Browns look to plug holes on defense

By STEVE KING

Safety first.

Probably, likely, but maybe not.

Perhaps linebacker will be first.

Whatever the case, those are the two position areas that are expected to be addressed by the Browns when rounds 2 and 3 of the NFL Draft are held on Friday night beginning at 7.

We can say “expected to be addressed” – and mean it — because the decision-makers in this new Browns regime keep doing the simple, common-sense things. And after getting that much-needed left tackle in the first round on Thursday night in Alabama’s Jedrick Wills Jr., who was selected at No. 10 overall, and thus filling the last big hole on offense, the Browns must now turn their attention to all the many needs on defense, the greatest of which are at safety and linebacker, in whatever order you want to put them, and also edge rusher.

The Browns did it the right way, trying to fix the offense before the defense, because the NFL is an offensive-centered game, one in which a failure to be able to score a good number of points pretty much equates to a failure to have a chance to win.

Now, do the Browns still have more work to do on offense? Yes, of course, in that they need another wide receiver or two, plus interior linemen.

But you can’t do everything all at once, and the first order of business now must be defense, defense and more defense. For while the Browns, as mentioned, should be able to score points, they will have a lower ceiling on wins than they want, and need, because they won’t be able to stop anyone on defense. And you can’t outscore everyone.

The good thing is that despite a lot of defensive players taken at the top of the draft on Thursday, and a good number of cornerbacks tabbed throughout the round, there are plenty of really good safeties, linebackers and even edge rushers still on the board.

So, yes, it’s all well and good that the Browns seemed to hit it outta the park in the first round. Great. Wonderful.

But that was then and this is now, and now it’s time for the Browns, who finished a very under-achieving 6-10 last season and haven’t posted a winning mark since way back in 2007, to get back to work and hit it outta the park again on Friday night.