Draft receiving rave reviews

05.01.2007

If post-draft grades were movie reviews, the Browns' '07 draft is The Godfather. Guess that makes general manager Phil Savage is Francis Ford Coppola and Joe Thomas Marlon Brando.

Since the close of the 2007 NFL Draft Sunday, reviews of the Browns' participation have been overwhelmingly positive and among the best in the league.

Journalists and fans have lined up to tout not only the team's blockbuster first-round -- where they selected both offensive tackle Thomas and quarterback Brady Quinn -- but also their second-round pick cornerback Eric Wright and second-day picks as well.

ESPN.com's Mel Kiper, Jr. ranked the team's draft one of the Top 3 for 2007 along with Minnesota and San Francisco. Todd McShay of Scouts, Inc. ranked it as the best along with the Carolina Panthers.

"Credit Cleveland senior vice president and general manager Phil Savage for continuing to work the phones to land Quinn," Kiper said.

He also called second-round pick Eric Wright "a good value" saying, "You could argue he's better than (first-round picks) Leon Hall and Darrelle Revis."

Sports Illustrated's Peter King agreed in his weekly Monday Morning Quarterback column.

"Savage scored major points in the draft," he said. "He had the persistence to work feverishly to go get what he wanted...The Browns did trade their first pick in 2008, but they will get the benefit of paying their potential quarterback of the future much less than they would have had to pay, if such a player had been drafted in the top five.

"And they get to work that quarterback into the system for a year, relatively pressure-free..."

The Browns, meanwhile, were one of three AFC teams CNNSI.com's Jeffri Chadiha gave an A for the draft. They were one of four teams (Arizona, Oakland and Tampa Bay) to receive four stars from Tom Weir of USA Today. CBSSportline's Pete Prisco and FoxSports' John Czarnecki each gave the Browns an A-plus.

"The Browns' first three selections were very special and could alter the face of this struggling franchise," Czarnecki said.

The club also received 'A's from NBCSports.com's Tom Curran, SI.com's Paul Zimmerman, and SportingNews.com's War Room Scouts.

Rick Gosselin of the Dallas Morning News rated Quinn the best value of the first round saying, "no quarterback better prepared to play as an NFL rookie in 2007 than Quinn."

Around the division, the media was just as impressed. Mark Curnutte of the Cincinnati Enquirer said the Browns "helped (themselves) more than any of its division rivals and as much, if not more, than any team around the NFL."

Jamison Hensley of the Baltimore Sun, meanwhile, said the Browns, "put together one of the best drafts in the league... selecting two franchise players in the first round in offensive tackle Joe Thomas and quarterback Brady Quinn."

Browns fans appear to agree with the sentiments of the nation's experts. Asked on ClevelandBrowns.com Sunday night and Monday morning how they would rate the team's '07 draft, 74.7 percent of the 18,743 fans surveyed gave the club an 'A', while an additional 20.6 percent said 'B'. Less than 5 percent said 'C' or lower.

Asked to rate the first day of the Browns' draft, 82.8 percent of more than 19,000 fans at ClevelandBrowns.com said 'A', while 13 percent more said 'B'. Again, less than 5 percent said 'C' or lower.

Media and fans won't have to wait long to see the Browns' seven draft picks, along with a slew of undrafted rookies and tryout candidates on the team's practice field. The club's rookie minicamp kicks off Friday.

It's not open to the public but cameras and writers, including the ClevelandBrowns.com video and editorial crew, will be there all weekend to bring you exclusive coverage of one of the top draft classes of the year as they take the field as Browns for the first time.