated as the No. 174 overall prospect by ESPN, he is about 5-feet-11-inches and had pretty mediocre stats during his senior season with 41 catches for 609 yards and three TDs. Although he is small, has small hands and has struggled with drops, he’s rated as having exceptional big-play ability because of his speed.
He supposedly ran a 4.36 40 during the combine, one of the best among all prospects, according to NFL Draft Scout. He ran track for the Hurricanes back in college too, and should be an immediate boost to a receiving corps alongside last year’s top wideout Greg Little.
He’s listed as being a competitive player with average separation and footwork. Benjamin was picked just a few slots after his Miami teammate RB Lamar Miller, who went to the Dolphins.
Look for the Browns to go back on the defensive side of things again with their next pick here in the fourth round. Needs remain at CB and OLB.
[Related: Cleveland Browns Draft Reset: Day Three]
43 Comments
A one-cut guy. I prefer height, but given the lack of offensive opportunities, home run hitters come in handy.
That said, Trent, Brandon, Mitchell and Travis make me want to listen to George Carlin’s “Guys named Todd.”
Phew, I’m surprised he lasted this long…..
Not bad. Need somebody fast that has to be accounted for by the secondary, even if he doesn’t catch many balls. Sounds like a decent pick.
For what it’s worth, the Plain Dealer ran a list of NFL Draft Scout dot com’s top 300 draft prospects, and neither Hughes or Benjamin even made it on to the list.
This means that Heckert et al are either absolute geniuses or absolute morons.
picked to high…small with bad hands and little production has bust all over it. I am having flashbacks of the Phil Savage era…so a track star that can’t catch will fix our WR that led the league in drops? I want some of what these guys are smoking.
this guy is my size. way to go, Browns.
Sounds like Braylon…if he were a Smurf.
i like him.. fast, really quick, and can run routes. He he’s only 5’10” but he is still a deep threat and Weeden will be able to get him the ball.
Why would you think any WRs picked in the 4th round would fix the WR corps? The Browns passed on the guys that could have helped fix the WRs. This guy is just depth/special teams that they hope could develop into a decent player.
Agree with their strategy or not, but they were never going to come away from this draft with 13 Pro Bowlers.
Is Heckert building a football team or an Olympic village? A washed out baseball player and a converted track star with bad hands….who’s next; a jamaican bobbsledder?
you can’t really be a bust when you are taken in the 4th round…
Is “Overreacting to a 4th Round Draft Pick” an Olympic Sport?
Don’t know him but I liked his teammate Streeter.
This whole draft went haywire with Weeden at 22. Ruined the whole thing….and I actually like Weeden.
I live down in Charlottesville, VA and went to grad school at UVA. I’ve watched Chase Minnefield the last 2 years. He’s worth the pick.
Junior Hemingway would be a nice grab.
even if it was an unfamiliar name? I thought everyone was Buckeye fans around here. You don’t remember the house’d punt? Most speed left on a WR draft board lacking in height. Good pick at the position they were in. But to be honest, OLB is a bigger need than WR. Be prepared to be in the bottom 5 against the run again
devon wylie was regarded as ‘the fast slot guy’ by most scout boards. chiefs grabbed him.
if im guessing, im thinking heckert was touchy on the lack of speed think and went with the 4.36 athlete over the 4.39 player.
whatevs. im just glad our depth for run-stopping tackles is locked down. thank goodness for that.
“struggled with drops” he will fit right in…
BUT JORDAN CAMERON AND OWEN MARECIC!
What’s your 40-time?
Ugh, SI projected this guy as a 5th receiver/special teamer. 4th round is a little early to be picking special teamers so I hope this guy is a better receiver than the scouts think he is. His best spot would appear to be the slot but he doesn’t sound much better than a guy we already have in Norwood. Can one team really carry 2 undersized receivers? This pick and the Hughes pick really have me bummed out. With Rubin and Taylor on the roster (not to mention Jaqua Parker), Hughes at best will be a”rotational” player who will probably never play more than 2 downs in a row. Again, the 3rd and 4th round are way, way too early to be taking fringe guys like this, especially if you’re the Browns. I was hoping for at least 1 starter after the second round this year. I have the feeling that 2-3 years from now, we’ll be looking back at these picks and seeing a ton of starting players we could have had ahead of these guys.
I’m starting to wonder what people did on draft weekend before the Internet came along.
I don’t love the pick but it’s not like the Browns were going to hit a home run with a WR at this point. This guy is really small… his ceiling is probably something like Santana Moss.
meanwhile the steelers have their casey hampton replacement.. in the 4th round.
I was going to say the same, I remember the punt This guy will be returning kicks, so we can get Cribbs more involved in the WCO.
Agree completely; Minnifield or Dennard would have been excellent additions at this point in the draft.
karate
The most important thing about Benjamin is….
He has explosive speed, and NOW we have a QB that can throw the ball out to him. This guy would have been useless with McCoy.
I would have rather the browns select Nick Toon.
Yeah and “NFL Draft Scout.com” is smarter than an NFL front office. hahahahah. There’s a reason why those guys work for a website and not an NFL team. Use your head please.
Thats one hell of a ceiling
yeah the guys at SI know more than an NFL front office. Tell me why the guys at SI are working for a magazine and not an NFL team?
Can’t have two undersized receivers? Did you watch the Steelers play last yr? Every one of their receivers were under 6 feet.
Hughes is a rotational DT? Sure. DT’s are supposed to be in a rotation. The Browns played two DT’s all last year and wore out in the 4th quarter. EVERY TEAM needs 3-4 DT’s that can play and depth was a HUGE problem last year. You don’t want your DT’s playing for than 2 downs in a row.
Fringe guys? Says who? A website? hahaha.
Congrats on the dumbest post of the afternoon.
I’m not saying they’re smarter than an NFL front office. I’m just saying that it’s odd that they would have listed 300 players and missed a third and a fourth rounder, both of whom were taken by the Browns.
But we shall see.
Is it though? I’m saying that is the absolute best he could be and that he most likely won’t hit it. I’ll say this though… the Browns wanted a receiver who can get behind the defense, and that’s this guy.
Heck, is that you?
His floor is “doesn’t make the team”
“That is not a name!”
Hilarious.
Toon doesn’t have the speed we are lacking. I expect MoMass to be much improved when healthy, this being his contract year and all. Little, Norwood, Cribbs all stll part of corps, now you add a blazer like TB to the mix with a QB with the accuracy and velocity that Weeden has and we should be able to run the WCO the way they like to.
They complained to their friends, rather than random strangers.
A fourth-rounder with (admittedly small) potential to replicate that of a 16th-overall pick who has been an All-Pro twice in his career? Very much so. Especially considering the low-risk in the selection.
He will make the team. Cribbs is in the final year of his contract.
I’m 6’2″, guess I’m a better WR than Desean Jackson.
Patrick: did you play D-1 college football? We’re you expecting to play in the NFL?
I wasn’t making the point that I was a better receiver than this kid, I was merely saying that I was bigger than he is – and I’m not suited to play NFL football. And, in case you hadn’t noticed: DeSean Jackson sucked last year.