Bye-bye Braylon? Browns eye WR Crabtree
By MARY KAY CABOT
Texas Tech’s two-time Biletnikoff winner said he’d love to play in Cleveland.
CLEVELAND — Texas Tech receiver Michael Crabtree, at 6-foot-2, 215 pounds, and exceptional hands, could be just the blockbuster receiver the Browns need to make folks forget all about Braylon Edwards, if Edwards is traded.
Some league insiders say the Browns have fallen in love with Crabtree, the top-rated receiver in the draft, and the feeling is mutual following a visit to Cleveland last week.
“I loved Cleveland and would love to play there,” Crabtree said in an email. “It’s a team with great history and great fans who love football.”
Crabtree also enjoyed the time he spent with Browns coach Eric Mangini.
“He’s a great coach in this league with a lot of experience and I’d be excited to play for him,” said Crabtree. “My visit to Cleveland was great. I was excited by the organization and the facilities. It would be fun to play there and I think they’re close to a championship-level team.”
Crabtree is one of a handful of players the Browns are considering with the fifth pick of the first round. They’re also intrigued with Missouri receiver Jeremy Maclin, who also visited last week. Both came out of school early following spectacular production in two full seasons.
Crabtree, a two-time Biletnikoff winner as the nation’s top receiver, caught 134 passes for 1,962 yards and 22 touchdowns as a freshman and had 97 receptions for 1,165 yards and 19 TDs last year. Maclin, who also can return kicks, caught 102 passes for 1,260 yards and 13 TDs last season, and also scored on a kickoff return and punt return.
“I really got a good vibe from the Browns during my visit,” said Maclin. “I felt they were genuinely interested. Coach Mangini is big on character, and that’s one of my strengths. I also liked [offensive coordinator] Brian Daboll. He was really tough in the beginning, but then he lightened up and we laughed about some things.”
Maclin (6-0, 198) is faster and lighter than Crabtree, but most experts agree that Crabtree is by far the superior player and that there would be no debate between the two if both were there at No. 5.
“I’d be very surprised to see Maclin go that high,” said analyst Rob Rang of nfldraftscout.com. “Probably the only team that would draft Maclin ahead of Crabtree would be a team like the Raiders [with the seventh pick], who have a fetish for speed. A lot of teams think Crabtree will be the best player to come out of this draft.”
Crabtree underwent surgery March 4 to repair a stress fracture in his left foot discovered at the scouting combine, but hasn’t slipped on most draft boards. He wasn’t able to erase questions about his estimated 4.5 speed, but the Browns are satisfied.
“He separates and gets in and out of cuts and he gets into the end zone,” said Browns general manager George Kokinis. “That’s good enough for me. When you put on the tape, he makes plays.”
Crabtree’s receivers coach at Texas Tech, Dennis Simmons, said the most impressive thing about “Crab” is his desire to be the best.
“He wants to be known as the Michael Jordan of the NFL,” said Simmons. “He wants to be a great all-around receiver. He was just as proud of a knockout block as a catch. He physically dominated defensive backs.”
Simmons, who recruited Crabtree out of high school, where he was a quarterback, never dreamed he’d become the nation’s best receiver and one of the draft’s top prospects.
“He’s far exceeded my expectations and it’s a testament to how hard he’s worked,” said Simmons. “When he made ‘The Catch’ against Texas [the last-second game-winner against the No. 1-ranked Longhorns], we weren’t surprised, because he had showcased it 50 times over the summer.”