The 2017 NFL Draft is just about here, so the time has come to project who the Cleveland Browns will target this year.
Based on the moves of this regime, both in the draft and free agency, since it was established they’ve had some clear patterns they’ve followed. The emphasis on analytics has produced trends that are going to be tweaked and adjusted can be projected without too much difficulty. The data is universal, so it can be applied to any team — but the targets and discussion are specific to the Cleveland Browns.
When it comes to player evaluation, the Browns have focused on explosion — players that test well in the 40-yard dash, vertical and broad jumps. They’ve focused on players with high production. Beyond simply compiling stats, they’ve added players were particularly impactful relative to their team, which is called market share.
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The last point has been character. Since he was hired as the team’s head coach, Hue Jackson has put an emphasis on player character and the team has avoided players with off field issues particularly those legal in nature. They want guys who are focused on being great at football on the field and aren’t likely to get in trouble off of it.
There are some players that might otherwise fit that were excluded based on what Gregg Williams said about how the team approached the Senior Bowl and extrapolating from that point. Basically if applying the logic Williams out for the Senior Bowl, it seems logical that the team would also avoid Christian McCaffrey from Stanford and Leonard Fournette for skipping the final game of their collegiate career.
The one notable exception is quarterback. There’s no data points or any traits that anyone can truly pinpoint when it comes to this regime and the quarterback position, so those included are purely speculation and opinion.
It should become quickly apparent which positions have a ton of talent and depth and which that just aren’t particularly strong this year. In all, there are 165 players included that stand out as potential targets for the Cleveland Browns this year.