With the 22nd pick in the 2012 NFL Draft the Cleveland Browns made it clear that they were going to go in a different direction with their selection of Brandon Weeden from Oklahoma State. And we have all heard the stories and concerns over Weeden’s age and the rather “unusual” path he has taken to the NFL. But now that he is here and will be under center in a Cleveland Browns uniform, it’s time to take a closer look at the Browns new signal caller.

Brandon Kyle Weeden comes to Cleveland with more than enough accolades. He was 1st team All-Big 12 in 2010, and 2nd team All-Big 12 in 2011 as a Manning award finalist both seasons and a O’Brien finalist in 2011. He holds most of the school’s passing records including passing yards, completed passes, and completion percentage.

Weeden was originally drafted by the New York Yankees in the 2nd round of the MLB draft in 2002 out of high school. He spent his time in baseball bouncing from one minor league team to the next. He wound up retiring from baseball in 2007 due to shoulder problems and “dead-arm” issues which are common in pitchers who throw frequently and without much rest. During his first press conference after the draft Weeden recalled his decision to leave baseball after surrendering what he called “a broken-bat home run”. Going to college after baseball Weeden quickly became a team leader for the Cowboys exhibiting the type of maturity you would see from a seasoned pro. He led a high-tempo no huddle offense that bested some of the best quarterbacks in the NCAA including Stanford’s Andrew Luck and Baylor’s Robert Griffin III.

His pitching background is both a positive, and a negative for Weeden. He can be extremely accurate with the ball making all the throws in the typical passing route-tree. His arm strength is good but not overpowering. His pitcher-style release does “at-times” give him issues as the release is longer than many quarterbacks and sometimes inconsistent. The good news is that with some simple mechanical adjustments, Weeden's arm strength and accuracy will only improve.

One negative which has been talked about with regards to Weeden is his lack of mobility posting a 4.95 40-yard-dash time. But what he lacks in speed he more than makes up for in quickness and elusiveness moving well to his right to avoid pressure and can scramble if needed. He is, at the very least much more mobile than former Browns quarterback Bernie Kosar who I believe posted a deceivingly quick 40-time. I was unable to find an official time but many who witnessed Bernie’s attempt did say he “just” edged out the clock on an egg-timer and even then I think they may have been generous.

The biggest knock on Weeden is his difficulty in dealing with pressure. Oklahoma State runs a shotgun spread offense which relies on a quick-pass tempo to take advantage of zone-coverage. Weeden excelled in this offense and has an excellent understanding of exploiting weak-side single coverage. But when pressured Weeden did at times force passes or throw blind into coverage which can hurt him. If Cleveland can establish an effective running game (which they should be able to do with 3rd overall pick Trent Richardson), then opposing defenses will be forced to respect the run and should reduce the number of times a team will blitz. Weeden can also help himself in this area if he can improve his pocket presence and avoid throwing from off his back foot.

Weeden will come in as the Browns 17th starting quarterback since the teams return in 1999, and the teams 21st since Bernie Kosar. Weeden is also the 3rd first round quarterback that Cleveland has taken since their return to the league (Tim Couch 1st overall 1999 & Brady Quinn 22nd overall 2007). Hopefully the third time is the charm for the Cleveland Browns and Brandon Weeden.