Draft thoughts (Rounds 4-7)

After watching Andrew Berry slog through the final five rounds of the seven-round National Football League college draft this weekend, it became obvious he was quite satisfied with his team prior to that exercise.

With one eye on 2022 and the other on 2023, the Browns' general manager entered the weekend with seven selections beginning with round two and somehow emerged with nine overall picks after trading his second-rounder and beginning at the top of the third round, maneuvered deftly while picking up an additional fourth-round pick next year..

Along the way, he picked up a cornerback, edge rusher and wide receiver on day two and followed up with six selections in four rounds on day three Saturday, leaning heavily on players from Oklahoma University.

Berry filled gaps at defensive tackle with Perrion Winfrey, placekicker with Cade York, running back with Jerome Ford, wide receiver with Michael Woods II, defensive end with Isaiah Thomas and center with Dawson Deaton. Winfrey, Woods and Thomas played with the Sooners last season.

Berry's biggest get, perhaps of the club's entire draft class, was Winfrey, a loquacious, boastful and extremely confident young man who endeared himself to the Cleveland media with an entertaining self introduction via Zoom during which he all but crowned himself as a starter in his rookie season.

"I'm gonna give it my all on and off the field," said Winfrey, who sees himself playing next to Browns All-Pro defensive end Myles Garrett. "On another level, I look to the left of me and I've got nine-five (Garrett's uniform number) right there. It's over with. Every third down, every second down, every first down. We're gonna get that ball. I'm telling you."

Projected as a second-rounder, Winfrey said he would use this draft slight as a motivational tool. "To be honest, I needed this," he said. "This is a wake-up call. This gave me all the fuel and all the fire I needed to come into the league and dominate. So I would not change a thing."

Winfrey, whose motor rarely misfires on the field, provided the perfect answer as to why he was there for the Browns in the fourth. "Because the Lord saw fit for me to be there today," he said. "I am a dawg now. I can't complain." 

It's obvious he is all bark. Now it's time to see if there is any bite backing it up. All he has to do is play as well as he boasts.  

The addition of York, selected shortly after Winfrey, ostensibly solidifies a recurring problem that has plagued the Browns for the last 10 seasons, or shortly after Phil Dawson was cut loose.

In recent years, they drafted Zane Gonzalez and Austin Seibert, only to drop them quickly for a a variety  of reasons that had to do with accuracy. Both have gone on to be successful with other clubs. Berry was determined to fix that.

York is said to have the strongest leg in college football. In his career at LSU, he hit on 15 of 19 attempts from 50 or more yards. Very impressive. But he has never kicked in Cleveland, where capricious weather off Lake Erie has stumped many kickers in the last decade. Strangely, York has never kicked off for LSU.

The other picks Saturday are destined for either special teams or the practice squad with no one sticking out to the point where they will become significant contributors this season. 

Ford, for example, comes with nice credentials, but there is no way he sees the field behind Nick Chubb, Kareem Hunt, D'Ernest Johnson and Demetric Felton. Woods joins fellow draft pick David Bell (third round) with no hope of cracking the top 53 unless it's on special teams.

Doubling up on edge rushers with Thomas' selection to go with third-rounder Alex Wright pretty much strongly suggests Berry and Jadeveon Clowney should rekindle the possibility of the veteran playing for the same team in consecutive seasons for the first time since 2017-2018 with Houston. He is needed now more than ever. I see one of the rookies landing on the practice squad and the other on special teams.

Deaton, a tall (6-6) center from Texas Tech, will not win the starting job to replace JC Tretter, That battle will be between veterans Nick Harris and Ethan Pocic, which means Deaton most likely will also wind up on the practice squad.

I know he was only a very late seventh-round pick, but I can't figure out why Deaton was the preferred choice over Penn State offensive tackle Rasheed Walker, who was more highly rated (obviously not by the Browns) and projected for the third round. He was taken later by Green Bay.

If you're looking for a surprise, the Browns did not draft a tight end, Shocking, I know. It means one of two things: Head coach Kevin Stefanski will fall out of love with tight ends now that Deshaun Watson is his quarterback; or Berry really screwed up when he thought he heard Stefanski say there's no need to tighten the roster.

Saturday's grade: B- (because it will produce two starters)

Overall grade: C

Sunday: Wrapping it all up.

Draft thoughts (Rounds 2 & 3)

Disappointing  and puzzling doesn't begin to describe what it felt like watching the Browns' participation in the 2022 National Football League college draft Friday evening. 

After a slumber-like opening round Thursday night, during which the Browns were mere spectators, most of the team's fans eagerly looked forward to finally dipping into the talent pool in rounds two and three.

Major needs heading into the evening were wide receiver and defensive line. Plenty of solid possibilities in both areas lurked at pick 44. And that's when the evening began to resonate with disappointment and the beginning of what turned out to be a gigantic head-scratching four and a half hours.

Shortly before pick 44 arrived, General Manager Andrew Berry apparently saw something he didn't like and shipped the pick to the Houston Texans for a third- and two fourth-rounders, pushing their initial selection for the evening to the third round.

(The Texans immediately grabbed Alabama wideout John Metchie III, who would have looked nice in a Browns uniform. He's got a little Jarvis Landry in his game.)

So what in the name of Ray Farmer, John Dorsey, Phil Savage and Sashi Brown was going on? Browns fans waited for this moment for several months and now they had to wait one more round? Having no first-round picks for three straight years elevates the importance of second-rounders.

Okay, time to calm down. There were still a few nice receivers and defensive linemen left on the board at the top of the third round. Gotta think Berry knows what he's doing, right?

So where does he head with the fourth pick in round three? The one area most of us probably had at the bottom of the "need" list. The secondary. Most notably cornerback, where the roster is nicely stacked. Go figure.

I guess Berry really meant it when he said you can never have enough cornerbacks on your team. The selection of Martin Emerson from Mississippi State at 9:40 p.m. sure brought home that notion in a big way. Yep, I said Martin Who, too, when the card was read. 

In moving out of the second round, Berry took a pass on receivers Alec Pierce, George Pickens (Pittsburgh got him) and Skyy Moore, and defensive linemen David Ojabo (Baltimore got him), Josh Pascal, Sam Williams, Drake Jackson and Nik Bonitto.

On a team that needs more bodies in the wide receivers room, an offensive line that isn't nearly as good anymore as some believe and a defensive line that needs another quarterback disturber and run stuffer, Berry takes a cornerback!

Not sure who Emerson is going to play with at the position, now well manned by Denzel Ward, Greg Newsome II, Greedy Williams, Troy Hill and A.J. Green. Who is he going to share reps with? Right now, looks like his best position will be special teams.

Berry labeled Emerson "an excellent prospect at a premium position." He's got size at 6-2, 200 pounds. One draft service said Emerson "has kick cover ability and should contribute early on special teams." If Berry was looking to improve that aspect of the game, bingo. Somehow, I don't think that's the case.

His other two picks, edge rusher Alex Wright from Alabama-Birmingham and Purdue wide receiver David Bell, are a little more familiar to most fans of the lottery.

Wright, a bit of a reach for this round, has length at 6-5, but is more of a run stopper than pass rusher. His large wingspan produced numerous batted down passes at the line of scrimmage in college. That's asbout it. Bottom line: The Browns need Jadeveon Clowney to return.

Bell is easily the most talented of this troika. He was extremely productive at Minnesota, catching 93 passes last season for 1,286 yards, but only six touchdowns. He is not a red-zone guy. And don't count on him stretching the field. As Yoda would say, "Fast he is not."

His consistency as a reliable possession receiver who runs precise routes and has no problem catching the football plays well into head coach Kevin Stefanski's philosophy of moving the chains. The solid 6-1, 212-pounder should have no problem locking down the slot receiver job and become a frequent third-down target.

At first blush, the answer to whether these three picks have strengthened the roster is a resounding NO for the first two. Berry, of course, would not agree. "I feel good about the boys we acquired today," he said. What else would you expect him to say? 

In Saturday's four-round extravaganza windup, the Browns own three picks in the fourth round, including three of the first 13 selections, a sixth-rounder and a pair of seventh-rounders. Expect a tight end and placekicker in there somewhere. Also look for some more dealing by Berry.

Still out there are defensive tackles Perrion Winfrey and Neil Farrell Jr., tight end Isaiah Likely, wide receivers Justyn Ross and Calvin Austin III and safety Smoke Monday because I think that's a great name.

Time to grade the draft thus far.

Thursday night: Incomplete.

Friday night: D+ (because I don't think Emerson and Wright will ever be significant contributors. Bell elevates the grade.)

NFL draft thoughts (Round 1)

Takeaways from Thursday night's opening round of the National Football League college draft in Las Vegas in no particular order . . . 

The Browns were quiet all evening. General Manager Andrew Berry punted on the opportunity to move up simply because he had nothing with which to intelligently negotiate. It was like arriving at a gunfight with nothing chambered in the gun and an empty belt.

It probably will be that way again in the opening round of the next two drafts. It was an extremely high price the Browns paid to sign their franchise quarterback, on whose shoulders now rests the pressure to justify what it cost the club to get him to Cleveland.

If there was any movement by the GM during the evening, it was not spotted by the media, which generally is well connected to most goings-on in the NFL. It was all quiet on the Cleveland front. All Berry could do, it is assumed, was watch the proceedings unfold like the rest of us.

About the only thing he could do to keep busy was keep track of who remained on the board and plan for his three cracks in rounds two and three Friday evening. There are still some solid players remaining for picks 44, 78 and 99. Assuming, that is, he doesn't catch the trade fever that gripped fellow GMs Thursday.

Among them are wide receivers Christian Watson, John Metchie III, George Pickens, Alec Pierce and Skyy Moore; defensive ends Boye Mafe, David Ojabo, Drake Jackson, Sam Williams and Arnold Ebiketie; defensive tackles Travis Jones, Perrion Winfrey, DeMarvin Leal and Logan Hall; tight ends Trey McBride and Jeremy Ruckert; and cornerbacks Andrew Booth Jr. and Kyler Gordon. . . .

The bizarre evening started  predictably with the first 10 selections. Then after Ohio State wide receivers Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave went back-to-back, all hell broke loose with 14 teams completing a dizzying nine trades in the following 22 rounds. 

At one point midway through the round, trades interrupted the flow four times in five picks, suggesting  the lottery was not falling the way teams believed it would. The uncertainty definitely changed the landscape and prompted clubs to make moves more suddenly than anticipated.

If nothing else, it kept television viewers and those covering the event on their toes as the deals came with unexpected speed. The Philadelphia Eagles and Baltimore Ravens had the most fun with two swaps each. The Ravens wisely sat still with their original 14th pick and took safety Kyle Hamilton, who was projected to go much higher, then landed center Tyler Linderbaum with one of the deals. . . . 

Speculation leading up to the draft indicated Pittsburgh would definitely take Liberty quarterback Malik Willis at 20. Should have known the Steelers were smarter than that. Taking Kenny Pickett from hometown University of Pittsburgh to succeed Ben Roethlisberger was a solid move.

Prediction time: Pickett, who has been schooled in the pro-style game for a few years, will make Mitch Trubisky, thought to be a bridge quarterback until Roethlisberger's successor arrives, a backup this season because the successor has arrived. . . . 

Two surprising selections by a couple of teams needing quarterbacks most likely will revive the Baker Mayfield saga with regard to where he will land this season. The Carolina Panthers and Seattle Seahawks, early favorites to be in the hunt, shied away from taking a quarterback, which could lead to reasoned speculation there might be more interest in separating Mayfield from the Browns sooner rather than later.

Trying to put two and two together here: Don't rule out the possibility the Detroit Lions might enter the picture. Former Browns General Manager John Dorsey, who drafted Mayfield four years ago, now works in the Lions' front office. Consider this a shot in the dark. . . . 

In the surprise department, two high profile wide receivers with the surname Brown were dealt. More than a few eyebrows were raised when Tennessee shipped A.J. Brown to Philadelphia and the Ravens sent Marquise Brown to the Arizona Cardinals. . . . For the first time since 2013, no running backs were selected in the opening round. . . . Eighteen of the picks play on the defensive side of the football, including five from national champion Georgia. . . . As expected, six members of the very strong wide receiver class were taken. . . . Eight teams wound up with multiple picks, the New York Jets leading the way with three selections. . . . The Browns were one of seven teams that don't leap into the draft until Friday night. . .  . The draft normally takes somewhere around four hours to complete. Despite all the deals, this one was finished in a relatively brisk three hours and 26 minutes.

Off-season thoughts (Vol. XXV) 

Right now, right this minute, it's nothing more than speculation, a.k.a. flat out guessing, as to how the National Football League college draft will unfold for the Browns. That's the beauty of the lottery. You never know.

Does Andrew Berry, operating with one hand tied behind his back, become proactive and attempt to maneuver all over the draft with seven selections in his arsenal and attempt to pile up capital for an  immediate future that will require it?

Or does the Browns' general manager sit still and become a spectator until it's his turn at 44 in the second round? The itch to do something before then will be there. Count on it. He can't help himself. It's in his DNA. He will be tempted.

Otherwise, it's the great guessing game overall as soon as the opening round, where predicting by the so-called experts is a highly unpredictable exercise once you get past the obvious early choices. Not even that is going to take place starting Thursday night in Las Vegas. 

The only thing close to a certainty this year is Commissioner Roger Goodell putting the Jacksonville Jaguires (yeah, I know) on the clock shortly after 8 o'clock. This is one draft that could go off the rails in a hurry as early as the first five picks.

Those experts, who do this for a living, aren't even close to being in lockstep as to whom will be honored with the top selection. They are pretty much divided among edge rushers Aidan Hutchinson of Michigan and Trayvon Walker of Georgia and North Carolina State offensive tackle Ikem Okwonu.

Here is one certainty. Considering this is the weakest quarterbacks class I've seen in at least a decade, don't look for one to come off the board for at least the top 15 picks. You have to go all the way back to 2013 for the last time that happened. The Buffalo Bills made E .J.Manuel of Florida State the only quarterback taken in the first round with the 16th pick.

Quarterbacks have dominated the No. 1 selection lately with six in the last seven drafts, including the last four in a row. Not this year. Browns defensive end Myles Garrett interrupted that streak, by the way, at the top of the 2017 draft. 

There promises to be some -- hesitating here to say significant -- movement in the opening round as eight teams own two selections and another eight have to wait until round two to turn in a card. (That's half the league.) Look for big-time bartering to make the evening extremely interesting for the television networks.

Berry, who isn't pinned down easily, did shed a sliver of light with regard to the possibility of taking Michigan edge rusher David Ojabo if he's there at 44. Ojabo, projected to be a first-rounder before rupturing his Achilles tendon during his pro day last month, will be sidelined for most of this year.

Berry was asked whether he would take Ojabo, if there. even though he won't be available until later this year at the earliest. Wouldn't that be a wasted pick? His meandering reply surrounds the conundrum without answering it.

"It's definitely something we run through," he said. "It really is unique to the player, and that is both the talent level and the position, and then with your medical staff. What is the injury? What is the prognosis for not just recovery, where they are medically cleared, but also for potential for long-term and short-term impact on performance as well. All of those really come into play.

"Quite honestly, the reality of it is that depending on the injury, if you are giving up a year of the player's rookie contract, that also has to factor in as well. Each situation is unique." So is that a yes he will take Ojabo, if there, or a nicely-crafted no? Guess we'll find out if he falls to 44.

If it depends on the medical staff, the one that kept sending Baker Mayfield out there most of last season despite significant physical problems that would have sidelined many players, then my level of confidence drops with Berry's ultimate decision on Ojabo.

I have faith the GM will do the right thing at 44 and take the best wide receiver -- and maybe another in one of the later rounds -- to help the new face of the franchise get off to a strong start. In this one case only, need trumps best player.

If he does, get ready for the likes of Cincinnati's Alec Pierce, George Pickens of Georgia, Christian Watson of North Dakota State or John Metchie III of Alabama. One is certain to drop into Berry's lap. That is, of course, unless he surprises us and moves higher in the second round or into the tailend of the first.

Off-season thoughts (Vol. XXIV)

Unless Andrew Berry has plans to the contrary that he's keeping to himself at this time, looks as though he and Browns Nation will be spectators for the opening round of the National Football League's college draft Thursday night.

One of those plans deals with trading back into the round if a certain player he absolutely must have drops to where the general manager can craft a package to bring him to Cleveland. Odds on that are minimal at best. But ya never know.

So rather than get excited about the possibility of the Browns selecting a player in a draft that isn't  bursting at the seams with rock solid, can't-miss early talent, this sure looks like it is going to be an exercise in getting lucky.

In his two seasons in the big chair at draft time, it's difficult to pin down Berry as a best-player-available guy or one seeking to fill a need. But when your first pick on day two is 44 selections into the lottery, it's fairly safe to assume Berry's journey will be need-based.

As previously noted here, the Browns clearly need help at wide receiver and along the defensive line. Quality depth among the receiving corps suggests that's the direction Berry will head at 44 before addressing other areas with his (for now) seven picks.

Along the way -- and because his last three picks (round six and seven) arrive well into day three Saturday -- Berry is likely to flip on his trade switch and attempt to maneuver back into day two Friday at some point to avoid reaching for scraps.

One of his goals late probably will be to strike gold at placekicker like the Cincinnati Bengals did last season with Evan McPherson in round five. According to those whose job is to know this, Gabe Brkic of Oklahoma and Cade York of LSU are the two best. Both young men are capable of striking from midfield and beyond.

Brkic. a Cleveland-area kid (Chardon) who prepped at Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin High School, missed only one extra point in 160 attempts with the Sooners the last four seasons. But the line of scrimmage in the NFL for the extra point is the 15, as opposed to the two in college.

Berry's main goal this week, especially with the talent on both sides of the football pretty much set, will be strengthening the depth throughout the roster with an eye on improving special teams, which have slipped close to the bottom of the NFL the last two seasons.

Without the benefit of a first-round pick, it probably will be difficult -- not impossible -- for any of Berry's selections this year to become immediate vital contributors this season.

***

It's puzzling (at least to me) how puffed up draft pundits are getting over this year's quarterbacks class. There isn't one stickout who comes even close to being as exciting turning pro as Joe Burrow, Trevor Lawrence, Josh Allen, Kyler Murray and Justin Herbert the last several years.

This year, it's Kenny Pickett of Pittsburgh, Malik Willis of Liberty, Matt Corral of Ole Miss, Carson Strong of Nevada, Sam Howell of North Carolina and Desmond Ridder of Cincinnati. Some pundits predict as many as four will come off the board in the first round.

I didn't realize that many teams were that desperate for a quarterback, especially with next year's talent-rich class featuring Bryce Young of Alabama, Ohio State's C. J. Stroud, Spencer Rattler of South Carolina and Tyler Van Dyke of Miami (Fla.).

The only member of this year's group close to being NFL ready is Pickett, who has honed his game in four years with the Panthers' pro-style offense. None of the others are capable of stepping right in and taking over.

Trying to figure out why so many gush over Willis, who transferred to little Liberty after failing at Auburn. He's Baker Mayfield sized at a pinky nail above six feet. He's also a pretty good athlete with a strong arm and impressive statistics.

In two years at Liberty, he threw for around 5,400 yards, completing 62% of his passes for 47 touchdowns and 18 interceptions. He tacked on a little more than 1,800 yards on the ground for 27 more scores. Perhaps it's the 74 touchdowns that caught the everyone's attention. 

Some pundits think the Pittsburgh Steelers will keep Pickett home and grab him with the 20th overall pick to succeed Ben Roethlisberger. Others believe the Steelers will not wait and move up to get Willis. Fervent prayers here for the latter to eventuate.

(More draft thoughts to come as Thursday night's opening round creeps closer.)

Off-season thoughts (Vol. XXIII)

It's one of the necessary requirements leading up to the National Football League's annual college football draft. A week before the lottery, league general managers and/or personnel people face the media to share their thoughts.

Well, share might not be the operative verb in these cases. People in charge of the draft are generally close-mouthed -- after all this is the season where prevarication runs rampant in the industry -- and nothing can (should?) be taken seriously.

So when Browns General Manager Andrew Berry took center stage Friday afternoon, there was no way anyone came away knowing for certain what will unfold from a Cleveland standpoint in the league's three-day extravaganza next weekend in Las Vegas.

The media's guessing game goes on. The only absolute -- that, too, is subject to change -- is the Browns for the next three drafts will be spectators in the opening round, having mortgaged a sizable chunk of their future for the (sarcasm alert) privilege (end sarcasm alert) of signing quarterback Deshaun Watson.

One question Berry faced dealt with the possibility of trading up, perhaps as high as the end of the first round, to grab someone who might not be there at No. 44 in the second round. The GM danced all around the answer. 

"I would say candidly it's unlikely," he replied initially, then coyly hedged his bets. "But I don't want to say anything is absolute because you never know how situations arise." Which leaves us right where we were prior to the question. 

In last year's draft, for example, the Browns seriously contemplated selecting linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah at the tailend of the first round before settling on cornerback Greg Newsome II. And when JOK remained on the board in round two, Berry traded up seven spots to get him.

Maybe that's one of those situations that arise as the draft unfolds that Berry referred to. Also happened in the 2020 draft when safety Grant Delpit, thought to be a sure first-round pick, slipped into the second round. Berry quickly swooped in and took  him at 44.

As he said, there are no absolutes when it comes to the annual crapshoot.  It was right there in his answer. This becomes a three-day you never know what is going to happen and you better be ready to make the right decisions exercise.

That being said and Berry's deft parry to the original question aside, I believe it's in his DNA to somehow wrangle his way into position to make his initial choice somewhere either earlier in the second round or late in the opening round.

He needs at least one wide receiver for his new quarterback -- it's a deep and talented wideout class -- and some interior help along the defensive line. There will be plenty of both at the end of the opening round. That's where I suspect he'll pounce.

The Seattle Seahawks have concessive picks at 40 and 41 in round two. But that might not be high enough for Berry. The Kansas City Chiefs, however,  have back-to-back picks at 29 and 30 in round one and they'll probably use one to plug a hole vacated following the trade of wideout Tyreek Hill.

It's the second Chiefs next pick Berry might have in his crosshairs. It could mean surrendering a future pick or two, but would immediately improve an area that needs help. Unless I miss my guess, he knows his wide receivers room needs to be improved. 

There's not much there after Amari Cooper, a clear WR1 with the Browns who would be a WR2 on many other clubs. And that is why a possible return of Jarvis Landry, currently playing footsie with the New Orleans Saints, remains a possibility. The WR room improves dramatically if he returns.

That hypothetical possibility would change the roster dynamic and could be a determining factor in deciding what Berry does with his first pick if he stays put at 44. Maybe that's what he meant by his "you never know how situations arise" comment.

Berry dealt with other issues during the session, but none as important as the main reason for the get together with the media. 

Off-season thoughts (Vol. XXII)

Kevin Stefanski spoke for the first time Wednesday regarding the coach-player aspect of his relationship with Deshaun Watson with what appeared to be some resolve.

The Browns' head coach and his brand new quarterback at first blush seem to be polar opposites, at least from a philosophical standpoint, with regard to the club's offensive football approach for the 2022 National Football League season. 

Sort of the gun-slinging quarterback vs. the old-school, button-down head coach. The new guy who loves to strike suddenly, as opposed to the coach who prefers clock-eating, chains-moving, sustained drives that rob the opposition of valuable time. A conundrum seeking a solution before it all starts.

Stefanski addressed the situation with the media for the first time since the Browns stunned the entire NFL universe about a month ago by signing Watson to an historic, fully-guaranteed contract worth $46 million a season.

"You want this to be a collaboration . . . and you want to make sure you meet them where they are, too," he said when asked about any input from Watson about what he wants to run. "Deshaun's very open-minded about trying different things he hasn't done. 

"Similarly, we are very open-minded to putting in schemes he has a lot of success in that we haven't done. . . . So it's an ongoing conversation. But I would tell you spending time with him (the last two days), he certainly wants to grow as a player and . . .  try different concepts."

Stefanski likened it to working in a laboratory in an effort to achieve a satisfactory meeting of the minds by combining the play-calling talents of the head coach and the play-making talents of the elite quarterback for what is hoped a close-to-perfect fit.

Comfort and trust are the most important factors in a relationship like this. Both parties have to reach a level of comfort and trust in their relationship on the field, as well as in the classroom, for the eventuality to click. 

"There are a bunch of things we hope fit and (then) take that into training camp, and certain things he maybe doesn't love you don't do it because it's ultimately (about) what our quarterback is most comfortable with," Stefanski explained.

As the risk of sounding repetitious, Stefanski tried (and failed) to turn Baker Mayfield into a game-managing quarterback. It was anathema to the way he played football his entire life. That lab experiment, to be fair, paved the way to the Browns making the playoffs in 2020 for the first time in nearly two decades.

Now it's entirely possible there might be something in Watson's game that Mayfield lacked and the coach would be more amenable toward tilting his philosophical approach in Watson's direction. That's where the laboratory comes into play.

That most likely will be Stefanski's prime goal in the ramp-up to training camp later thus summer. Vastly improving the wide receivers room is also a factor. It has to be uppermost in Andrew Berry's mind as the college draft approaches and free agency winds down.

Assuming the general manager doesn't trade back into the first round of the lottery, it makes too much sense for him to select a wide receiver in the second round, although there are those who argue for another edge rusher or defensive tackle.

Yes, the defense needs help, primarily along the line. But that side of the football last season was clearly the better unit and kept the Browns in many games. 'Twas the offense that failed. 

Fact: Watson is the most important player on this team. He is making a staggering amount of money and needs to be successful to justify that. He needs help. The quality depth at wide receiver in this draft seemingly makes taking one at 44 in the second round a no-brainer.

Off-season thoughts (Vol. XXI)

Well, well, well. Look who has sneaked back into our consciousness.

Why it's none other than the soon-to-be ex-quarterback of the Browns for the last four National Football League seasons. And he arrived with a bang.

Baker Mayfield, who should be maintaining media silence since scripting his goodbye letter  to Cleveland and Browns fans in the wake of the Deshaun Watson signing, just can't help himself. At a time when he has no idea where his next stop is along the NFL highway, it is better to lie low, Very low. 

Instead, he opened up his mouth to some dude named Mike Stud and his "Ya Neva Know" podcast, taped a couple of weeks ago  from his commodious home in Lake Travis, Texas, just north of Austin and shown the other day. He fired away for more than an hour. Got a lot off his chest. 

He worked both sides of the Cleveland aisle. At one point, he skewered the Browns for deceiving him during the Watson soap opera. "I feel disrespected 100%," he whined. "I was told one thing and they completely did the other." 

Surprisingly, Browns General Manager Andrew Berry admitted at the annual league meetings late last month, albeit well after the fact, that he could have better handed the delicate situation . 

"Quite honestly, if there's probably one thing I regret or kind of go back (and handle) differently, when (Mayfield) had been notified we were one of the teams Deshaun Watson wanted to meet with, I had set up a call with Baker's representation the following morning," he explained. 

"The news got out. (Shocking!) You never want that to be how someone finds out about that situation, But on the whole, we had been pretty candid in terms of where we sat at the quarterback position." Yeah, that's right, blame the media. Will they ever learn? Rhetorical question.

Mayfield later launched into his brief but stormy Cleveland career with a positive bent. "I really truly have no regrets of my time in Cleveland or what I tried to give that place," he said. "True Clevelanders and true Browns fans know that. And that's why I can walk away from the whole situation feeling like I did it."

Uh, no. It doesn't work that way. There are many, many true Clevelanders and true Browns fans who live and care and die with this team who were upset with what went on last season. That does not diminish how they feel or make them less than true Clevelanders and true Browns fans. Mayfield is looking through the wrong lens.

No question his highs in Cleveland were mountainous and his lows seemingly subterranean. It was a wild elevator ride that lifted Browns fans to highs not seen since the the Bernie Kosar era and lows that stunned that same fandom with last season's highly disappointing -- okay, disastrous -- effort.

Took the Browns to the playoffs for the first time in nearly two decades, didn't he? Beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round,  too. Didn't that count for something? No, not really in this what-have-you-done-for-us-lately? world we inhabit. 

What you did yesterday counts, but for just so long. What you do today and tomorrow counts even more.

Mayfield wasn't burning bridges with his latest stunt. He already did that with the goodbye letter. What his intentions were this time, though, is puzzling. Maybe he was attempting to speak obliquely to other NFL teams out that might be looking for a quarterback. Perhaps he was trying to clean up his image, his brand, 

If it was his intent to grab headlines as the NFL universe attempts -- vainly thus far -- to figure out where he'll land this season, it worked big time. Just about every square foot of the sports landscape covered it.

The NFL Network jumped all over it, as did ESPN, FOX, all the major alphabet networks and an untold number of radio talk shows across the country. Baker Mayfield is big news. If nothing else, it proved the young man is definitely a lightning rod. 

Only one problem, There are as many Mayfield haters lurking  out there as there are defenders of what he went through last season from a physical standpoint. It reached the point where fans ultimately expressed their displeasure with him in typical fan disgust during games.

He frankly admitted the B-flat boo chorus this past season bothered him. And then he said something childishly ignorant.   "I would love to show up to somebody's cubicle and just boo the shit out of them and watch them crumble," he said. Yeah, that'll make him feel better. Then what?

Mayfield admitted he has no idea where he will wind up since the Browns have boxed themselves into a . corner and moving him has proved difficult. The field is somewhat limited with Mayfield's $19 million contract the major stumbling block.

He says he is ready no matter where he lands. "I'm ready for the next chapter, the next opportunity because I have one more year of a guaranteed contract.. . . It's not extra pressure. It's just like "I've been here before.' "

He might be ready for what lies ahead. The question is whether what lies ahead is ready for him.

Off-season thoughts (Vol. XX)

It has been nagging at me ever since the Browns signed Deshaun Watson to that soul-selling $230 million guaranteed contract to play quarterback for the Browns for the next half decade.

Something about it wasn't clicking. My conspiratorial self bellowed something was wrong about this. Something didn't make sense. I couldn't put my finger on it.

It wasn't that owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam squirmed and somehow justified the notion that signing Watson despite his off-the-field baggage was right. Nor was it that Watson, almost like a choir boy, absolved himself of any blame for his alleged sexual misbehavior.

All that off-the-field nonsense that led to the controversial signing has slowly been shunted to the background, although I believe it will linger and never totally disappear. That will be the Haslams' cross to bear as long as they own the franchise.

Was it the possibility of the Browns eventually losing their general manager and head coach, two intelligent men who seemingly were talked into accepting the Watson signing despite possible reservations? No evidence yet to believe that is the case.

My glass-half-empty self struggled trying to come up with a negative or two that would counter the notion this extraordinarily bold move would result in a dramatic -- but positive -- change of direction for a franchise that has wandered so long in a desert of futility.

And then along comes Mike Sando, who has been covering the National Football League since 1998, to unlock the mystery with a piece in The Athletic a few days ago. It got my attention in a hurry. It was a sort of a why-didn't-I-think-of-that moment.

In a column entitled "NFL Free Agency: Execs on the good and bad of all 32 teams' moves and strategies," Sando paints an extremely interesting scenario for the Browns as seen through the eyes, anonymously, of several executives around the league.

Sando suggests the size and guaranteed status of Watson's contract all but entitles him to do whatever he pleases, whenever he pleases and however he pleases and quotes one NFL executive to buttress that notion.

"People talk about the contract precedent and what that does to the NFL, but that leaves out the simple reality this guy (Watson) doesn't need to listen to anybody," said one executive. "If he wants Kevin Stefanski fired, doesn't like the offense, whatever it is, Cleveland is stuck."

Suggested Sando in his lead in the Browns' portion of the piece, "The Browns might as well have named Deshaun Watson their new owner, general manager,  coach and offensive coordinator . . . handing him a ground-breaking $230 million contract that was fully guaranteed at signing." He labelled the move possibly "empowering." 

In a power struggle between the team's high-profile guaranteed nine-figure quarterback and the head coach with a five-year contract, who do you think wins? That's closer to a rhetorical question than you think. 

That possibility never entered my mind. It was like constantly adding two and two and coming up with seven. And while it is being interpreted as outlandish by those who might disagree on the surface, there is, indeed, an element of possibility that exists.

Think about it. First of all the possibility exists that Stefanski, a button-down playcaller, and Watson, a gunslinger, will have to work hard to arrive on the same page. No guarantee that will happen. It didn't with Stefanski and the gun-slinging Baker Mayfield.

Stefanski is in his third season as head coach with mixed results in his first two seasons. He always preaches his goal is putting his players in the best position to win. Watson is more of a free-wheeling quarterback, not a game manager. A conundrum in its infant stages?

Mayfield twice this past season publicly criticized his head coach after a game for being too conservative. Watson never had to do that in his four seasons with Houston Texans because the Texans' passing game set up the ground game.

Sando reports two league executives questioned the Stefanski-Watson fit. "What Deshaun does is playmaking, off schedule, throwing deep, all that, which does not strike me as the Stefanski system," said one. "It may all work out, but he is not the person to give that deal and that power to. . . . I just don't understand. It reeks of desperation." Yeah, kinda.

"Giving him a fully guaranteed contract," said another executive, "they basically said it doesn't matter. If you are Stefanski, you are an NBA coach now." 

Consider the personal mystery solved. Deshaun Watson is, by far, the most powerful man at 76 Lou Groza Blvd. in Berea outside of the Haslams. They gave him all the keys.