Grade the draft selection of Duke Johnson by the Cleveland Browns.

BEREA, Ohio - What grade you would give Cleveland Browns general manager Ray Farmer and company for their decision to draft running back Duke Johnson of Miami (Fla.) in the third round of the NFL Draft on Friday night.

The Browns chose Johnson, who declared for the draft after his junior season, with the 13^th pick in the third round, and No. 77 overall.

How would you grade the move to go with Johnson, the fourth player drafted thus far by the Browns? We invite you to grade the draft selection in the poll in this post, from an A to an F.

Was Johnson (5-foot-9, 206 pounds) the right move for Cleveland to make, or should the Browns have targeted a different player, or a different area?

(See a collection of pictures, videos and more information on Johnson here).

Look for a separate poll for each player the Browns draft all three days. Remember, you are voting just on the single draft selection, not how you would grade all the Browns' moves thus far.

Here are the poll results for all the other draftees.

As of 11:30 p.m. Friday, the most votes are "B" for the second round pick of Utah DE Nate Orchard. The "B" grade has received 40 percent of the 893 votes. The grade of "A" accounts for 23 percent of the vote.

As of 10 p.m. Thursday, the first round selection of NT Danny Shelton is an overwhelming "A" garnering 77 percent of the 3,883 votes.

As of 10 p.m. Thursday, the selection of OL Cameron Erving later in the first round is also grading out favorably, with 51 percent of 2,933 voters selecting "A" and 35 percent choosing "B."

What should the Browns do the rest of the draft? Sound off in the comments. Or defend your grade of drafting Johnson.

The Browns added running back Duke Johnson of Miami in the third round. He can run, catch and return kicks. Watch video

BEREA, Ohio -- The Browns passed on top running backs Todd Gurley and Melvin Gordon with their first-round picks, but added dynamic running back and kick returner Duke Johnson from Miami with the No. 77 overall pick in the third round.

Coming out of the running-back rich U, Johnson leaves as the school's all-time leading rusher, ahead of the likes of Edgerrin James, Clinton Portis, Frank Gore and Willis McGahee.

"Whoever drafts me will get a great player, and they won't regret it,'' Johnson said at the NFL combine in February.

Johnson (5-9, 206) will press Terrance West and Isaiah Crowell for playing time, and will also push fellow Hurricane Travis Benjamin for reps in the return game.

"I know Travis," Johnson said. "He's another young guy. We talk and hang out, I haven't really talked to him much about Cleveland. We talk every now and then."

Johnson was hoping to go the Cowboys, but was thrilled to get the call from Cleveland.

"I'm excited," Johnson said. "I'm just grateful and thankful for the opportunity to play for this organization. Especially with the great fans and the Dawg Pound."

He understands how extraordinary it is to leave Miami with school-record 3,519 yards on 526 carries. Last season, he rushed for 1,652 yards and 10 TDs.

 "I think it was a good accomplishment," Johnson said. "I think it was a legacy I could leave at the University of Miami. I just want to take that same attitude, that same mindset, to the next level."

He said he can do it all, including catching passes out of the backfield.

"I think I'm unpredictable, one cut kind of guy," Johnson said. "I hit the hole when I see it. I'm very versatile out of the backfield, linebacker or receiver to create mismatches out of the backfield.''

Browns general manager Ray Farmer feels he's got an all-purpose back in Johnson, one who's in the mold of a Bengals' Giovani Bernard or former Eagle Brian Westbrook.

"He's definitely a guy that I thought could run the football and catch the football,'' said Farmer. "He's well-balanced. When he runs through trash, he can keep his balance and still make a cut.''

He said it's a misconception that Johnson is diminutive.

"He's just short, he's not small,'' said Farmer. "He's 207 pounds. I do think the guy is a capable runner. He's talented and been productive.

As a freshman in 2012, , Johnson rushed for almost 1,000 yards and 10 TDs. He also set a single-season record that year with 892 yards on his 27 kickoff returns, taking two to the house.

"I think freshman year I had something to prove coming from high school with all the doubt that everyone had about me," Johnson said. "Honestly I just thought had to start making an impact immediately if I wanted my team to win games and be successful."

He knows he's joining two good backs in West and Crowell.

"They're two young backs like myself," Johnson said. "I'm just going to do the best of my ability to come in to come in and work hard day in and day out and get better. Not only for myself, but to get them better as well. At the end of the day the coach is going to make the decision on who's going to be the starter based off of practice and things like that. All I can do when I come in is work hard, push myself and help push other guys and bring them along with me."

He compares himself to former Eagles and current Bills back LeSean McCoy.

"His quickness, his burst, his ability to move in the open field, receiving out of the backfield," said Johnson of the comparisons.

Browns coach Mike Pettine said Johnson gives the Browns the added element of a quick shifty back "where you can get it to him in space and he can make a guy miss.''

The Cleveland Browns have five picks remaining in the 2015 NFL draft.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Cleveland Browns have five picks remaining in the 2015 NFL draft.

In the fourth round, the Browns have the 115th and 116th picks.

The Browns will not draft again until the sixth round, when the team will have the 189th and 195th pick.

The final pick of the 2015 NFL draft for the Browns will be the 219th pick in the seventh round.

On Thursday night, the Browns had two first-round draft picks, selecting defensive lineman Danny Shelton at No. 12, and offensive lineman Cameron Erving at No. 19.

The Browns drafted three players on Friday night, starting with Utah linebacker Nate Orchard with the 51st pick.

In the third round, the Browns drafted Duke Johnson at No. 77, and Xavier Cooper at No. 96.

Grade the Browns trading for the chance to draft DL Xavier Cooper to close the second day of the NFL Draft. Watch video

BEREA, Ohio - What grade you would give the Cleveland Browns for trading to get another pick in Friday's third round and using it to select defensive lineman Xavier Cooper of Washington State?

The Browns sent a fourth-(111), fifth-(147) and sixth-round pick (202) to the New England Patriots for the right to draft Cooper with the final selection in the third round (96) and a seventh-round pick (219).

How would you grade the trade and acquisition of Cooper, the fifth player drafted thus far by the Browns? We invite you to grade his draft selection in the poll in this post, from an A to an F.

Was Cooper (6-foot-4, 299 pounds) the right move for Cleveland to make, or should the Browns have targeted a different player, or a different area?

Look for a separate poll for each player the Browns draft all three days. Remember, you are voting just on the single draft selection, not how you would grade all the Browns' moves thus far.

Here are the poll results for all the other draftees.

The early reaction on RB Duke Johnson in the third round is positive. As of midnight, the "B" grade was selected by 39 percent of the 138 voters. The "A" grade accounts for 27 percent. 

As of 11:30 p.m. Friday, the most votes are "B" for the second round pick of Utah DE Nate Orchard. The "B" grade has received 40 percent of the 893 votes. The grade of "A" accounts for 23 percent.

As of 10 p.m. Thursday, the first round selection of NT Danny Shelton is an overwhelming "A" garnering 77 percent of the 3,883 votes.

As of 10 p.m. Thursday, the selection of OL Cameron Erving later in the first round is also grading out favorably, with 51 percent of 2,933 voters selecting "A" and 35 percent choosing "B."

What should the Browns do on Saturday? Sound off in the comments. Or defend your grade of trading and drafting Cooper.

Found out more about Xavier Cooper, whom the Browns selected in the third round of the 2015 NFL Draft on Friday.

Home runs by Jason Kipnis, Michael Brantley and Brett Hayes powered the Indians to a 9-4 win against Toronto.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- As the calendar turned from April to May, the Indians turned to the long ball on Friday against Toronto, hitting three home runs to lead them to a 9-4 win.

Jason Kipnis, Michael Brantley and Brett Hayes all hit home runs for the Indians. Hayes had three RBI for the Indians, and Brantley and Brandon Moss each had two.

After heading into the bottom of the third inning trailing, 4-1, the Indians responded with eight consecutive runs.

Carlos Carrasco (3-2) overcame a difficult start to pitch six innings, allowing four runs on six hits and striking out six.

The two teams traded leadoff home runs in the first inning as Josh Donaldson homered on the second pitch of the game for Toronto, and Kipnis hit one off Buehrle to tie the game at 1.

Toronto's Mark Buehrle (3-2) went 4.1 innings, allowing eight runs on 11 hits.

What it means

The Indians (8-14) are now 7-6 when they hit a home run and are 1-8 when they don't. Carrasco joins Danny Salazar as Indians who have won three games so far this season.

A day after the Indians had 11 hits but only one run, they converted their opportunities and got runners home throughout the game.

The nine runs are the second-most the Indians have had in a game this season, second to the 13 they scored against Detroit on April 24.

Brantley breaks through

After going 3-for-4 on Thursday and hitting three doubles in the homestand, Brantley hit his first home run of the 2015 season to put the Indians up 6-4.

It was his first home run against Buehrle, whom Brantley had hit .190 against heading into Friday's game.

Anything you can do...

Not only did the teams' leadoff hitters match home runs, but they also matched offenses in the third inning.

After Toronto grabbed a 4-1 lead, the Indians scored three to tie the game including a two-run double by Brandon Moss.

...I can do better

The Indians stayed hot from the plate as they scored two runs in the fourth and three in the fifth to take a 9-4 lead.

All of those runs came courtesy of home runs from Brantley in the fourth and Hayes in the fifth.

Leadoff hitters each hit homers

It took only two pitches for Toronto to get on the board after Donaldson hit a home run off of a 1-0 pitch.

On a 2-2 pitch in the bottom of the first, Kipnis hit his third career leadoff home run on a 2-2 pitch to tie the game at 1.

Coming into Friday's game, the Indians had only one win when they did not hit a home run this season.

It hasn't been since May 14, 2014 that both teams had their leadoff hitters hit a home run. That happened when the Chicago White Sox traveled to Oakland.

Strong finish from Carrasco

After giving up four runs on five hits in the first three innings of the game, Carrasco settled down and only gave up one hit the rest of the way.

He ended his day going six innings, giving up six runs on four hits and striking out six on 101 pitches to get his third win of the season.

Who came, who saw

Friday's attendance was 15,088, the highest of this seven-game homestand.

What's next

Corey Kluber (0-3, 4.24) will go for his first win of the season as he faces Aaron Sanchez (1-2, 5.03) of Toronto on Saturday in the third game of this four-game series. First pitch is at 4:10 p.m. SportsTime Ohio, WTAM 1100-AM and WMMS 100.7-FM will carry the game.

See reaction after the Cleveland Browns selected Ifo Ekpre-Olomu with their final pick in the 2015 NFL draft.

The Royals have gone 8-4 in their last 12 games to maintain their No.1 ranking in the latest edition of Paul Hoynes' MLB power rankings.

CLEVELAND, Ohio - The Royals came to Cleveland earlier this week and did nothing to cost themselves the top spot in weekly power rankings by Indians beat writer Paul Hoynes.

Kansas City showed a relentless and quicksilver offense, decent starting pitching and a quality bullpen in taking two out of three from the Indians. Then they went to Kauffman Stadium and beat Detroit on Thursday and Friday.

There have been some changes in the rest of the rankings. Read them and weep or cheer depending on your affiliation. Records are through Friday.

No. 1. Kansas City Royals.

Last week: No.1.

Manager: Ned Yost.

Record: 16-7.

What gives: The Royals have won eight of their last 12 games. Kendrys Morales has been reborn and Alex Gordon is a beast hitting in the middle of the order. One concern is the loss of lead-off Alcides Escobar, who was placed on the seven-day concussion list Friday after getting hit in the head with a 96 mph fastball by the Tribe's Danny Salazar on Wednesday. Gordon has moved into the leadoff spot, but Escobar makes the Royals' offense go and he's a great glove at shortstop.

No. 2. St. Louis Cardinals.

Last week: No.3.

Manager: Mike Matheny.

Record: 16-6.

What gives: The Cardinals just keep chugging along. They lost ace Adam Wainwright for the season to a ruptured Achilles tendon, but have won four straight and nine of their last 12 games. Michael Wacha is 4-0 and Carlos Martinez is 3-0.

No. 3: Detroit Tigers.

Last week: No.2.

Manager: Brad Ausmus.

Record: 15-9.

What gives: It's not like the Tigers are on the skids. They're 5-7 in their last 12 games, but they can only play the Indians and Twins so often. Offensively they bring it every game with Jose Iglesias .370/.418 on base percentage, Rajai Davis .300/.397 OBP and Antony Gose .291/.328 OBP always on base for big bopper Miguel Cabrera, who is hitting .360 with five homers, 17 RBI and a 1.061 OPS.

No. 4: Houston Astros.

Last week: No.14.

Manager: A.J. Hinch.

Record: 16-7.

What gives: You keep waiting for the Astros to hit a bump in the road, but so far they haven't. They've won 12 of their last 13 games and just completed an 8-1 trip. Lefty Dallas Keuchel, who beat the Indians in the season opener, went 3-0 with a 0.73 ERA in April. On the downside, they lost shortstop Jed Lowrie until the All-Star break because of a right thumb injury.

No. 5: Los Angeles Dodgers.

Last week: No.4.

Manager: Don Mattingly.

Record: 14-8.

What gives: The Dodgers took two out of three from the Giants earlier this week and went 6-5 in their last 11 games to maintain a hold of first place in the NL West. Zack Greinke is 4-0, but the rotation lost Brandon McCarthy (3-0) for the season to Tommy John surgery.

No. 6: New York Mets.

Last week: No. 9.

Manager: Terry Collins.

Record: 16-8.

What gives: The Mets have cooled since their 11-game winning streak. They lost the Subway Series to the Yankees over the weekend, but broke a three-game losing streak Friday night with a win over Washington as Matt Harvey improved to 5-0. They're still 7-5 over their last 12 games.

No. 7: New York Yankees.

Last week: No. 13.

Joe Girardi.

Record: 14-9.

What's up: After a 3-6 start, the Yankees have won 11 of their last 14 games to move into first place in the AL Central. The offense is being driven by two golden oldies: Mark Teixeira (.211, eight homers, 18 RBI) and Alex Rodriguez (.243, six homers, 14 RBI).

No. 8: Boston Red Sox.

Last week: No. 6.

Manager: John Farrell.

Record: 12-11.

What gives: Boston went 12-10 in April and newcomer Hanley Ramirez tied a club record with 10 homers in the month. Boston 's starting rotation posted an ugly 5.75 ERA for the month so that will be a concern in the coming months.

No. 9: Chicago Cubs.

Last week: No. 12.

Manager: Joe Maddon.

Record: 13-8.

What gives: They've won four of the last five and seven of their last 11 games. The offense, dotted with young players such as Kris Bryant, Jorge Soler and Addison Russell, is averaging an excellent 4.45 runs per game. Bryant, who set the Cactus League ablaze with homers, has 12 walks and 10 RBI, but no homers in 13 games during the regular season.

No. 10: Pittsburgh Pirates.

Last week: No. 21.

Manager: Clint Hurdle.

Record: 12-11.

What gives: The Pirates have won six of their last nine games to overcome a rocky start to the season. Starling Marte has 17 RBI, which is a good thing because Andrew McCutchen is hitting .197. Gerrit Cole is 4-0 with a 1.76 ERA.

No.11: Colorado Rockies.

Last week: No.11.

Record: 11-11.

What gives: Drew Stubbs is 1-for-24 with his only hit being a home run.

No. 12: Toronto Blue Jays.

Last week: No. 5.

Record: 11-13.

What gives: Newsomer Josh Donaldson is off to a great start with the Jays, hitting .330 with six homers, 17 RBI and .976 OPS. 

No. 13: Los Angeles Angels.

Last week: No. 15.

Record: 11-12.

What gives: Right-handr Jered Weaver is 0-3 and has allowed 35 hits in 29 1/3 innings.

No. 14: Tampa Bay Rays.

Last week: No. 17.

Record: 13-10.

What gives: The Rays have won seven of their last nine games under former Indians bullpen coach Kevin Cash.

No. 15: San Diego Padres.

Last week: No.7.

Record: 12-12.

What gives: The Padres have lost seven of their last nine games, but have four players -- Matt Kemp, Yangervis Solarte, Justin Upton and Wil Myers -- each with 16 RBI.

No. 16: Baltimore Orioles

Last week: No. 19.

Record: 10-11.

What gives: Two days after beating the White Sox at Camden Yards on Wednesday in front of no fans because of the riots in Baltimore, the O's and Rays drew 9,945 fans to Tropicana Field. The O's are the home team for this three-game series because the series was moved to St. Petersburg, Fla.

No. 17: Cincinnati Reds.

Last week: No. 20.

Record: 11-12.

What gives: Homer Bailey, who signed $106 million deal two years ago, will undergo ligament replacement surgery this week and be lost for the season.

No. 18: San Francisco Giants.

Last week: No. 10.

Record: 10-13.

What gives: Madison Bumgarner improved to 3-1 Tuesday in his head-to-head machup with Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw.

No. 19: Seattle Mariners.

Last week: No. 16.

Record: 10-13.

What gives: Nelson Cruz leads the Mariners in average .330, homers 11, RBI 23, on base percentage .378 and hits 30.

No. 20: Minnesota Twins.

Last week: No. 26.

This week: 11-12.

What gives: The Twins have activated pitchers Ricky Nolasco and Brian Duensing. Nolasco started Saturday against the White Sox.

No. 21: Washington Nationals.

Last week: No. 8.

Record: 10-14.

What gives: Max Scherzer has a 1.26 ERA in five starts, but he's 1-3 with two of those losses coming against the Mets.

No. 22: Miami Marlins.

Last week: No. 28.

Record: 11-12.

What gives: The Marlins have won eight of their last nine games after a 3-11 start to the season.

No. 23: Chicago White Sox.

Last week: No. 22.

Record: 8-12.

What gives: The White Sox have been outscored, 90-64, this season.

No. 24: Arizona Diamondbacks.

Last week: No.24.

Record: 10-12.

What gives: Lefty Robbie Ray will replace Archie Bradley in the Diamondbacks rotation after Bradley was placed on the disabled list after being hit in the face with the line drive Tuesday.

No. 25: Atlanta Braves.

Last week: No. 23.

Record: 11-12.

What gives: The Braves have lost four of their last six games and third baseman Chris Johnson to a fractured left hand for three to six weeks.

No. 26: Oakland Athletics.

Last week: No. 18.

Record: 10-14.

What gives: The A's have lost seven of their last 10 games.

No. 27: Cleveland Indians.

Last week: No. 25.

Record: 8-14.

What's up: The Indians have lost five of the last seven games and seven of the last 11. Manager Terry Francona has dropped Michael Bourn out of the lead-off spot and inserted Jason Kipnis at the top of the order. So far the results have been mixed, but the offense is still struggling and the inconsistency in the bullpen hasn't helped matters.

No. 28: Philadelphia Phillies.

Last week: No. 29.

Record: 8-16.

What gives: The Phillies own the worst road record in the big leagues at 2-10.

No. 29: Texas Rangers.

Last week: No. 27.

Record: 7-15.

What gives: The Rangers have lost nine of their last 11 games.

No. 30: Milwaukee Brewers.

Last week: No. 30

Record: 5-18.

What gives: The Brew Crew maintained its last-place standing by losing eight of their last 10 games.

Check this page and @bransonwright on Twitter to make your comments and to receive all of your fight news. Watch video

MACEDONIA, Ohio - We are just a few hours away from The Fight of the Century between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao.

Join The Plain Dealer's Branson Wright for a live blog throughout the evening from the home of Ralph Faulkner, the winner of the "Invite Branson Wright to your fight party."

You can share your thoughts in the comments section about the pre-fight hype and the fight. Ask questions and keep up with all the action and news of the day related to Mayweather-Pacquiao.

I will post videos and pictures and comments from my contacts in Las Vegas, including former welterweight champion Shawn Porter, a native of Northeast Ohio.

I will also comment and score each round of the fight.

The fight undercard is scheduled to begin at 9 p.m. The Mayweather-Pacquiao fight should begin approximately 11.

Predictions

Oddsmakers expect Mayweather-Pacquiao to finish as the most bet-on fight in Las Vegas history. The undefeated Mayweather is the favorite but the gap has closed in recent days.

Mayweather is also the favorite among boxing aficionados.

Branson Wright, The Cleveland Plain Dealer: Mayweather by KO.

Dan Rafael, ESPN: Mayweather by decision

Teddy Atlas, ESPN/'Friday Night Fights': Pacquiao by split decision.

Kelsey McCarson, Bleacher Report: Pacquiao by close decision.

Kevin Iole, Yahoo: Mayweather.

Evander Holyfield, former heavyweight champion: Pacquiao.

David Mayo, MLive.com: Mayweather by decision.

Matt O'Brien, BoxingNews24.com: Mayweather by decision.

What is your prediction?

Check out a sampling of comments below, grade the selections of cornerback Charles Gaines, tight end Malcolm Johnson, cornerback Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, linebacker Hayes Pullard and tight end Randall Telfer then join in the conversation by going into the comments section.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Cleveland Browns concluded Day 3 of the NFL Draft by strengthening their secondary, adding a couple tight ends as well as a linebacker in the sixth and seventh rounds on Saturday.

It didn't take long for cleveland.com readers to express their opinion on the decisions. Check out a sampling of comments below, grade the selections of cornerback Charles Gaines, tight end Malcolm Johnson, cornerback Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, linebacker Hayes Pullard and tight end Randall Telfer then join in the conversation by going into the comments section below.

ABOUT CHARLES GAINES

Reader Hokey Wolf wrote:

"Looks like he has the speed for the position."

Reader marc113 wrote: 

"Louisville cb?..Mrs. Parker won't approve....we're getting ripped on Deadspin, now the official Mrs. Parker website."

Reader Panama Jimmy wrote: 

"Gaines is a really good kick returner, good pick."

Reader therobot57 wrote:

"Gaines isn't much of a tackler. Going to have to play more free. Kind of puzzling pick."

ABOUT MALCOLM JOHNSON

Reader Hokey Wolf wrote:

"If I was Malcolm Johnson I would tell the Browns I play fullback."

Reader still waiting wrote: 

"You're looking at our blocking full back this year."

Reader Ryan Gladish wrote: 

"Malcom johnson? Seems a little small. Oh well."

ABOUT RANDALL TEFLER

Reader Napoli wrote: 

"Why would you draft a player that has been "plagued" by injuries during his college career... I always refer back to Montario Hardesty for guidance in these situations..."

HAYES PULLARD

Reader tribefever32 wrote: 

"Another good character guy, another PAC 12 guy. Seems like a good draft with a lot of players from the PAC 12. Reminds me of Butch Davis who seemingly only drafted players he recruited down south - including a guy, in the 4th round as I recall, who was already in the legal system ticketed to do time. Not a lot of due diligence with Butch I guess. It seems like we had a really good draft, the media is praising us for a change. Now it's fun to see which UDFA players we bring in to camp, usually 1-3 stick and some stand out. If Josh and/or Johnny come through good things might happen."

Reader davewr58 wrote: 

"Gutsy, intelligent kid. I'm rooting for you."

Reader Robert Bennett wrote:

"WOOF WOOF -Welcome to Cleveland." 

ABOUT IFO EKPRE-OLOMU

Reader philosopher2013 wrote:

"Ifo Ekpre-Olomu is the sleeper in the 2015 draft.  He is going to be a starter for the Browns when he gets healthy."

Reader Leilani Hernandez wrote: 

"Typical browns bonehead move. another cb drafted. has the team got plenty already?" 

Reader bobcat74 wrote (in response to Leilani Hernandez):

"That's why CBS Sports gave the Browns an A+ on the selection, why a DA."

Reader terex wrote: 

"Tiny little guy. Holds constantly. Get's run over by big guys. Buster Skrine II."

MORE COMMENTS

Reader You lookin' at me wrote: 

"Excellent draft! Team is being built right, from the lines out. I never saw an elite wide receiver stop the other team's run offense. Run the ball and stop the run, basic to winning football."

Read kabii wrote: 

"Ray Farmer is a penny wise and a pound foolish! Don't pat yourself on the back for the value you got in the receiver you drafted....Not impressed. You again missed the boat on WR. Not only that, you FAILED epically to draft a potential developmental QB. You had real shots at (Bryce Petty, Garrett Grayson, and Hundley) Passed on them all. Wasted a pick to move up to take Xavier cooper when Cal Davis was still on the board."

Reader krivka wrote:

"@kabii They have Conoor Shaw, who is already as good as anybody they could have drafted as a developmental guy. I am not a Farmer guy, but he did get the hole filled. And for those who think Erving was a luxury pick, Alex Mack has an opt out clause in his contract. He is not a sure thing and can also be traded if Erving pans out. The word in the NFL regarding Mack is he is not staying.  I also think Johnson was a good pick up, as he will probably be used as a Fullback and can also actually catch a ball out of the backfield."

Reader dawgwings wrote: 

"Some pretty tough, hard nosed and smart picks at value cost, that add much needed depth in key areas. Also a possible 4 starters, the Browns could very well possess one of the top young defense's in the league, Go Browns!!"

Read Brwns4Ever wrote: 

"The Browns have the "potential" to have a dominant defense.  It was clear that is what they wanted going into this draft and the mission appears to have been accomplished.  But having a dominant defense alone won't bring consistent wins to this team. Will a dominant defense be exciting?  For a while perhaps.  But the only thing that will get fans excited is winning. They have to have a decent offense, too, and right now, that is suspect." 

Read All eyez on C wrote: 

"We added 0 impact players. You want to say Duke in the 3rd us an impact, ah ok. Farmer, who I want to give time to develop a nice roster just admitted his mistake drafting West. I love how every fan thinks we did so great as all the other fans feel from around NFL cities ( we all over hype our picks then we see them play and cringe) do, however, without any impact or decent fa's signed during the off season, we are just replacing lost talent that will be leaving bc of age or fa. We continue to be stuck in quicksand. We have no future on offense, especially wo wr's or a qb. I understand Ray didn't want to draft a project at qb, but, he tried to get petty and the jets beat him to it. If he felt Petty could develop he should have taken him in the 3rd or traded up in the 4th now we will have to wait a few years to develop some1 we draft."

Reader BoxCar wrote: 

"I think it is still up in the air as to if Farmer can build a SB team But I do think he can build a solid team that will win and that is way better then the last 5 GM's we have had."

Solon's girls track team won the Optimist Meet for the second year in a row.

AUSTINTOWN, Ohio — Solon's girls track team successfully defended its title at the Optimist Meet in Austintown on Saturday.

The Comets finished with 78.33 points to hold off Warren Harding (72.33) and win their second straight Optimist title. Louiza Wise helped lead the way for the Comets with a win in the 3,200-meter run (11 minutes, 27.60 seconds). She also ran in the winning 4x800 relay (9:53.43).

"Heart, determination and belief were crucial for this squad," Solon coach Ric Cistone said. "We've graduated a lot of seniors, a lot of very, very good seniors, some state champions. This group just needed to believe they can win, too. That's what they've done this year, all season long."

Lake Catholic's boys team finished second overall capped by a strong 4x400 win from the team of Connor Robinson, Matt Ludwig, Bruce O'Toole and Jordan Pritchard (3:24.68). Ludwig also set an Optimist Meet record in the pole vault (15 feet, six inches).

Host Austintown Fitch won the meet with 55 points, with Lake Catholic finishing second and scoring 50.

"There were some thing we wanted to look at with the 4x200 and 4x400 and just different things headed into our league meet and into the postseason," Lake Catholic coach Erik Schroeder said. "So I thought where we put guys, we expected some big things and they came through for us."

In the girls' team race, Stow finished third followed by Twinsburg in fourth and Magnificat in fifth. Solon's boys team came in third place with 45 points, and Wadsworth was fourth with 37.

Check back on Monday for a photo gallery and highlight video from this meet.

Best event of the meet

Only 1.5 seconds separated first place from fifth in the boys' 400.

Euclid's Brian Tillman (49.62) edged past Coventry's Zack Lake (49.78) to get the win. Cleveland JFK's Darian Ware finished third (50.76) and Christian Strozier of Twinsburg came in fourth (50.87).

Kyle Storm of Berkshire (51.15) rounded out the top five.

Top performers

Ryan Adams, Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy: The defending Division II state champion in the 1,600 and the 800 set new meet records in both events on Saturday.

Adams won the 1,600 with a record time of 4:11.51, and he beat Hudson's Kyle Mau in the 800 (1:52.13).

"I've definitely coming into this meet looking for some good times," Adams said. "That's how it came out so I can't really be disappointed with that double."

Adams' time in the 800 was a stadium record as well.

Frances Bull, Lake Catholic: The senior successfully defended her win from the 2014 Optimist Meet in the 400.

Bull won in a time of 55.81. Magnificat's Anne Ubbing finished in second (58.07).

Dakari Carter, Streetsboro: The 2014 Division II state champion in the 100 qualified in seventh in the prelims, but came back to win the finals in the 100 (10.90).

Later in the meet, Carter finished third in the 200 (22.00). He also participated in a pair of top-five relay finishes. Carter and Streetboro finished third in the 4x200 (1:30.13) and fifth in the 4x100.

Ludwig: In addition to starting off the winning 4x400, Ludwig set a meet record with his win in the pole vault. He finished second in the 300 hurdles (39.00) to Warren JFK's Chad Zallow, who is the top hurdler in Ohio according to Milesplit.com.

Wise: After she had been a part of her team's other two meets earlier in the week, Wise led her team to two wins that helped Solon win the team title.

Wise won in the 3,200 and ran in the winning 4x800.

BOYS TRACK OPTIMIST MEET

At Austintown-Fitch

How they finished: 1. Austintown-Fitch 55; 2. Lake Catholic 50; 3. Solon 45; 4. Wadsworth 37; 5. Warren JFK 36; 6. Massillon 32; 7. Copley 30.83; 8. Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy 30; 9. Stow 29; 10. Streetsboro 26; 11. Cleveland JFK 23; 12. McDonald 22; 12. Bedford 22; 14. Twinsburg 19; 15. Maplewood 18; 16. Euclid 14; 16. Warren G. Harding 14; 18. St. Edward 13; 19. Louisville 12; 20. Uniontown Lake 10; 21. East Palestine 9; 22. Newton Falls 8.33; 23. Coventry 8; 23. Hudson 8; 23. Cleveland Heights 8; 26. Shaker Heights 7; 26. North Canton Hoover 7; 28. Medina 6; 28. Massillon Perry 6; 28. Youngstown Boardman 6; 31. Canfield 5; 31. Warrensville Heights 5; 31. Mogadore 5; 34. Benedictine 4; 34. St. Thomas Aquinas 4; 34. Berkshire 4; 37. East Canton 3; 37. Massillon Jackson 3; 37. Firestone 3; 37. Hartville Lake Center Christian 3; 37. United 3; 37. Berlin Center Western Reserve 3; 43. Wooster Triway 2.5; 44. Kent Roosevelt 2; 44. Windham 2; 46. Field 0.33.

Shot put: 1. Peterson (So) 58-10.25; 2. Smith (McD) 56-6.25; 3. Zedella (SE) 54-10. Discus: 1. Smith (McD) 198-10*; 2. Palo (NF) 181-5; 3. Wickey (Med) 167-7. High jump: 1. Lawson (Sto) 6-4; 2. Grant (WJFK) 6-2; 3. Herriott (AF) 6-2. Long jump: 1. Lawson (Sto) 22-11; 2. Jasinski (Mas) 22-1.5; 3. Herriott (AF) 20-7. Pole vault: 1. Ludwig (LC) 15-6*; 2. Latone (AF) 15-6; 3. Kelley (MP) 15-6. 4x800: 1. Maplewood (Sparks, Hall, Morrison, Dahmen) 8:01.47; 2. Wadsworth 8:08.01; 3. Austintown-Fitch 8:14.91. 110H: 1. Zallow (WJFK) 13.79*; 2. Davis (Cop) 15.03; 3. Jones (WGH) 15.14. 100: 1. Carter (Str) 10.90; 2. Harrington (AF) 10.97; 3. Harper (Mas) 11.01. 4x200: 1. Copley (Knight, Bridges, Ja. Davis, Boles) 1:28.58; 2. Massillon 1:29.20; 3. Streetsboro 1:30.13. 1,600: 1. Adams (CVCA) 4:11.51*; 2. Cohen (So) 4:20.36; 3. Hadley (YB) 4:25.05. 4x100: 1. Massillon (Koch, Jasinski, Kemp, Harper) 42.91; 2. Copley 43.32; 3. Warren G. Harding 43.33. 400: 1. Tillman (Eu) 49.62; 2. Lake (Cov) 49.78; 3. Ware (CJFK) 50.76. 300H: 1. Zallow (WJFK) 37.60; 2. Ludwig (LC) 39.00; 3. Duricky (LC) 39.79. 800: 1. Adams (CVCA) 1:52.13*; 2. Mau (H) 1:55.20; 3. Cohen (So) 1:57.81. 200: 1. Harrington (AF) 21.63; 2. Odom (Bed) 22.00; 3. Carter (Str) 22.00. 3,200: 1. Kernell (UL) 9:22.32; 2. Riordan (So) 9:29.56; 3. Moore (SH) 9:30.99. 4x400: 1. Lake Catholic (Robinson, Ludwig, O'Toole, Pritchard) 3:24.68; 2. Cleveland JFK 3:27.68; 3. Wadsworth 3:28.59.

*-Meet record.

GIRLS TRACK

OPTIMIST MEET

At Austintown-Fitch

How they finished: 1. Solon 78.33; 2. Warren G. Harding 72.33; 3. Stow 49; 4. Twinsburg 47; 5. Magnificat 41.33; 6. Firestone 32; 7. Wadsworth 30; 8. Austintown-Fitch 29; 9. Shaker Heights 25; 10. Garrettsville Garfield 22; 10. St. Thomas Aquinas 22; 12. Bedford 17; 12. Green 17; 12. Cleveland Heights 17; 15. Cleveland JFK 16; 16. Massillon 13; 16. Newton Falls 13; 18. Lakewood 12; 18. Medina 12; 20. Louisville 11; 21. Berlin Center Western Reserve 10; 21. Lake Catholic 10; 21. Youngstown Cardinal Mooney 10; 21. Berkshire 10; 25. Girard 9; 26. Massillon Jackson 8; 26. Ravenna 8; 28. Salem 6; 29. Canfield South Range 5; 30. Kent Roosevelt 4; 31. Warren Howland 2; 31. Independence 2; 33. Streetsboro 1; 33. Badger 1.

Shot put: 1. Svonavec (GG) 43-5; 2. Harris (NF) 38-7; 3. Wilder (Med) 37-9. Discus: 1. Jones (GG) 139-1; 2. Sensibaugh (So) 138-1; 3. Wilder (Med) 133-8. High jump: 1. Desantis (YCM) 5-2; 2. Graham (So) 5-2; 3. Perry (Fire) 5-0. Long jump: 1. Perry (Fire) 16-10.5; 2. McGregor (CH) 15-11.5; 3. Cummings (CJFK) 15-10.25. Pole vault: 1. Erikson (Gre) 10-6; 2. Jenkins (Gre) 10-0; 3. Toole (L) 10-0. 4x800: 1. Solon (Sandridge, Erkkila, Nouafo, Wise) 9:53.43; 2. Wadsworth 9:58.96; 3. St. Thomas Aquinas 10:01.08. 100H: 1. Jackson (WGH) 14.71; 2. Bercheni (WGH) 15.35; 3. Thompson (Sto) 15.38. 100: 1. Richardson (WGH) 12.37; 2. Turley (Mas) 12.59; 3. Jones (T) 12.71. 4x200: 1. Austintown-Fitch (Barbel, Rivera, Barnes, Davis) 1:42.61; 2. Warren G. Harding 1:43.52; 3. Solon 1:45.88. 1,600: 1. Welsh (STA) 5:11.77; 2. Chinn (Rav) 5:19.22; 3. Erkkila (So) 5:23.01. 4x100: 1. Twinsburg (McKinley, Foote, Sanborn, Jones) 48.14*; 2. Warren G. Harding 48.93; 3. Cleveland JFK 49.48. 400: 1. Bull (LC) 55.81; 2. Ubbing (Mag) 57.52; 3. Swindell (Sal) 59.89. 300H: 1. Bercheni (WGH) 45.60; 2. Pryce (Sto) 46.65; 3. Kring (Lo) 47.69. 800: 1. Dolak (AF) 2:18.86; 2. Mesiano (SH) 2:19.86; 3. Soehnlen (STA) 2:19.88. 200: 1. Shaver (St) 24.90; 2. Foote (T) 25.05; 3. McCoy (So) 25.77. 3,200: 1. Wise (So) 11:27.60; 2. Lovett (T) 11:36.79; 3. Leatherman (Wads) 11:40.15. 4x400: 1. Magnificat (Kramer, Harter, Bush, Ubbing) 4:07.52; 2. Warren G. Harding 4:09.89; 3. Solon 4:12.14.

*-Meet record.

The Oregon senior tore an ACL in December and it's unclear when he'll be able to start practicing.

BEREA, Ohio - One of college football's best defensive backs fell to the Browns in the seventh round.

As you might suspect, there's a catch.

The Browns selected Oregon cornerback Ifo Ekpre-Olomu with the 241^st pick in the NFL Draft on Saturday. It's unclear, however, when he'll be ready to play after tearing his ACL in December during a practice for the Ducks' Rose Bowl matchup against Florida State.

The 5-foot-9, 195-pounder was expected to be a first- or second-round pick prior to the knee injury. He earned third-team All-American honors and is a three-time Pac-12 first-team selection.

Ekpre-Olomu told the Oregonian in March he would be healthy enough to take part in football-related drills by September. General manager Ray Farmer didn't provide a timetable for his return.

"But we thought this could be a starter when he's 100-percent healthy," Farmer said.

Although the injury cost him a fortune in terms of his plummeting draft status, Ekpre-Olomu could be in line to collect $3 million from a loss of value policy  purchased for him by the University of Oregon at the start of last year's football season.

The school bought $40,000 policies for five of its players, including quarterback Marcus Mariota, and insured them against career-ending injuries or if they slid in the draft because of injuries, according to ESPN's Darren Rovell.

Ekpre-Olomu, who could not perform at the combine or his pro day, began collecting money after he slipped out of the first round and was in line to get the entire $3 million when he tumbled out of the second round. The policies are a relatively new means of enticing star players to commit to one more season instead of leaving early for the pros.

When healthy, Ekpre-Olomu is considered an excellent cover corner. He had started 40 straight games prior to the injury and was a two-time finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award, presented to the top defensive back in the country.

Ekpre-Olomu finished his career with nine interceptions.

The New Orleans Saints signed Notre Dame College offensive tackle Doniel Gambrell after the 2015 NFL Draft on Saturday. He also received free-agent offers from the Cleveland Browns and Green Bay Packers.

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Notre Dame College offensive lineman Doniel Gambrell of Cleveland turned down an offer from the Browns and signed with the New Orleans Saints shortly after the 2015 NFL Draft on Saturday. Gambrell also received a priority free agent offer from the Green Bay Packers after he went unclaimed in the draft.

"I already knew at the beginning of the draft that New Orleans was one of the top teams that was pushing for me and was interested,'' said Gambrell a Glenville graduate. "Toward the end of the draft, New Orleans was calling, the Browns were calling and Green Bay was calling.

"The Browns were really interested. They were upset when I told them I signed with New Orleans. It was hard to say no, but at the same time it looks like my best opportunity was going to be the New Orleans.''

Gambrell and his agent, Peter Schaffer of Denver, said New Orleans has more opportunity at offensive guard. The Saints have some aging linemen and took a tackle in the first round, Stanford's Andrus Peat, but they did not draft a guard. The Browns have a rising star in Joe Bitonio at left guard and spent one of their first-round picks on Florida State offensive lineman Cameron Irving, who could play guard.

"We're very, very excited for where he wound up,'' Schaffer said. "We never looked back and said, what if (about the draft). Doniel is prepared to work hard and his future is bright.''

Gambrell, a working and married father of three small children, was hoping to be the first player drafted out of NDC, a Division II school in South Euclid that just completed its fifth year of varsity football. However, he is one in a long line of NFL-ready players who began at Glenville High School, including his former teammate, Frank Clark, the Michigan defensive end who was drafted in the second round by Seattle on Friday.

Gambrell said his wife, Shardai, ran up the stairs screaming with joy when he decided to sign with New Orleans. He watched the draft at his house in Garfield Heights with several family and friends, including his mother, Tracey Irving. Gambrell's father, Doniel Sr., was murdered when he was 13.

Gambrell was not invited to the NFL Combine, but he impressed scouts at the College Gridiron Showcase in January, a lower-tier draft event. He  attended the University of Toledo's pro day last month. Nearly every NFL team was on NDC's campus during or after the season to meet Gambrell and watch games, practices or film.

"He has all the physical tools to play in the league,'' a scout told The Plain Dealer during a visit to NDC. "He meets the measurable requirements.''

Gambrell has a long reach, big hands and quick feet. He was projected to go in the seventh round or be signed after the draft as a priority free agent.

"Intriguing small-school player with big-school athleticism and talent,'' reads his scouting profile on NFL.com. "While his feet are NFL-caliber, his instincts and anchor need work. With his family life and hectic schedule, Gambrell hasn't had the opportunity to work in the weight room like he will need to. He will require patience and technique work, but has a shot of playing on Sundays. Some project him inside to guard, but teams might want to give him a shot to play tackle initially.''

Gambrell earned the nickname "Tree" in high school because of his long, skinny frame. He was plucked off the Glenville basketball team by football coach Ted Ginn Sr., who believed in Gambrell long before anyone else, including Gambrell himself. Ginn talked Eastern Michigan into offering Gambrell a scholarship sight unseen, then convinced EMU into keeping him when he arrived weighing just 210 pounds.

Gambrell quickly put on weight and climbed the EMU depth chart, but left school his freshman year when his then-girlfriend and now wife, Shardai, became pregnant with their first child. Gambrell went to work in a welding wire factory in Mentor. A year later, he approached Ginn about helping him return to college.

Ginn helped Gambrell land at Notre Dame College, where he became a four-year starter and a captain.

Doniel and Shardai have three children and live in Garfield Heights. Throughout last season, Doniel worked a second- and third-shift job, before and after practices and games to help support his family while Shardai also worked.

He got the weekend off to watch the draft with friends and family at home.

Gambrell  is a Direct Support Professional at the Rose-Mary Center in Euclid, a residential assisted living facility for children and adults, ages 6 to 22, who have a wide range of intellectual and developmental disabilities, including cerebral palsy and autism. He assists residents in daily tasks such as laundry, preparing meals and brushing teeth. His supervisor said because Gambrell has extraordinary patience and an ability to connect with residents, he often is assigned to a wing that includes sometimes aggressive adolescent boys.

Gambrell told The Plain Dealer last year his motivation to return home to take care of Shardai and their son, then seek a college degree in business as well as a potential NFL degree, came from the memory of his murdered father. Doniel Sr. was shot in Cleveland during a robbery on his 38^th birthday in 2002. The murder remains unsolved.

"That's probably one of the reasons I am as responsible and as mature as I am now,'' Gambrell said. "When that happened, I took on more responsibility than the average 11- or 12-year-old. It made me mature quicker.

"My father was always there for us. Having him in my life is the reason I will always be here for my kids, no matter what. Having my own kids, I think about what can I do to make them know I'm always going to be here, and I'm always going to be loving them, the way he did for us.''

The Indians are 0-6 when Corey Kluber starts.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Right-hander Corey Kluber allowed five runs (four earned) on eight hits in five-plus innings as the Indians were blasted by the Toronto Blue Jays, 11-4, Saturday afternoon at Progressive Field. Here is a capsule look at the game after a DVR review of the Fox SportsTime Ohio telecast:

Unable to build momentum: The Indians (8-15) have won two games in a row just once this season -- April 8-9 in Houston. (On Friday against Toronto, they won the second of the four-game series, 9-4.)  

Runs aplenty: The Blue Jays (12-13) entered as the MLB leader with 126 runs.

They scored two in the fifth inning to take a 4-2 lead and six in the sixth to make it 10-2. Already this season, they own six innings of five-plus runs and six games of 10-plus runs.

Hard to believe, but true: The Indians are 0-6 when Kluber starts. (Last season, they were 22-12.)

In a rut: Kluber (0-4, 4.62 ERA) opened the season with three quality starts. In his past three, however, he has given up a combined 17 runs (14 earned) on 31 hits in 17 1/3 innings.

Kluber's fastball control and command have not been good enough -- particularly  inside. His money pitch, the cutter, has been inconsistent; hitters have punished him for the below-average ones. His third pitch, the curve, hasn't kept hitters honest enough.

Kluber misses catcher Yan Gomes, who has been sidelined since April 12 because of a right-knee injury. Kluber never would use Gomes's absence as an excuse, and it doesn't account for failure to locate with the fastball, but their synergy was undeniable en route to Kluber's AL Cy Young season in 2014. Kluber and Gomes were so in sync that their rhythm and tempo put hitters on the defensive.  

The Blue Jays, inherently aggressive and no doubt having read scouting reports or watched video of Kluber's previous two starts (at White Sox, vs. Royals), did damage early in counts. Six of their hits came within three pitches, including four on the first pitch.

Kluber was 10-of-24 with first-pitch strikes.

Here is a breakdown of Kluber's outing:

FIRST INNING

(R) Devon Travis --  fastball outside; fastball called strike; 88 cutter swinging strike (off outside corner); 94 fastball, single to right (inside corner).

Skinny: Decisive pitch was not inside far enough, especially for 1-2 count.

(R) Josh Donaldson -- 88 cutter outside; 91 cutter called strike; 94 fastball, foul pop to first.

Skinny: Got into Donaldson's kitchen, where pitch to Travis needed to be.

(R) Jose Bautista -- 89 cutter outside; 90 cutter swinging strike (outside corner); 90 cutter swinging strike; 84 curve foul (Travis moving); 94 fastball inside (Bautista hops back); 83 curve, swinging strikeout.

Skinny: Kluber used Bautista's aggressiveness against him.

(R) Edwin Encarnacion -- 89 cutter, RBI double to center.

Skinny: Catcher Roberto Perez was set up off the plate away -- standard for Kluber's cutter to right-handed batters -- but pitch stayed on outer third at thighs. When Encarnacion saw that he had swinging room, he attacked. Center fielder Tyler Holt almost made the catch, but he banged into the wall as he reached for the ball. Blue Jays have hit at least one double in 22 straight games.

(R) Russell Martin -- 92 fastball foul; 92 down and in; 90 cutter swinging strike; 94 fastball high; 83 curve, grounder to short.

Skinny: Martin off-balance.

(19 pitches)

SECOND INNING

(R) Kevin Pillar -- 91 fastball high; 87 cutter called strike; 93 fastball inside; 88 cutter foul; 94 fastball, pop to right (inside).

Skinny: Running catch by Brandon Moss on bloop.

(L) Michael Saunders -- 93 fastball, bunt single.

Skinny: Bunt off the plate meant no chance for Perez.

(L) Ryan Goins -- 91 fastball high (barely);  92 fastball foul (Saunders moving); 87 cutter, double into right-field corner.

Skinny: Cutter needed to be under hands; it stayed thigh-high on inner third. Moss's quick return throw, and Saunders' lack of speed, prevented Toronto from taking a 2-1 lead.

(L) Ezequiel Carrera -- 84 changeup called strike; 85 changeup swinging strike (appeal; Carrera went too far); 94 fastball, called strikeout (inside corner).

Skinny: Kluber worked over former Indian Carrera in a big spot. Fastball came back to catch the corner.

(R) Devon Travis -- 89 cutter low and away; 83 curve swinging strike (low);  84 curve swinging strike (three-quarters swing); 84 curve, fly to center (low).

Skinny: Kluber and Perez didn't try to re-invent the wheel. They recognized that Travis was uncomfortable against the curve and stayed with it.

(16 pitches)

THIRD INNING

(R) Josh Donaldson -- 92 fastball ball; 93 fastball called strike; 93 fastball called strike (outside corner); 85 curve foul; 95 fastball, grounder to first.

(R) Jose Bautista -- 81 curve high; 94 fastball called strike; 94 fastball inside (Bautista hops back); 95 fastball foul (inside); 89 cutter, swinging strikeout (down and away).

Skinny: Cutter, which was nasty, set up by Kluber's willingness to pitch inside to a batter who doesn't like to get pitched inside.

(R) Edwin Encarnacion -- 94 fastball ball; 90 cutter swinging strike; 95 fastball high; 94 fastball away; 94 fastball called strike (outer half; Encarnacion looking for something inside and flinched); 84 curve, grounder to third.

(16 pitches)

FOURTH INNING

(R) Russell Martin -- 91 fastball called strike; 87 cutter outside; 87 cutter foul (outside corner); 83 curve ball (low); 83 curve, homer to right-center.

Skinny: Homers after a 1-2 count are doubly painful. Decisive curve ballooned over plate at belt. Too big of a mistake to a solid hitter.

(R) Kevin Pillar -- 93 fastball called strike; 92 fastball called strike; 95 fastball foul; 95 fastball outside; 88 cutter, pop to first.

(L) Michael Saunders -- 93 fastball, grounder to third.

Skinny: Third baseman Lonnie Chisenhall picked the ball at the cut of the grass while moving to his left.

(L) Ryan Goins -- 92 fastball low; 93 fastball foul; 95 fastball, grounder to pitcher.

(14 pitches)

FIFTH INNING

(L) Ezequiel Carrera -- 93 fastball, single to center.

Skinny: Carrera got payback with an ambush; he wasn't willing to spot Kluber a routine first strike. Carrera can't be an igniter under any circumstances, but he was.

(R) Devon Travis -- 91 fastball called strike (inside corner); 87 cutter foul (into right-field corner); 94 fastball outside; 95 fastball foul; 95 fastball up and away; 83 curve foul (Zeke moving); 94 fastball away; 90 cutter, walk (low).

Skinny: A pitcher the caliber of Kluber needed to finish off Travis after getting ahead, 0-2. Travis showed excellent discipline to lay off the full-count cutter, especially with shadows between mound and plate. It is possible that Carrera's threat to run influenced Kluber into throwing five fastballs to Travis, who had struggled against the curve.

(R) Josh Donaldson -- 94 fastball inside; 89 cutter foul (over plate); 95 fastball low; 94 fastball outside; 95 fastball, walk (high).

Skinny: Kluber didn't miss by much on two of the pitches, but he missed.

(R) Jose Bautista -- 93 fastball inside (Bautista backs away); 90 cutter, two-run single to center (just off outside corner at knees).

Skinny: Bautista went to school on the cutter, which he had seen four times. The one that whiffed him in the previous at-bat darted out of the zone; this one stayed up just enough for him to catch it off the end of the barrel. Bat shattered. More good hitting than bad pitching -- but the cutter needed to be nastier against a hitter of Bautista's talent.

(R) Edwin Encarnacion -- 93 fastball high; 94 fastball called strike (outer half); 93 fastball called strike; 94 fastball away; 84 curve, GIDP 5-4-3.

Skinny: Good pitch down and away. Chisenhall seamlessly triggered double play after fielding on the move to his left. Chisenhall has been involved in 10 double plays this season.

(R)  Russell Martin -- 93 fastball low; 93 fastball foul; 94 fastball foul; 94 fastball, grounder to second.

Skinny: Above-average play by second baseman Jason Kipnis, who fielded in the hole.

(25 pitches)

SIXTH INNING

(R) Kevin Pillar -- 91 fastball, double to left (up).

Skinny: Fastball didn't have much on it, and Pillar pounced. Pillar's sixth straight game with XBH.

(Kluber was hooked for lefty Marc Rzepczynski. Pillar eventually scored the first of six runs in the inning.)

Ohio State tackle Darryl Baldwin and linebacker Curtis Grant signed undrafted free agent deals on Saturday. Baldwin with Baltimore and Grant with San Diego.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Darryl Baldwin and Curtis Grant, two Ohio State Buckeyes who made the most of their final years in Columbus. They're both going to the NFL because of it.

Neither were among the five Buckeyes drafted during this weekend's NFL Draft, but Baldwin and Grant signed undrafted free agent deals shortly after the draft ended on Saturday night.

Baldwin, who started at right tackle as a fifth-year senior last year, told Northeast Ohio Media Group that he will sign with with Baltimore Ravens. Grant will sign with the San Diego Chargers according to Michael Gehlken, the Chargers beat writer for U-T San Diego.

Over the course of the three-day draft, Ohio State had five players hear their name called:

* Devin Smith, Second Round, New York Jets

* Jeff Heuerman, Third Round, Denver Broncos

* Doran Grant, Fourth Round, Pittsburgh Steelers

* Michael Bennett, Sixth Round, Jacksonville Jaguars

* Evan Spencer, Sixth Round, Washington Redskins

It seemed Baldwin might have had an outside shot of sneaking into the draft late. He started just one season on the offensive line after moving over from defensive end early in his career, but Baldwin has the physical traits of an NFL lineman.

That lack of experience is likely what kept Baldwin from getting drafted, but he'll get his shot with Baltimore.

Grant had his best season as a Buckeye as the starting middle linebacker in 2014. Ask any player or coach, they'll tell you the same. He finished fifth on the team with 69 tackles.

But he never quite lived up to his billing as a five-star prospect and the NFL needed to see more for Grant to get a shot in the draft. But the physical attributes are there, and the increased focus and leadership he showed this year was enough to get him a deal with the Chargers.

Buckeyes defensive ends Steve Miller and Rashad Frazier, who helped fill in for the loss of Noah Spence last year, could end up in NFL camps.

So what has ailed the reigning American League Cy Young winner over his last three starts? In his first three outings of the season, Kluber resembled the pitcher who earned the hardware last season. He limited opponents to a .176/.228/.216 slash line. In three starts since, opposing hitters have tattooed him for a .397/.440/.590 slash line.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- What's bothering Corey Kluber?

Are his pitches zigging and zagging like usual?

"Mmhmm," Kluber replied after his outing on Saturday.

Does he have his typical velocity on his pitches?

Kluber nodded.

Kluber's fastball averaged 94.3 mph on Saturday, when he exited after allowing five runs (four earned) on eight hits in five-plus innings. The Indians lost, 11-4.

So what has ailed the reigning American League Cy Young winner over his last three starts? In his first three outings of the season, Kluber resembled the pitcher who earned the hardware last season. He limited opponents to a .176/.228/.216 slash line. In three starts since, opposing hitters have tattooed him for a .397/.440/.590 slash line.

Manager Terry Francona surmised that Kluber has struggled to command his fastball. As a result, he has fallen behind in counts. When he locates his pitches -- when it's too late -- opponents have been lying in the weeds. Kluber has surrendered 31 hits over his last 17 1/3 innings.

Kluber disagreed.

"I think the biggest thing is probably just needing to sequence a little better," Kluber said. "I'm not doing that good of a job of keeping guys honest. For the most part, guys are kind of hanging out over the plate and when they're doing that, you kind of eliminate one half of the plate, so when you do make a mistake it's kind of magnified.

"I think [my fastball command] has been OK. It hasn't been unbelievable. I just think the biggest thing is not working both sides of the plate, not keeping hitters honest."

Yan Gomes served as Kluber's battery mate for his first two starts. Roberto Perez has filled the role in the last four, with Gomes on the shelf with a knee sprain.

The Indians haven't exactly backed Kluber with an outpouring of offense. They have scored nine runs in the 39 innings that the right-hander has logged.

"We haven't been putting up a bunch of runs," Francona said, "and I think he's trying to be fine and not allow any runs and sometimes that makes it a little harder."

Kluber disagreed, saying he doesn't consider the lineup's effort each inning he takes the hill.

"When you do that, you start adding extra pressure," he said. "It's already hard enough. I think when you start trying to control things that are out of your control, you make it more difficult."

Kluber returned to his sequencing theory.

"I just think the biggest thing is not working both sides of the plate," he said, "not keeping hitters honest."

Whatever the explanation, the numbers illustrate a stark difference in results between the Kluber's first three starts and his last three.

First three starts: 21 2/3 innings, 13 hits, six earned runs, four walks, 25 strikeouts, 2.49 ERA

Last three starts: 17 1/3 innings, 31 hits, 14 earned runs, five walks, 14 strikeouts, 7.27 ERA

Said Kluber: "My stuff is the same as it always is."

Four locals to Northeast Ohio highlight Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- One of the cutest photos taken at the annual Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame ceremony came from two people connected to Northeast Ohio.

Sitting behind each other at dinner were fellow inductees Zydrunas Ilgauskas, a retired pro basketball player, and longtime high school coach Edith Spivey.

"It was awesome when Z walked in and we all tried to run in and take a picture with him," Spivey said. "It was just awesome."

The energetic 5-foot-4 Spivey and 7-foot-3 llgauskas were two of 11 people inducted into the Hall of Fame on Saturday evening at the Columbus Convention Center including Cleveland Heights graduate Bert Price and Stow graduate Dave Jamerson.

They were among the honorees inducted into the Hall of Fame recognized for their contributions to basketball in Ohio.

Check back later for speeches of the local inductees.

Bob Knight receives Heritage Award

For a man that was expected to receive an award, Knight instead of giving everyone lessons and a laugh before accepting the one of the highest awards given by the Hall of Fame.

"I am very humbled by given this award this evening," Knight said. "I don't think there has every been a more athletic state then the state of Ohio...I'm thankful for the Hall of Fame for thinking about me when it comes to this presentation."

Knight, a native of Massillon, coached for 42 years was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2006. He retired from coaching basketball with a 902-371 record after coaching at the U.S. Military Academy, Indiana University and Texas Tech.

He also coached the United States Pan American Team in 1979 and U.S. National Team in the 1984 Olympic games to gold medals.

The Heritage Award is given to a candidate who has left a mark on basketball after his or her active career.

Four locals highlight induction honorees

Northeast Ohio has four connections to this year's Hall of Fame class:

Zydrunas Ilgauskas played for the Cleveland Cavaliers for 14 seasons after being the 20^th draft pick in 1996. His jersey No. 11 was retired last season.

Dave Jamerson a 1985 graduate of Stow, played his collegiate career at Ohio University before being the first player from the school to be drafted by the NBA in 1990.

Bert Price is a 1957 graduate of Cleveland Heights before playing his collegiate career at Kent State and Wittenburg. He also played on the US basketball team before being drafted in the NBA;

Edith Spivey remains active in coaching at Hathaway Brown, but retired from Shaw after 25 years with a 433-183 record in 2004. Years later she joined Hathaway Brown and won three of the school's five state championships.

Other inductees were John Miner (Columbus East 1921, Ohio State University 1925); Thomas Dinger (Mansfield 1967, College of Wooster 1971); coach Al Van Wie (College of Wooster); Marlene Stollings (Beaver Eastern 1993, Ohio State/Ohio University 1998); Brooke Wyckoff (Lakota 1997, Florida State University 2001, WNBA 9 seasons); coach Theresa Check (Central State and Cincinnati State Universities); official John Tipton (Oak Hill).

Scholarships, awards for high school athletes

Athens girls basketball player Ashley Horsley and Madison's Bradley Malott each received a scholarship by the Hall of Fame. Northwestern basketball player Trever Smith was also honored for having the best free throw percentage in a single season with 95.3.

Ceremony by the numbers

176 - individuals inducted since 2006

8 - thousand dollars worth of scholarships have been given since 2012.

7,000 - people at least have attended the ceremonies since 2006.

109 - schools represented in the Hall of Fame.

28 - Ohio colleges and universities represented in Hall of Fame.

The Cleveland Gladiators rallied to defeat the Orlando Predators in overtime on Saturday, 56-55.

ORLANDO, Florida -- Quarterback Shane Austin hit Dominick Goodman with a touchdown pass in overtime to lead the Cleveland Gladiators to a 56-55 victory over the Orlando Predators Saturday night in the Amway Center.

As they did so many times last season, the Gladiators rallied in the final moments, scoring the tying touchdown with two seconds remaining in regulation, then scoring on the first possession of overtime and stopping Orlando's attempt to win the game on a conversion pass.

The Gladiators improve to 4-2 with the win and Orlando falls to 3-3.

Austin completed 5 of 6 passes as the Gladiators scored on the opening possession of overtime. The touchdown came on an 6-yard strike to Dominick Goodman and Adrian Trevino kicked the extra point.

Orlando came right back to score on one play, a 20-yard pass from Randy Hippeard to Kend Thompkins, but Hippeard's PAT pass attempt failed, securing the win for Cleveland.

Austin finished with eight touchdown passes, completing 36 of 44 passes for 364 yards.

Goodman had 13 catches for 82 yards and three touchdowns, Collin Taylor had 11 receptions for 134 yards and three touchdowns, and Amarri Jackson had nine catches for 116 yards and two touchdowns.

The Gladiators tied the game with a wild drive late in the fourth quarter. The drive started with 1:30 remaining, but two penalties and a sack left the Gladiators on their own 13 with 21 seconds remaining.

That's when Austin went to work. He found Goodman for gains of 12 and 9 yards, then hit with an 11-yard scoring strike. He hit Jackson for a two-point conversion to tie the game, forcing the overtime session.

Cleveland jumped to a 13-7 lead after one quarter as Austin threw two touchdown passes, but Orlando rallied for a 28-27 halftime lead.

Austin threw two more TD passes in the third quarter and the score was 42-41 entering the final period.

The Gladiators will play host to the Jacksonville Sharks next Saturday at 7 p.m. in Quicken Loans Arena. The game was originally scheduled for Friday.

See spring sports highlights from Saturday, May 2, 2015.

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Here are spring sports highlights from Saturday's action based on box scores reported to the Northeast Ohio Media Group.

For more information on how to report box scores, please email High School Sports Manager Kristen Davis (kdavis@cleveland.com).

Midview softball outlasts Columbia

Columbia softball scored two runs in the seventh inning, but was unable to overcome Midview's three-run sixth inning, as the Middies won, 4-3.

Midview's Haily Ivan scored one run and had two RBI to go with Lauren Landers' and Morgan Hamker's two hits apiece. Midview is now 18-7 on the season.

Normandy baseball tops Medina Highland, 8-3

Normandy scored its runs in a two inning barrage, scoring five runs in the third inning and three in the fourth, respectively. 

Normandy was led by Josh Gainer and Kevin Lannoch, who each scored two runs. Gainer added three RBI and a double in the win.

Highland scored all three of its runs in the fourth inning.

Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin is defeated by Conneaut

Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin's Dom Misiti was the only Lion able to earn a win against Conneaut on Saturday. In the third single match of the day, it took Misiti five sets to win the match, winning the tiebreaker 10-6.

Western Reserve Track sweeps boys and girls competition 

Western Reserve Academy won both its boys and girls track meets on Saturday. The boys scored 126 points and topped Cuyahoga Heights (88), Independence (72), Kirtland (72) and Newbury (18).

Western Reserve's Tyson Oliver (shot put), Matt Haemer (discus), Brett Kramer (high jump, distance medley), Colt Roe (long jump, 400-meter relay), Ian Israelson (3,200-meter relay), Ray Kim (sprint medley), Jorge Spagnolo (800-meter relay) and Ajay Dakappagari (1,600-meter relay) all won events.

The girls scored 103 points and defeated Kirtland (92), Cuyahoga Heights (91), Independence (74) and Newbury (14).

For Western Reserve, Sophia Causey (shot put, discus), Erin Dockery (long jump, 400-meter relay) and Emily Cremer (1,600-meter relay) all won events.

See all the scores. Click the respective sports to see all the scores from today's action in baseball, softball, boys track, girls track and boys tennis.

Three days of the draft came and went and the Browns neither drafted a quarterback nor traded for one. Instead, they built the team around the quarterback with 12 draft picks and are prepared to proceed with Josh McCown and developmental QB Johnny Manziel. Watch video

BEREA, Ohio -- Despite quarterback rumors that persisted into the third day of the NFL draft, the Browns are sticking to their existing guns.

Marcus Mariota didn't come riding in on a white horse and a Sam Bradford trade never materialized. As the draft marched on, the Browns passed on Colorado State's Garrett Grayson, Oregon State's Sean Mannion, Baylor's Bryce Petty and UCLA's Brett Hundley, who all went in the first five rounds.

Instead, the Browns are forging on with Josh McCown as their likely starter and Johnny Manziel as their ongoing developmental project. The Browns -- who selected 12 players overall in the draft -- also have Thad Lewis and Connor Shaw who can start games for them.

"I don't think we can emphasize it enough that we're going to build a football team,'' said coach Mike Pettine. "We're not going to over-prioritize the quarterback position."

The draft began with the Browns disputing a report that they made an offer to the Titans at No. 2 to draft Mariota and ended with an erroneous report on NFL.com that they tried to trade up from No. 115 and/or No. 116 in the fourth round to No. 103 with the Jaguars to draft Petty, who worked with O'Connell in the months leading up to the NFL combine.

The Browns did call Jacksonville, a source said, but it wasn't for the Baylor quarterback. Instead, the Jets moved up a notch to 103, apparently believing the Browns were going to take him there.

"We had him slated at a certain spot and that wasn't our place where we wanted to make that move,'' said Farmer. "Kevin (O'Connell) definitely had input as well as Flip (DeFilippo) and the rest of our offense staff.  The inference came (that they were taking Petty) because the team that actually ended up taking the player thought we were going to take their player.''

Pettine rolled his eyes when asked about the Petty report.

"I know there was a lot of speculation even during the draft we were looking to move up, even a report we were looking to move up today,'' he said. "To me, it was all about having a gameplan and sticking to it as was evidenced by the picks we ended up with. It's a nice thing to be able to sit back now and look at these names in front of me - so many of them are guys we've been talking about for a long time.

"Ray did a masterful job of taking some calculated risks with (three) trades moving up and moving back. You knew when guys were going to fall and when you could take them to get great value. There were so many guys we felt we got great value on. The quarterback position was just something that never worked its way into the conversation."

Pettine bristled at the suggestion that he might not have the quarterbacks to keep pace in the demanding AFC North.

"We go 11 against 11, we're not just trotting quarterbacks out on the 50-yard line and thumb wrestling," he said. "To me there are a lot of different ways to win football games. You just don't force the situation. If we perceive our quarterback group is not the best in the division, what does that mean? Do we call the league and cancel games? You still gotta play.''

Pettine and Farmer understand the skepticism surrounding their quarterback room, what with an anticipated starter who went 1-10 in Tampa Bay last year and a second-year pro who's coming off 10 weeks in rehab. But the Browns and their new offensive staff remain undaunted.

"We're very confident in the guys in that room,'' said Pettine. "We are. We're very confident in the guys coaching them, I'm very confident in the plan that we're going to build and I'm thrilled with the players we're putting on the field around the quarterback. I've talked about this from the beginning --  that you want to minimize the importance of the quarterback.

"He doesn't have to walk out there and 'here's the whole game, put it on your back, go ahead and convert second-and-long, go ahead and convert third-and-long, go ahead and bring us back from two scores. To me, when you play with leads and you're in manageable situations, that job gets a lot easier.''

Farmer acknowledged that the Browns don't currently have an established elite quarterback on their roster, but that they'll get the job done.

"I like who we have,'' he said. "Whether or not they're great and whether or not they're Andrew Luck or John Elway or whoever they are supposed to be, I don't think that's the case. Again, you gotta give guys an opportunity to demonstrate they can either play or they're going to fail. In time we'll find out the answer to those questions.''

Farmer said he understands the fuss "but when I do have an opportunity to take a quarterback that I think can actually come in here, compete and be better than some of the guys I have, I'll take him.''

Pettine explained what he meant when he told ESPN Saturday that he doesn't expect anything extraordinary from Manziel coming off his rehab stint.

"Just come to work every day and perfect your craft,'' he said. "He shouldn't feel any pressure to do anything more than that. It goes back to the old cliche: All we ask of you is all that you've got. So he just comes in every day and it's going to be very structured for him as with all the quarterbacks in that room. (We're) just looking forward to him being here, putting the work in, seeing what happens."

In addition to bypassing the quarterbacks, the Browns drafted only one receiver --Washington State's Vince Mayle -- and that was in the fourth round after 16 others had been taken. In Farmer's 18 picks over two years, Mayle is his only wideout.   

"There were names that we liked in certain spots and some of those guys got gobbled up because we had different things we were looking at and guys were rated differently earlier in the draft,'' said Farmer. "Had the right guy gotten to us, there were other guys that we liked considerably.''

One of those was Georgia receiver Chris Conley, whom Farmer visited days before the draft. The Chiefs traded up and grabbed him a spot before the Browns picked at No. 77 in the third round. The Browns selected Miami running back Duke Johnson instead.

 "I did like (Conley). I did think he was talented," Farmer said. "So kudos to those guys for jumping up and getting him. But I don't know if anyone will ever know if I really wanted him or if I wanted somebody else."

But the Browns are excited about Mayle, who has untapped potential.

 "Big kid, very productive,'' said Farmer. "Had a lot of production. He's a former basketball player. He hasn't played a lot of football but we feel there's a tremendous upside there and that tremendous upside is what we're looking for. We know he's talented enough to play and we like the fact he is big and can run and we're excited we got him where we got him."

Offensively, the Browns also added a fullback in sixth-rounder Malcolm Johnson of Mississippi State and a tight end in sixth-rounder Randall Telfer of Southern California. But even Pettine can't predict how the new offense will fare.

"That's hard to say because of the players we just added and how we're going to look,'' said Pettine. "Flip and I share the same philosophy that we're going to fit our system to the players and not the players to the system. We're going to do what we do well. Right now we don't know what we do well until we get our guys out there on the field and start to work some of his concepts. We're going to throw a lot of stuff against the wall (this spring) and see what sticks.''

Overall, the Browns drafted seven defensive players and five on offense for their biggest haul since they tabbed 13 players in 2000. They made three trades and fortified most of their positions, including the offensive and defensive lines with first-rounders Danny Shelton and Cameron Erving. They added a pass-rusher in second-rounder Nate Orchard, who finished second in the nation with 18.5 sacks last year.

"In the three days I think we did a good job sticking to the plan,'' said Farmer. "We know what we want to be. We know where we want to go. We know before you build the roof and put the walls up you have to build the foundation. For us that starts up front. We want to be great on both lines. We want to be able to dominate the line of scrimmage. We want to play Cleveland Brown football - that's play like a Brown.

"We brought guys in here that play like Browns. We got guys here that will compete and play relentlessly, chase the ball on defense, be aggressive on offense. For me the core of football is about owning the will of your opponent. We want to try to do those things."

The Browns have a dozen new reasons to think they'll be better this year, even if none is a quarterback.