Cleveland Browns general manager John Dorsey won’t tip hand on team’s draft plans

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BEREA, Ohio — The process rules for John Dorsey.

The Cleveland Browns general manager met the media Thursday morning and provided little inkling into what direction the team is heading with the first and fourth picks of the NFL draft.

“The draft is seven days away,” Dorsey said. “I like where we are in the process.”

Dorsey talked a few specifics about players but repeated his process mantra even when asked if the Browns would go best player or best quarterback with the first pick.

“There’s still a couple days to get this thing where we want it to be,” said Dorsey, who will have the final say in a draft that will be vital in rebuilding the Browns from the wreckage of a winless 2017 season.

Dorsey met Thursday afternoon with the front office, scouts, coach Hue Jackson and the offensive coaches. He will repeat the process by meeting with the defensive staff on Friday. From those lengthy meetings should come some consensus.

Like many Browns front-office types before him, Dorsey promised consensus will not be difficult to achieve.

“If you are like-minded in your thinking, you’ll be able to see the same things,” he said.

In explaining his process, Dorsey relied more on traditional football scouting, with visual evaluation more important than analytics.

He described his system as rooted in listening to every bit of information he can find and being prudent and patient.

“But also, trust your eyes watching film,” he said.

If that is true, he must have a good feeling about three players who, unlike the top quarterbacks, did not make pre-draft visits to the Browns facility: running back Saquon Barkley, defensive end Bradley Chubb and defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick.

“All three of them are awesome kids,” Dorsey said. “What more do you need to know about them?”

Regarding the top quarterbacks, Dorsey said four should go in the first round and that five may. He said fixing Sam Darnold’s fumbling issue is not difficult, Josh Rosen is a “broad thinker” and “a neat kid,” and Baker Mayfield is “a pleasant fella.”

“The only thing I care about is, do guys win?” Dorsey said. “Does he have accuracy? Does he have a strong arm? Can he throw the ball in the red zone in tight windows? Can he drive the ball? At the end of the game, does he win? That’s what I look for.”

Dorsey said he will continue to listen to trade offers and will right up to draft day, but he noted that he would not expect any trade possibilities to get serious until next Thursday.

“My phone is still on,” Dorsey said. “The power’s on.”

As for anyone speculating or guessing the Browns’ choice, Dorsey said he pays no attention.

“I go black in this time of year,” he said. “I mean for a month, I don’t listen to radio, I don’t watch TV, and I don’t pick up the newspaper. I kind of sit there. I think scouting. When you do that, you see the purity of information. You see the facts, and you see the film without listening to the outside white noise.

“And that’s kind of the way I’ve always done it.”



Source : ESPN