Former Browns GM Phil Savage's nuggets of opinion on the Draft.

[Direckshun]

Via Peter King.

I think, with no games this weekend, that I'll have Phil Savage, the former Browns' general manager who scouted all the practices at the Senior Bowl in Mobile last week, check in with his thoughts on the movers and shakers among the prospects there:

a. "The senior quarterback group is not strong. Matt Stafford and Mark Sanchez [juniors from Georgia and USC, respectively] must have known if they came out, they'd go high ... I liked the arm of Rhett Bomar, the Sam Houston State quarterback. He got a lot of exposure here and kept himself alive.''

b. "Alex Mack, the center from Cal, distanced himself from the pack at his position. He probably got himself into late in the first round.''

c. "Brian Cushing and Rey Maualuga get the attention as USC linebackers, and they're good. But Clay Matthews Jr. weighed in three pounds heavier than Cushing and showed he can play inside or outside linebacker. He went from being a mid-round guy in the fall to late in the first or the second round. He was a 175-pound kid in high school. He's 246 and instinctive, just like his dad.'' (Clay Matthews Sr. played 19 NFL seasons in Cleveland and Atlanta, and his 278 games played are third-most in history.)

d. "Cushing looks like a pro, an outside 'backer, kind of like a Kevin Greene.''

e. "Brian Robiskie, the Ohio State wide receiver, has had his speed questioned, but you can tell this is a kid who'd been to NFL camps and worked with his dad, because in the one-on-ones, he was very prepared and competitive. He's probably still a mid-round pick, but he's a good third-receiver type, a possession type who will make some plays with his size and his hands.''

f. "Rey Maualuga is a first- and second-down run defender. Not sure if he's going to be a great third-down player.''

g. "Pat White's been at the center of a lot of debate about whether he can play quarterback in the NFL. It's probably a longshot at 6-foot and 190, but who knows? I'd love to see him play that Wildcat spot. We had Josh Cribbs do it in Cleveland because he could throw the ball. I would think Pat White's a receiver, probably, but he can be a third quarterback type and play the Wildcat. He adds a dimension to the Wildcat because he can throw.''

h. "Michael Oher, the tackle from Ole Miss, is shrouded in mystery. He's the kid [Michael Lewis] wrote the book on, who kind of went from poverty to a suburban life because of football. He had a solid week, put himself in position to be a top 10 pick. He's 6-5, 325, with long arms. He's athletic, and he should be able to play left tackle. The great thing about taking a left tackle is if he doesn't pan out, he'll be able to be a right tackle.''

i. "The best three players I saw, maybe, were Cushing, Oher and Brandon Pettigrew, a tight end from Oklahoma State who is probably the most complete tight end in the country. Very impressed with him. He could go at the bottom of the first round.''

j. "Not much of a surprise, but 46 juniors came out, and I've seen most of them now, and I think it could potentially be the biggest draft for juniors ever. There will be something between 12 and 20 juniors picked in the first round.''

k. "First pick in the draft? If it's Detroit, and Jim Schwartz is talking about Bobby Layne, and the offensive coordinator is Scott Linehan, who wants a big, strong-thrower, I'd say the big strong QB with a strong arm would be the pick. Matthew Stafford is big and throws the ball so well. It's a pretty easy guess.''

Any guesses as to how great the Browns' drafting had been under Savage?