My giddy enthusiasm over the pro career of Babatunde Oshinowo grows stronger with each passing day, and the latest edition of Football Outsiders' Four Downs: AFC North adds plenty of fuel to the fire. Analyst Sean McCormick uses draft boards from a variety of sources to evaluate each team's 2006 draft. Cornerback DeMario Minter, for example, was rated between #50 and #100 on most draft boards, but the Browns got him at #152. That would be a draft steal, according to this analysis.

Perhaps the biggest steal of the entire draft, then, was Oshinowo, whom the Browns drafted at #181, but who was generally rated between #50 and #75. He was the consensus best player available for most of the fourth and fifth rounds, before the Browns finally nabbed him in the sixth. Says FO's Aaron Schatz:

From an intelligence and personality standpoint, I thought Oshinowo was the most impressive interview I sat in on when Michael David Smith and I were at the combine in Indy. The guy actually used his last year of eligibility on classes towards a Masters in electrical engineering. When you get to the NFL, where every single player is physically talented, intelligence can definitely make a difference. I know some people thought he was out of shape at the combine, and he’s entirely built for absorbing blockers in a 3-4 defense rather than making plays in a 4-3, but people will be kicking themselves in a couple years.

Suddenly the Browns defense (aka "Oshinowo's Eleven") is looking pretty good to me. The change from Fisk/Kelley to Oshinowo/Washington almost has to be an improvement. The secondary will finally be able to deploy stars Baxter and Bodden at the same time. The linebacking corps, perhaps surprisingly, has the most depth of any unit on the team, led by Davis, McGinest, Wimbley, and D'Qwell. Be optimistic, Browns fans.