BEREA, Ohio — Will it be the ultimate "What if?" draft?

Or will Eric Mangini possess the selection prowess that has eluded Browns coaches since the days of Marty Schottenheimer?

As the dust settles on the 2009 NFL Draft, the list of players passed over by the Browns in their first-round trading slide from No. 5 to No. 17 to No. 19 to No. 21 reads like a who's who of college football. Rey Maualuga, Clay Matthews III, Chris Wells, Jeremy Maclin, Michael Crabtree, B.J. Raji, Mark Sanchez, Brian Orakpo, Malcolm Jenkins and James Laurinaitis all could have been Browns on the team's stops down the board in the first round.

The selection of California center Alex Mack drew mostly groans, especially since the Browns have already drafted two — Melvin Fowler in 2002 and Jeff Faine in 2003 — and signed high-priced free agent LeCharles Bentley in the expansion era. All brought mostly disastrous results, although Faine went on to find success with the New Orleans Saints and now starts for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. wasn't too smitten by the pick of Mack, either.

"Mack I like, but I'm not a big fan of taking centers in the first round," Kiper said on a conference call Monday. "You can develop a center. You can teach guards to become centers."

There were other worries about the eight picks the Browns made during the two days.

—The Browns' pass rush tied for 30th last season with 17 sacks, yet the Browns did not appear to pick up major help. But Kiper believes that could come from Hawaii defensive end David Veikune, their third pick in the second round who totaled 18 sacks in three years. A 6-foot-2, 257-pounder, Veikune will make the transition to outside linebacker.

"Don't underestimate him," Kiper said. "He has a chance to be a very good pass rusher."

Mangini said the task of improving the pass rush is a team concept.

"I don't believe sacks are a function of just one person," he said. "If we're not holding up on the back end, if we're not fitting in the underneath part of the coverage, if guys don't hit their correct lane in any pass-rush scheme or blitz, then it doesn't work. The key is the coordinated defense between the coverage and the front. When those things are working together, the sacks come because there is no place for the ball to go."

—Although they are insurance for a Braylon Edwards trade or Donte' Stallworth's legal woes, neither of the wide receivers drafted in the second round are projected as No. 1s. ESPN's Todd McShay said Ohio State's Brian Robiskie "likely won't turn into anything more than a possession-type No. 3 receiver." But McShay labeled Georgia's Mohamed Massaquoi as the Browns' best pick and Pete Prisco of CBSsports.com predicted Robiskie "will be a starter as a rookie."

The Browns were reeling in '08 without Joe Jurevicius, whose career might have been ended by a staph infection, and Robiskie will at least fill that void.

—Reviews are mixed on whether the Browns received enough from the New York Jets in the trade that allowed the Jets to jump from No. 17 to 5 and draft their franchise quarterback in Sanchez. The Browns also received the Jets' second-round pick, which it used on Veikune, along with defensive end Kenyon Coleman, safety Abram Elam and quarterback Brett Ratliff.

Peter King of Sports Illustrated said Kent State product Elam was the lynchpin of the deal. And according to King, the Browns had to get him to sign a waiver to avoid the NFL rule that a restricted free agent who is retained by matching an offer sheet cannot be traded to the inquiring team for a calendar year without the player's permission. The Browns signed Elam to a one-year, $1.5 million offer sheet in March, but the Jets matched.

Mike Lombardi, the former Browns director of player personnel, said on the Web site National Football Post, "Don't count out Brett Ratliff as a real threat to be the starting quarterback."

The Browns' trade with Mangini's old team left them with seven ex-Jets, but four of them could become starters. David Bowens will likely take the outside linebacker spot vacated by Willie McGinest, and Eric Barton is expected to slip inside next to linebacker D'Qwell Jackson in the position formerly held by Andra Davis.

Elam should replace Sean Jones at strong safety and Coleman will likely take over at defensive end on a line that will also include Shaun Rogers and Corey Williams. Also in the rotation for Coleman's slot are ex-Jet C.J. Mosley, Robaire Smith and Shaun Smith.

Mangini tempered his enthusiasm: "Everybody is excited right now. You're adding new players, but what kind of role do they carve out, how do they contribute, how do they continue to develop? They've all got to come in and figure out 'How can I make the team?' "