With The 6th Pick In The 2011 Stampede Blue Community Mock Draft, The Cleveland Browns Select...

Robert Quinn - DE, North Carolina

Pick made by nickfromnaptown:

Fans of the Cleveland Browns are banging their heads against the wall right about now. Both WR A.J. Green and DT Marcell Dareus have already been taken in the draft, two players fitting major needs.

So... what now?  Do they reach for Julio Jones at No. 6 to give Colt McCoy a big-time receiving threat? How about creating a truly elite duo in the secondary by snagging CB Prince Amukamara to pair with Joe Haden?

The Browns say 'nay' and choose DE Robert Quinn out of North Carolina.  With the current changes in coaching staff and possible transition from a 3-4 defense to a 4-3 defense, the Browns are in dire need of bodies along the defensive line.  The recent release of Shaun Rogers only depletes the talent across the positions, and the remaining guys on the roster don't exactly all fit in a 4-3 scheme.  At this point, the Browns just need options; good ones.

An argument can be made that Quinn is the top pass rushing prospect in the entire draft, and sitting out his junior season due to NCAA violations is the only reason he won't go No. 1 overall. Browns GM Mike Holmgren has shown several times in the past he is not afraid to gamble on players with any possible character issues, and Quinn is too good to pass up on. 

Quinn has been drawing comparisons to Julius Peppers and Mario Williams and arguably so. At 6'5" and 270 lbs., he is a long, athletic defensive end with above average initial burst and great acceleration. He's outstanding at pressuring the quarterback, possessing a solid spin and swim move, but lacking a strong bull rush. He plays the run well with excellent closing speed and sound tackling, but needs to bulk up to avoid bigger linemen taking him out of plays. Regardless, he lives in the backfield and really erases space in a hurry when he gets loose. Quinn also has a knack for stripping the football, piling up 6 forced fumbles in his last full season of play.

Grabbing Quinn is a great beginning to Cleveland's new front four (Browns can try Marcus Benard at the other DE position). Many will worry he will struggle playing in the AFC North as an undersized defensive end, understandably.  Quinn will have to add bulk and prepare to be run at a lot. He has yet to reach his full potential as a football player, and the Browns are getting a future star. Expect to see Quinn have similar success that DE Carlos Dunlap had in 2010 with the Cincinnati Bengals.  While it will take some time to adjust to the NFL game, he could very well end up in the range of 40 tackles, 9 sacks and 3 forced fumbles in 2011.

If Quinn is taken 6th overall, it'll be the first time since 2001 that the Browns used their first pick on a DL (Gerard Warren - 3rd overall).  It'll also be the first time since 2002 that a player from UNC went at least 6th or higher, when both Julius Peppers (2nd) and Ryan Sims (6th) were selected in the top 6.

Robert Quinn Scouting Report from Mocking the Draft

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