CANTON TWP. If George Saimes doesnt know what makes a football player, who does? Browns fans will be pleased to hear Saimes is certain Kellen Winslow Jr. is a football player. Hes the best tight end I ever scouted, Saimes said Monday after his speech at the Hall of Fame Luncheon Club. Better than (Jeremy) Shockey. Better than (Tony) Gonzalez.
Saimes, 62, has come up for air after spending months neck-deep in the draft. He is the lead college scout for the Houston Texans, having worked for the Redskins before that and for the Blesto combine before that. Winslow was our top-rated player, Saimes said. We found out as much as we could about him, but we were in the No. 10 spot. We knew we wouldnt get him.
The Browns grabbed Winslow at No. 6 overall and loved what they saw of him in last weekends minicamp. Saimes revealed the top players on Houstons draft board. Winslow was first, followed by his former Miami (Fla.) teammate, safety Sean Taylor, then Iowa left tackle Robert Gallery, then two receivers, Pitts Larry Fitzgerald and Texas Roy Williams, then South Carolina cornerback Dunta Robinson.
The Texans prioritized drafting a cornerback and talked about trading up with Cleveland to make sure they got Robinson or Virginia Techs DeAngelo Hall. We were fortunate, Saimes said. We were convinced either Robinson or Hall would be a good pick. We stayed at No. 10. Hall was gone (to Atlanta at No. , but we got Robinson.