Saturday Dawg Chow: Browns news (4/13/19)

Cleveland Browns:

• How Odell Beckham brings the LeBron James effect to the Browns (cleveland.com) - Let’s take a deep breath and think about the new world of the Cleveland Browns since the bold moves made by general manager John Dorsey.

• Cornerback has yet to be addressed, desire is real (ohio.com) - John Dorsey has been a busy buddy boy this offseason. The general manager of the Browns has acquired 14 new players, signing 11 and trading for three. With the dust settling from those transactions and the April 25-27 NFL Draft on the horizon, it’s worth noting the only position on offense or defense where Dorsey has yet to add a newcomer this year is cornerback.
• Potential fits on defense from the AAF (Browns Wire) - The Alliance of American Football is now defunct and it is unfortunate considering how many people have lost not only their jobs but their opportunities to showcase their abilities. The reality is many of these players were simply not NFL-caliber talents. There are some possible hidden gems, though.

NFL:

• Forrest Gregg, Iron Man Lineman for Lombardi’s Packers, Dies at 85 (NY Times) - Forrest Gregg, one of the N.F.L.’s greatest offensive tackles and a key figure on Coach Vince Lombardi’s five Green Bay Packer championship teams of the 1960s, died on Friday in Colorado Springs. He was 85.
• Vikings will give Adam Thielen $64 million contract extension (Star Tribune) - After posting numbers that made him one of the NFL’s most productive wide receivers the past two seasons, Adam Thielen is about to become one of the league’s richest. The wide receiver, 28, has agreed with the Vikings on a four-year contract extension worth at least $64 million, his agency announced on Friday.
• Raiders’ Mike Mayock reaffirms Derek Carr is ‘a franchise quarterback’ (San Francisco Chronicle) - General manager Mike Mayock reiterated the Raiders’ support for quarterback Derek Carr on Thursday, adding the team is doing “due diligence” on quarterbacks in this year’s draft class.
• The best (and worst) draft class of all-time at every position (ESPN) - What’s the best draft class of all time? If you asked a football fan to identify the best draft pick ever, it would take about two seconds to point to Tom Brady as the 199th pick of the 2000 draft. Likewise, if you asked someone which team had the best single draft in league history, they would probably point to the 1974 Steelers and their four Hall of Famers, although the 1971 class might actually be better.