Just the facts, ma'am: Cleveland Browns 2012 NFL Draft

Twitter Accounts for some of the Draftees

@bweeden3
@M_Schwartz72
@Bigjh40
@Billy_Boi_90
@thEMANacho
@TravisBenjamin3
@TwoStarWade

The 2012 NFL Draft is over, done, in the books.  Sigh.  Now after months of discussing who the Cleveland Browns should / would take, we are left to try our hands as talent evaluators and judge what they did.  I love a good debate as much as the next girl, but frankly, none of my questions are going to be answered until the team hits the field in August.

I'm sure you watched Round 1, but I'm also sure most of you passed on rounds 2-7. I will admit I slept for most of this afternoon, so researching their late round choices was something I needed to do anyway.  Below is just an overview of each player selected, some basic bio information and some college stats.  I shall endeavor to refrain from adding my personal thoughts (for now) on whether or not I liked the pick. I'm just putting them all in here to make it easier for people who want to see the list in one easy place.

Oh, and at the end I also added a few guys who didn't get drafted by the Browns.... some guys that either have local connections or that I just liked as college players and wondered where they landed.  Enjoy.

Round 1 Pick #3 (Trade UP with Minnesota Vikings)
RB Trent Richardson, Alabama
5'11" 224 lbs Birthday: July 10, 1991
Rushing stats:
2009 - 751 yards 8 TD rush 0 TD receiving
2010 - 700 yards 6 TD rush 3 TD receiving
2011 - 1679 yards 21 TD rush 4 TD receiving

Round 1 Pick #22 (Acquired in trade with Atlanta in 2011)
QB Brandon Weeden, Oklahoma State
6'4" 220 lbs Birthday: October 14, 1983
2009 - 15/24 for 248 yd 4 TD 1 INT - QB Rate 196
2010 - 342/511 for 4277 yd 34 TD 13 INT - QB Rate 154
2011 - 408/564 for 4727 yd 37 TD 13 INT - QB Rate 159

Round 2 Pick #37
OT Mitchell Schwartz, California
6'6" 318 lbs Birthday: June 8, 1989

Started all 51 games possible during his Cal career from 2008-11 to fall one start short of Syd'Quan Thompson's school record of 52, making the starts at either left tackle (35) or right tackle (16) ... earned first-team All-Pac-12 and Pac-12 All-Academic in his senior season ...

Round 3 Pick #87
DT John Hughes, Cincinnati 6'2" 309 lbs Birthday: April 27, 1988

Closed out the season with 51 tackles, 12.5 tackles for a loss, five sacks, a pair of quarterback hurries and a blocked kick ... played some of his best football during UC's championship and Liberty Bowl run, tallying 27 tackles and four sacks over the last five games of the season ...

Round 4 Pick #100
WR Travis Benjamin, Miami(FL)
5'10" 170 lbs Birthday: Shhhh It's a secret!
2008 - 293 yrds 3 TD
2009 - 501 yrds 4 TD
2010 - 743 yrds 3 TD
2011 - 609 yrds 3 TD Led team in Kick Return Yardage at 496 yrds

Round 4 Pick #120
LB James-Michael Johnson, Nevada
6'2" 240 lbs Birthday: August 20, 1989

2011: Honors candidate who should contend for Defensive Player of the Year honors in the Western Athletic Conference ... Has been named to the watch lists for the Bronko Nagurski Award (nation's top defensive player) and the Butkus Award (nation's top linebacker) ... Has been named preseason All-WAC by a number of publications.

Round 5 Pick #160
OG Ryan Miller, Colorado
6'8" 295 lbs Birthday: July 6, 1989

He set the school record for the most career games started with 47 (48 including the 2007 Independence Bowl), breaking the old marks of 45 overall (ILB Jordon Dizon) and 44 by an offensive player (held by two players); he started the last 37 games of his career. He became just the ninth player out of almost 2,000 lettermen to earn five letters in a CU uniform, as he missed the last eight games of the 2008 season with a broken fibula, but still played in four contests and more than enough plays to letter

Round 6 Pick #204
LB Emmanuel Chinedum Acho, Texas 6'2" 245 lbs Birthday: November 10, 1990

Ended his career having played in 48 games, including 26 starts ... graduated in December, 2011 with a degree in sports management ... posted 278 tackles (159 solo), 41 TFL, eight sacks, seven forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, two INTs, 13 PBU and 26 pressures for his career ...

Round 6 Pick #205
DE Billy Winn, Boise State
6'4" 294 lbs Birthday: unknown

WINN'S CAREER STATISTICS
YEAR SOLO ASST TOTAL SACKS TFL PBU
2008---16---11----27---2.5--6.5---2
2009---18---26----44---6.0-12.5---3
2010---11---17----28---4.0--9.5---1
2011---18---15----33---3.0--8.0---1
TOTAL--63---69---132--15.5-36.5---7

Round 7 Pick #245
CB Trevin Wade, Arizona
5'11" 192 lbs Birthday: August 1, 1989

Round 7 Pick #247
TE/FB Brad Smelley, Alabama
6'3" 229 lbs Birthday: unknown

And in other news.....
CB Chase Minnefield, Virginia, @ChaseMinnefield Son of Cleveland Brown Great Frank Minnefield, went undrafted but was signed afterwards by the Washington Redskins. Sigh

OT Mike Adams, THE Ohio State University - drafted by Pittsburgh Steelers Round 2, Pick #56. Another Sigh.

WR DeVier Posey, THE Ohio State University - drafted by Houston Texans Round 3, Pick #68.

RB Daniel "Boom" Herron, THE Ohio State University - drafted by Cincinnati Bengals Round 6, Pick #191.

WR Lavon Brazill, Ohio U - drafted by Indianapolis Colts Round 6, Pick #206.

WR Jordan White, Western Michigan @_JordanWhite - drafted by New York Jets Round 7, Pick #244

(He's from North Ridgeville, OH, and since I watched him play in High School, he gets to close out my list of "other guys.")


Respectfully Submitted,

Cleveland Kate

An Open Letter to Colt McCoy

Dear Colt,

As I'm writing this today, I don't know what the future will bring for you. It's nearly impossible to tell what is in the mind of the Cleveland Browns front office personnel, so I don't know if you'll be given a shot to be our QB next year or if you will be traded to another team. I just wanted to let you know how impressed I am with the Class you've displayed during a difficult situation.

The Browns have had one of the worst offenses in the NFL over the past couple years. At time, it was difficult - even painful - to watch as a fan. I can only imagine how it was for those players actually on the field. The changes in schemes, head coach, strike-shortened off-season, etc., led up to a miserable 2011 season for all of us. There was a ton of talk about bringing RG3 to Cleveland, of a trade gone bad where we "lost" him to Washington, of concern over our QB situation. And yet you remained silent. You allowed matters that were out of your control to stay that way, to refuse comment, to "lay low." And really, there was nothing good you could say during that time to make things better. When Shurmur announce that you were our QB "for now," I was worried about your morale, but figured that you would just use it as motivation to get better this off-season.

I've always believed in your abilities. I remember the New Orleans and New England games of 2010, the pride I felt when we beat teams we shouldn't have been able to beat. The pride of being a Browns Fan. While I understand the people who don't have faith in you, I always felt it was difficult to truly evaluate your NFL skills without some weapons, some play-makers. The Hillis illness, injury, and over-all mismanagement by Shurmur, didn't help at all. For me, the jury is still out on whether or not you can lead my Browns to the playoffs.

Through it all, I kept my hope alive. I kept thinking that somehow, some way, the team would use Free Agency and the Draft to improve and that I would be able to enjoy football again. Well, as you know, free agency didn't bring the blockbuster deal I was hoping for. The draft started off to be very promising with the Browns going after Trent Richardson and telling the fans - as well as the rest of the league - that we were willing to go after a player who would make a difference for the next 5-8 years. The Browns would once again have a running game that would force our division rivals to take notice and set their defenses on their ears. TRich immediately makes our offense better, makes you a better and more effective quarterback. Hooray!

But none of that seems to matter now. With the pick of Brandon Weeden at #22, the Browns have clearly stated that they don't believe in you. I hoped that you would get the chance to compete with him in the off-season for the starting job, but I just don't have a good feeling that will happen.

So, whether you are traded or not, I hope that you light it up on the field this year. I hope you get the chance to really show what skills you possess on the field. And I want to thank you for the class you've shown during this past year. You've been a role model for other players. Sometimes, it's better to say nothing at all than to say things that will get you in trouble, both with the team and the fans. I wish you nothing but success in the future and hope that this doesn't prove to be yet another decision the Browns end up regretting.

Respectfully Submitted, Cleveland Kate