fbpx
Skip to main content

Following Barkevious Mingo trade, all eyes on Sashi Brown

Plenty of attention will fall onto Hue Jackson and Robert Griffin III this year. Jackson is the ninth different head coach of the Cleveland Browns since the franchise re-entered the league in 1999.

Griffin, meanwhile, is set to be the 25th different quarterback. But the man who truly has the most to say about whether this reclamation project will be successful is not on the field or sideline. No, that man, Sashi Brown, is in the front office.

The decision to trade Barkevious Mingo to the New England Patriots gives the Browns 13 picks in the 2017 NFL Draft.

https://twitter.com/FieldYates/status/768889559895646208

As a point of reference, Cleveland had the most picks in 2016’s draft (14).

That’s a good thing. Building through the draft is important in all sports. But in the NFL, it’s even more important.

Teams can add key parts through free agency, but the salary cap is too oppressive to build a contender that way. Even if it wasn’t, 11 players being on the field makes it more of a team philosophy than other sports. Teams have to build through the draft and keep themselves together for a while.

So, with seven months (and an entire season) between now and the draft, the Browns are already well ahead of the curve. They’re in position to build through the draft.

Unfortunately, this isn’t exactly uncharted territory in Cleveland. Acquiring the draft picks is the first step. Doing something good with them is another. That’s an area where the Browns have failed miserably in recent years.

With Mingo’s trade, none of the players drafted from 2011-13 remain on the team. Depending on their positions, players drafted in that time should either be entering or right in the middle of their primes.

Expecting them to be with the team is a bare minimum hope, particularly when the picks are coming as high as Cleveland’s tend to be.

Of the men selected in that entire 2011-15 window, only Justin Gilbert, Danny Shelton and Cameron Erving are still Browns. The three of them have combined for zero Pro Bowl appearances.

It’s now on Brown to right the ship. And you better believe he’ll be under the gun early.

While Brown is new to the executive vice president of football operations job, he’s not new to Cleveland’s front office. In January of 2013, Brown was hired as the executive vice president/general counsel — a position he held until January of 2016 when he was promoted to his current job.

While Brown may not have been the guy with the final say on some of the failed draft picks in the past, his hands aren’t exactly clean from them either.

What that means is that an already impatient group of fans will likely be less patient than normal. Brown’s selections have to make an immediate impact.

He quickly has to show that he’s different than the past decision makers, including the ones he worked under. For that to happen, his players and coaches need to make an impact.

The Browns don’t necessarily need to win big or make the playoffs in 2016. Cleveland does need to look like an organization with a clue.

It would help if Griffin and Jackson showed themselves to be keepers. It would also help if at least some of 2016’s draft picks emerged as building blocks. At least then, there would be some hope for the currently unknown 2017 crew.

If that can’t happen, another “step in the right direction” could quickly turn into another disaster. That’s the last thing the Browns need.

Mentioned in this article:

More About: