Page 337 of 357

Beautiful. Many had Akron quarterback Charlie Frye possibly going in the second round, with the Browns reportedly one of the teams interested in taking him. Well, they got him, but in the third, not the second. I love it. This kid is big (6-4, 217), tough, smart and athletic, and while he doesn’t have the biggest arm in the draft, he’s accurate on the run and in the pocket. Trent Dilfer was brought in to “bridge the gap” to Savage and Crennel’s young QB, and that young QB is Charlie Frye. With the recent success of MAC quarterbacks in the NFL (Ben Roethlisberger, Byron Leftwich and Chad Pennington), there’s every reason to believe that this kid will be successful when the Browns are ready to hand him the reins.

Boy, I sure hope Savage and Crennel are getting the right guys because it really looks like Baltimore is having a great draft. First-rounder Mark Clayton, the receiver from Oklahoma, should immediately help the Ravens’ passing game and second-round pick Dan Cody, Clayton’s former Oklahoma teammate, is a defensive end who many predicted would go somewhere late in the first round. Getting him at #53 is a definite steal for the Ravens.

Hmm…I’m scratching my head over this one. Brodney Pool was one of the best defensive backs in the country but he’s listed as a safety. Maybe this means that Savage and Crennel aren’t very high on last year’s second-round pick Sean Jones, or maybe they think Pool can play corner. Either way, this was an unexpected move considering QB Charlie Frye, DE Dan Cody and Khalif Barnes, the mammoth offensive tackle from Washington, were all available. Barnes in particular seemed like a great pick, a guy who looks like a future offensive-line anchor. Lord knows the Browns could use one of those.

Aaron Rodgers has fallen…hard. To the point, in fact, where the Green Bay Packers, looking for Brett Favre’s successor, have the opportunity to nab him at #24. This is potentially great news for the Browns, who have been rumored to be interested in Auburn QB Jason Campbell. The Packers seem to like Campbell too and some thought they may jump the gun and take him in the first. But now that Rodgers is out there for Green Bay, the chances look good that Campbell will be there in the second.

The Browns picked the right guy in Braylon Edwards, but they weren’t the only ones in the AFC Central who made good selections today. The Bengals nabbed Georgia DE David Pollack, one of the guys reportedly on the Browns’ radar had they been able to trade down. An undersized guy with a non-stop motor, Pollack will be pressuring Browns QBs for years to come.

Torry Holt, working the draft for ESPN, loves the Ravens’ selection at #22, Oklahoma receiver Mark Clayton. He’s small (5-10, 193) but this kid’s ultra-talented and pretty damn quick. The Ravens filled a big need here (remember the botched Terrell Owens trade?) and Kyle Boller gets some help on draft day. Judging by his first two years in the NFL, he needs it.