Front seven talent on display

02.23.2008

INDIANAPOLIS - It wouldn't have taken much imagination to picture Vernon Gholston's bulging biceps ripping right through his NFL-issued sweatshirt Saturday morning.

A few hours later, more monsters - Derrick Harvey, Phillip Merling and Pat Sims, to name a few - came striding through.

The NFL Scouting Combine is at its midway point, and the big boys have arrived.

These are the big boys (really, really big in some cases) the Browns have been waiting for. The defensive linemen and linebackers arrived Friday evening, began their medical exams Saturday morning and met with teams for the first time Saturday night.

They'll run and work out Monday; you can watch live on NFL Network.

The Browns' scouts will be watching closely, conducting interviews and taking notes; it's no secret they plan to address the front seven through free agency and the draft.

Here, they're looking for college defensive tackles who might fit in their 3-4 base defense at end and/or nose tackle, and college defensive ends who might fit as NFL outside linebackers. They're looking at all the linebackers, too, and projecting which ones might thrive in the 3-4.

Gholston, a sack machine in three seasons at Ohio State, figures to be a Kamerion Wimbley-like terror at outside linebacker. At 6-foot-4 and 308 pounds, North Carolina's Kentwan Balmer would look good in an orange helmet at either defensive end spot.

But the Browns don't have a first-round pick; they don't pick until 56^th overall in the second round. Right now, they can look at the likes of Keith Rivers, Sedrick Ellis, Balmer and Gholston, but they can't touch.

Maybe they'll trade up, maybe they won't; Phil Savage seems open to listening and exploring. But for now, he and his staff are getting their first real looks at the underclassmen (like Gholston, Sims, Merling and Harvey) and another look at the seniors.

"Generally, most of the blue-chip defensive linemen go in the first round," Savage said. "We're putting our focus on the next level of defensive linemen. At this stage, your guess is as good as mine on who that might be."

By most accounts, Virginia's Chris Long, LSU's Glenn Dorsey and Ellis - all defensive linemen -- are top-10 picks. Gholston, Balmer and Merling might be, too. Rivers is an elite linebacker who could play just about anywhere, while Harvey is probably best suited as a pass rusher. There are more potential first-round linemen, like Sims and 6-foot-8 Miami (Fla.) early entry Calais Campbell.

So the Browns can scheme trade-up, or address the front seven when free agency opens next week. Chances are they'll at least explore both, then see how things play out.

They feel they scored in the 2006 draft by getting Wimbley and Leon Williams trading up for D'Qwell Jackson, and last year's free agent class brought Robaire Smith and Shaun Smith to the line. More moves this year could add size, speed and talent and go a long way towards shoring up their struggles against the run.

"We like our young guys, and we feel like when we get even better players to go with Wimbley and D'Qwell Jackson, those guys will go to another level," Savage said.

"Everybody knows improving the front seven will go a long way towards making this team better," head coach Romeo Crennel said. "That's an area we're concentrating on, and we feel like doing a good job this year like we've done in the past will go a long way towards that."