Berry a Realistic Option at 7?

With the draft less than one month away, the smoke and mirrors routine has kicked into high gear. Teams are taking visits with players, talking about players and talking about team needs. The question becomes, what can we believe and what is smoke? With regard to the top of the the draft, it looks fairly certain that Sam Bradford will be taken by the St. Louis Rams at #1. Bradford has his proday yesterday and impressed. By all accounts, he threw with great accuracy, showed the ability to throw the ball deep and demonstrated solid footwork, making throws on the run. With Bradford likely going #1, lets look at what is likely to happen before the Browns pick at #7.

The Lions are essentially on the clock with the #2 pick. They will look at both offensive and defensive line help. They would love to take a player like Suh or McCoy, but they will need to think about protecting franchise QB Matt Stafford, who took 25 sacks last year and suffered some injuries as a result. Okung could start immediately at LT and is a very likely pick. Ultimately I think they take Suh and look to take the best tackle in Round 2, if someone like Charles Brown from USC falls.

The Bucs at #3 will take the best DT available. If Suh is off the board, it becomes an easy choice, and Gerald McCoy is the guy. However if the Lions take Okung, the organization has to decide who they like better between Suh and McCoy. I think if Suh is on the Board, he goes to the Bucs.

Washington has a wildcard here at #4. Daniel Snyder likes making the sexy draft pick, and with a new HC, it may be time to take the QB of the Future. With Bradford off the board, that would leave Jimmy Clausen from Notre Dame as the top passer on the board. However, the Redskins desperately in need of a LT to replace the retiring Chris Samuels. If Okung is on the board here, Okung will be the pick. If not, the Redskins will take a hard look at Clausen, but will ultimately determine they must have a LT, and draft the next best LT in this case, Bryan Bulaga from Iowa.

The Chiefs will I believe ultimately have the greatest impact on what the Browns do at 7. The Chiefs need a LT, but with Bulaga off the board, they might look safety or inside linebacker as well. Berry is a very realistic option at this point for the Chiefs. Scott Pioli likely does not like the thought of paying top 5 money to a safety, but if he is not sold on the next best LT, Berry likely is their guy. I believe however that they do like Trent Williams and build a line for Thomas Jones and Jamal Charles to run behind, while keeping Matt Cassel in an upright position.

The Seahawks draft next and with the #6 position, could fill any number of needs. The Seahawks need LT, RB, LB, WR and could look at QB to replace the aging Matt Hasselbeck. If McCoy fell to them because of the Lions taking Okung, the Seahawks would likely take McCoy to improve the all around defense and specifically the interior passrush. However, I think McCoy is gone. They will look at Clausen, C.J. Spiller and LT. If one of the three above left tackles falls to them, I think they would take LT, but at this point with 3 off the board, I think the Seahawks take Clausen, unless they believe they can get him at #14.

In this scenario, Eric Berry is available at #7, something that seemed improbable a few weeks ago. However, with the run on LT and DT and QB early in the first round, the Browns have the luxury to draft the best player available in a position of need. The Browns are rumored to really like Sergio Kindle from Texas, but most people do not have him as a top 10 pick. Some have him falling and I believe the Browns would not pick him at 7. The Browns will also think about an ILB like McClain and Joe Haden at Corner. It will be interesting to see what happens if the Seahawks and Redskins pass on Clausen. Holmgren did not sound enamored with Clausen, but the Browns are doing their due diligence and bringing him in for a visit. At this time of year, you never know what to believe, but if Berry is available, the Browns need to secure a very rare talent.

THE DRAFT IS 5 WEEKS FROM TODAY!

With the draft coming in just 5 short weeks, the Cleveland Browns are hard at work scouting both college and pro players. Among the college ranks, the Browns attended several pro days and have been watching certain players. Some of the notables include Florida's Joe Haden, who greatly improved his combine 40 time. At the combine, Haden ran a 4.57, due to a back injury. Many national pundits equated the poor showing to a slide on draft day. On Wednesday, Haden greatly improved his time, running in the high 4.3's and up to about 4.4 according to scouts.

I never doubted that Haden would improve his time at the combine and re-establish himself in the top 10 consideration. If Berry is off the board, I think the Browns pull the trigger on Haden.

Tim Tebow also had a great pro day, displaying his adjusted footwork and throwing motion. By all accounts, Tebows throws were on target all morning while displaying vast improvement since the Senior Bowl six weeks ago. On NFL exec who had a front row seat was our very own Mike Holmgren. The Browns have also set a private workout with the former Heisman winner and two time National Champion QB. I find it interesting that Holmgren signed Delhomme to a 2 year deal and stated, that because of the length of the deal, it was obvious what they were planning (meaning they want to draft a QB and develop him behind Delhomme). It is recognized that Tebow needs some time to learn the game from both physically and mentally. Its possible he could sit behind a great team guy like Delhomme, who said he welcomes the role of mentoring yutes. (Youths). In 5 weeks and a day, we'll know if Tebow or possibly Colt McCoy could be that yute.

One Florida player who did not perform well was MLB Brandon Spikes. While his game film looks great due to his overall production while at Florida, Spikes ran a 5.01 in his 40. This kind of speed is devastating at the LB position. No one ever believed he was a fast linebacker, but teams will be worried if the 5.01 speed is also seen on tape.

Eric Berry, the star Safety from Tennessee also worked out yesterday, but injured a toe early in the workout, and cut the session short. Don't expect for this minor injury to affect Berry's draft status, as he went into the workout not needing to prove himself to anyone.

The Browns also attended Bowling Green's pro day to watch WR Freddie Barnes, who had a monster year in 2009. Barnes displayed incredible hands and had terrific production at BG. He will likely be taken in the mid to late rounds as his speed is average at best.

Ryan Mathews, the second rated RB in this years draft had his pro day at Fresno State and solidified his position in the draft. The Browns attended the pro day, but don't expect Mathews to make it out of the first round, specifically past the Chargers at 28.

Superbowl!!!