The Cleveland Browns had four picks on Day 2 thanks to a couple of trades on Saturday, but three of those picks were in the sixth round. The other pick was in round four. In other words, while Day 1 was filled with excitement and had our attention every step of the way, Day 2 felt more like just sitting and waiting -- whatever happened, happened (had to include a LOST quote somehow).
As there are every year, several players fell surprisingly low. And, in most cases, the Browns passed on those players. Here's a question for everyone though -- in past years, when a player has seen their stock plummet several rounds, do they really end up being a "steal"? Or, did they just slowly drift away from fame, inevitably proving there was a reason they weren't taken sooner in the first place?
Anyway, here is what the Browns did on Day 2 of the 2009 NFL Draft:
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Round 4 (No. 104 overall): The Browns selected LB Kaluka Maiava, who is the nephew of The Rock (fun fact). Maiava was USC's "unknown" in a way, because he was overshadowed by the likes of Clay Matthews, Rey Maualuga, and Brian Cushing, who were all taken on Day 1.
Maiava is slated to be an inside linebacker, and I think this was the right position to go after with a fourth round pick. The staff loves D'Qwell Jackson, so he'll probably have a spot locked up for several more years. Eric Barton will probably have the other spot locked up, but behind them, we don't have a solid rotation guy. Now, we can watch Beau Bell and Maiava go at it in training camp and let the best player come out victorious. - Round 6 (No. 177 overall): The selection was CB Don Carey of Norfolk St., and this seemed to be the pick that Browns fans were least receptive to during the two days, probably because we simply don't know much about him. Scouting reports seemed to indicate he has high character, but is a raw talent.
- Round 6 (No. 191 overall): Here, the Browns took another cornerback. This time it was Coye Francies of San Jose St. Unlike the lukewarm reaction from the previous pick, everyone seemed to love the Francis pick. In fact, the Sporting News had him pegged as a second-round choice. While Carey was taken ahead of Francies, I think it's safe to assume which player fans will have higher expectations for heading into the season.
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Round 6 (No. 195 overall): I'm pleased we didn't take a running back early, but that we did still end up taking one. While RB Rashad Jennings was still on the board here, the Browns decided to take RB James Davis of Clemson instead. We now have an immediate replacement for Jason Wright presumably.
I find it very "cool" that Davis attended the same high school that current Browns starting RB Jamal Lewis did. Reportedly, according to the Plain Dealer, Lewis had already visited Davis several times during his high school days.
"When I was in high school, he always used to come back to the school and I went to Atlanta and trained with him a couple of times," said Davis. "He's a great running back and his workout is really tough."
I smell a nice student-teacher relationship already.
Mr. Irrelevant ended up being a kicker named Ryan Succop of South Carolina. He'll compete for a spot on the Kansas City Chiefs roster.
Cleveland State University basketball player J'Nathan Bullock was not drafted, but teams should be free to sign him as a free agent now. Here's to hoping that he made a strong enough impression on the Browns a few weeks ago.
Finally, according to the Cumberland County Sentinel, the Browns have already signed an undrafted free agent: WR Jordan Norwood of Penn State.
In the coming days, expect more complete analysis and reports on all of the Browns draft picks, as well as the three players we acquired from the New York Jets.