Don Draper is So Unpredictable: Is Vince Mayle a Good Fit for the Cleveland Browns?

Sometimes expectations can be misleading.

For instance, if you’re a fan of “Mad Men”, you probably had a boat load of expectations regarding the final episode of the series that recently aired.  I won’t include any spoilers here for those of you who haven’t watched “Mad Men” before (and if you are one of those people, please put down this article and go binge the entire series immediately.  I promise I’ll still be here when you’re done), but I can honestly say that I must have read at least 100 different ways fans thought the series would come to a close.

Fans expected everything from main characters being involved with Charlie Manson to the entire show just being a dream or hallucination, and basically everything in between.  But I think it’s safe to say that no one expected what actually happened at the end.  The most surprising thing though is that although the ending didn’t necessarily meet the lofty expectations so many had, fans were still generally happy with it.  In fact, I’d say that I, being a fan, was pleasantly surprised.

AMC Photo

AMC Photo

So what does this have to do with football?  Well, fans of the Cleveland Browns have been postulating for months about what the Browns would do in the 2015 NFL Draft, primarily because the Browns had a good number of draft picks, none more important than the two first round picks.

And there was immense speculation regarding whether the Browns would go get Marcus Mariota to address their most glaring need, rely on their existing stable of QBs and simply draft receiving targets, or take the route of Seattle and shore up their defense first.  And many, including me, thought they could split the difference and address both defense and receiving options in the first round, while potentially addressing QB later in the draft.  In fact, fans were pushing for the Browns to pick up a stand out wide receiver like DeVante Parker, Brashad Perriman or Jaelen Strong, among several others.  Turns out, we were ALL right…and we were ALL wrong.

The Browns did address defense up front with Danny Shelton, who is exactly the person I thought they should take first, but then passed numerous times on QBs and wide receiving options throughout the remainder of the draft.  That is, except for their second fourth round pick at 123rd overall, where they selected WR Vince Mayle:

Whom they were just able to sign this week:

Although, according to NFL.com, the Browns had the second best draft class in 2015, Mayle wasn’t cited as one of the reasons supporting that ranking.  So the question in everyone’s mind now is “who is Vince Mayle and will he fit in Cleveland?”

Who is Vince Mayle?

Vince Mayle began his college career in basketball at Shasta Community College (California), but then transferred to Sierra Community College (California) in 2012 to play football, were he was a first-team All-American receiver, before moving on to Washington State for his final two years.

Vince Mayle - WSU Athletics Photo

Vince Mayle – WSU Athletics Photo

At Washington State, Mayle started 12 of 25 career games, amassing a total of 148 receptions for 2,022 yards and 16 touchdowns.  At 6′ 2″, 225 pounds and with 9″ hands, he was a good sized receiving target that was able to fairly manage one-on-one coverage and make tough catches after adjustment and over the shoulder, though was at times criticized for some bad drops.  Nevertheless, Mayle set Washington State records for single-season receptions (106) and single-season receiving yards (1,483) in 2014, and ultimately earned second-team All-Pac 12 honors and was a Biletnikoff Award semifinalist (given to nation’s top college wide receiver).

Mayle had mediocre results at the Combine with a 4.67 40-yard dash and 35.5 inch vertical.  But he improved somewhat at his Pro Day when he ran the 40 in 4.65, 4.52 and 4.56 seconds.  He’s been noted as having good acceleration, but without elite top end speed (as demonstrated by his 40-yard dash times), was pegged as more of a possession receiver in the NFL.  In addition, although starting his career in basketball gives him good fast twitch reaction on the field, it also means he has somewhat less experience playing football and running routes as compared to other similarly situated wide receivers, even in Washington State’s pass heavy system.

Will Vince Mayle Improve the Browns?

It’s clear that the Browns had a lot of needs on offense coming into this offseason.  And with Josh Gordon out on suspension and Jordan Cameron off to warmer climes, there wasn’t much left in terms of receiving weapons in Cleveland.

Dwayne Bowe - Icon Sportswire Photo

Dwayne Bowe – Icon Sportswire Photo

Thankfully, the Browns took a good first step towards addressing this issue by obtaining Dwayne Bowe and Brian Hartline.  Hartline isn’t any great shakes, but he makes for a dependable second or third option, and Bowe, although coming off a down year, still has plenty of upside if given the proper situation.  And although I think getting Bowe is a step in the right direction, with all the uncertainty surrounding the QB position, and with McCown likely no more than an overpaid single season place holder, it’s unclear whether Cleveland will actually be the “proper situation” for Bowe to excel.

Be that as it may, having veteran leadership is important, but it’s meaningless without talent to develop.  Of course, I haven’t given up on 2012 fourth round pick Travis Benjamin or 2014 UDFA Taylor Gabriel yet, as both showed signs of potential growth in 2014.  But adding to that roster a wide receiver prospect with good size and potential to stretch the field is never a bad idea.  Mayle may be better suited immediately for short routes, but if his Pro Day speed is legit, he does have the ability to eventually run deeper routes, which could help stretch opposing defenses.

All in all, rather than grade this as the perfect “upside” pick for the Browns in the late fourth round, I’d rather call this the perfect “no downside” pick.  If Mayle works out, there’s great untapped potential that could result in a true future WR1.  If Mayle doesn’t work out, there are still young options already on the team that could potentially reach that mark.  Although I would have preferred one of the more elite options in the draft, such as Parker, Perriman or Strong, I really can’t criticize drafting Mayle after focusing on other aspects of the team.  It turns out that perhaps fans could be pleasantly surprised by Mayle, just like I was with the series finale of “Mad Men”.

——

A bigger problem for the Browns will be settling in on what to do behind center, but let’s take one problem at a time.  We wouldn’t want one of the Browns QBs to buckle under the pressure and just get up and leave mid-season, never to be found again, like Don Draper in “Mad Men”, would we?

Oops, sorry, spoiler alert!  Or perhaps not…

Don Draper Meditating

AMC Photo

By Ha Kung Wong

Twitter: @FBGarbageTime

tagged with