| The Cleveland Browns are on the
clock. Now that the 1999 NFL season is over, our attention turns to the 2000 draft, in
which the Browns have the first pick.
The Browns would be wise to add a third Brown to their roster — namely, Penn State
DE Courtney Brown. He would join OTs Lomas Brown and Orlando Brown (if healthy) on the
most appropriately nicknamed team in all of sports.
The Courtney Brown pick is hardly a slam dunk and wouldn’t necessarily be the most
popular move among Cleveland’s rabid fans. Their top choice, one suspects, would be
Florida State WR Peter Warrick, who is certainly an exciting, enticing option — not
to mention the preferred choice of Cleveland’s franchise quarterback, Tim Couch.
But Couch will come to realize someday that franchise-caliber defensive ends are more
valuable than elite wide receivers in the NFL. He may already be aware of it, having been
sacked by numerous pass-rushing ends during his rookie season.
Couch’s favorite target as a rookie was fellow first-year man Kevin Johnson, a
plum of a wide receiver plucked in the second round. Super Bowl XXXIV star and Pro
Football Weekly All-NFC pick Isaac Bruce was also a second-rounder. Likewise the
Panthers’ best wideout, Muhsin Muhammad. The message here: Quality wide receivers can
be had after Gene Washington replaces Paul Tagliabue at the draft podium. I won’t go
so far as to say wideouts are a dime a dozen, but you can probably get 12 of ’em for
a quarter. Quality defensive ends are much more rare, much more expensive.
To project their potential value as NFL players, let’s compare Brown and Warrick
to two current superstars. For Brown, let’s go with Bruce Smith, who’s been the
best all-around defensive end in the game for more than a decade (with apologies to Reggie
White). For Warrick, let’s go with Tim Brown, an equally electrifying all-purpose
threat in college who has carved out a standout professional career.
If you could have either player from the beginning, would you rather have Smith or Tim
Brown? No disrespect intended toward Timmy, but I’d take Smith in a heartbeat, and I
assure you most personnel types would agree with me.
As impressive as Warrick was in the Sugar Bowl and throughout his college career,
I’m not convinced he will be as good a pro as Tim Brown. Brown has proved to be tough
as nails going over the middle, especially after he had to adjust his game following major
knee surgery. Warrick is smallish, about 5-10 and under 200 pounds. Can he hold up to the
pounding NFL defenders deliver? Or will he become another Terry Glenn, who can be thrown
off his game if jammed effectively at the line of scrimmage?
From all accounts, Courtney Brown is about as close to a can’t-miss prospect as
you’ll find. He is smart, quick, rangy and athletic. He spent more time in the
backfield this past season than a lot of quarterbacks and running backs. He has everything
scouts look for in a defensive end. So why would the Browns bother looking in a different
direction? |
