SBN Mock Draft: Pick No. 3

No. 3

Pick by Dawgs By Nature Joe Thomas Offensive Lineman Wisconsin

Wasting no time, ChrisPokorny of Dawgs By Nature investigates how an imposing Badger can resurrect the fortunes of one of the most storied franchises in the history of the game:

While watching the Detroit Lions on the clock, I was a little surprised to see the second pick of the draft traded for, considering we did not have Calvin Johnson listed as our No. 1 priority. My biggest fear was that the Lions would actually select Joe Thomas instead of Brady Quinn, although that would have left us with the golden option of choosing Adrian Peterson instead. Either way, it seemed like a win -win situation for the Browns.

What wins games in football? What moves the football? A well-rounded offensive line. The Browns attempted to improve the line last year with LeCharles Bentley, but his injury alone turned our unit into one of the league's worst groups. This year, adding Eric Steinbach isn't enough to improve our running game, or protect our quarterback from being knocked to the turf every other play. There's fear that we're missing out on Peterson being the next LaDainian Tomlinson (whom we passed on several years ago), but with the addition of Jamal Lewis, we're willing to try out what fans have been calling for the team to do for years: draft an offensive lineman that's considered an absolute stud (Jeff Faine didn't count).