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BEREA, Ohio -- Cleveland Browns first-round pick Joe Haden has the charisma to light up a room.

Haden described himself as "outgoing, funny, and just likes to have a good time" in his introductory news conference. "I can't stand being around people trying to bring me down."

But the Browns are hoping Haden's abilities help bring down opposing offenses. The former Florida cornerback is the first and signature pick of the Mike Holmgren era in Cleveland.

The team landed the draft's top-rated cornerback at No. 7 with hopes of improving its No. 31-rated defense. Haden will combine with new teammates Sheldon Brown and Eric Wright to form arguably the deepest group of cornerbacks in the AFC North.

With quality receivers such as Anquan Boldin, Chad Ochocinco and Hines Ward within the division, Haden definitely has his work cut out for him. The aforementioned trio all recorded more than 1,000 yards receiving last season.

"It's going to be a challenge, of course," Haden said. "But I'm ready for everything. I'm just so blessed and honored too, because when I played at Florida I played against Andre Caldwell, Louis Murphy and Percy Harvin every day in practice. So playing against those dudes definitely got me ready for the next level."

There have been a lot of reports about Cleveland's draft intentions. The Browns attempted to trade up to the No. 1 overall pick to get former Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford, and they also had interest in former Tennessee safety Eric Berry, who went No. 5 to the Kansas City Chiefs.

In the end, the Browns stood pat and took the best player on their draft board.

"He's one of the great young men that I've ever had the privilege of studying and meeting," Holmgren said. "So as far as how we feel about this first pick, I really believe we hit a home run."

» NFC: D. Jackson (PHI) | S. Jackson (STL) | P. Harvin (MIN) | D. Williams (CAR)
» AFC: R. Brown (MIA) | D. Sproles (SD) | J. Cribbs (CLE) | C. Johnson (TEN)

Posted by ESPN.com’s James Walker

A look at the players opposing teams hate to see with the ball in their hands in the open field.

Despite a 1-7 start, the most dangerous open-field player in the AFC North remains Cleveland Browns return specialist Joshua Cribbs.

	Tom Cammett/Diamond Images/Getty Images
	Joshua Cribbs’ stiff-arm has become one of his signature moves.

Cribbs is tied with Percy Harvin of the Minnesota Vikings for the NFL lead in kickoff return yards with 860, which includes a 98-yard return for a touchdown. Cribbs also has 295 yards and a touchdown on punt returns this year, in addition to his many duties on coverage teams, receiver and part-time quarterback in Cleveland's Wildcat package.

The Browns cannot get the ball in Cribbs' hands enough, because he is the most dynamic and versatile player the team has. As an undrafted player out of Kent State, Cribbs has a mixture of fearlessness and old-school toughness that is hard to find.

There are several qualities that make Cribbs very dangerous in the open field. He has great vision for a kick returner, and he's big enough to break through arm tackles and fast enough to pull away from defenders. Cribbs also has a unique ability to remain at top speed while stiff-arming would-be tacklers. Many of his biggest returns have come as a result of this move.

Other players who just missed the cut in the AFC North include Steelers receiver Santonio Holmes, who was last season's Super Bowl MVP after catching the game-winning touchdown against the Arizona Cardinals. Holmes led the NFL in yards per catch two years ago among players with 25 receptions or more. He continues to make big plays but needs to work on his consistency.

Baltimore Ravens tailback Ray Rice also was in consideration. The second-year tailback is among the league leaders in all-purpose yards and is a star in the making.

Posted by ESPN.com's James Walker

The decision makers in Owings Mills, Md., have a lot to consider now that the Arizona Cardinals put Anquan Boldin on the trading block a week before the NFL draft. The Baltimore Ravens are one of several teams interested in the Pro Bowl receiver.

	Paul Spinelli/Getty Images
	Anquan Boldin would be a huge addition to the Baltimore offense.

With that in mind, here are the pros and cons for the Ravens in their pursuit of Boldin:

Pros

1. Receiver is an area of need

There would be no interest here unless there was a hole to fill at receiver. Baltimore got by last year with just two productive receivers in Derrick Mason and Mark Clayton. Mason is tough and very consistent, but he isn't a game-breaker. Clayton has some of those qualities, but he isn't consistent. The Ravens need a complete package at receiver with both qualities, and Boldin throughout his career has been that type of player.

2. Boldin makes QB Joe Flacco better

Baltimore has found its franchise quarterback for the first time in its history. Therefore, everything the Ravens do offensively should be geared toward making Flacco better. Boldin would certainly do the trick. The Ravens were not able to use all of Flacco's physical tools last year because they didn't have the proper personnel. Adding significant talent to Flacco's arsenal would only help speed up his learning curve.

3. It closes the gap with Pittsburgh

The Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers played three very close games last year. Baltimore was 0-3, but the Ravens were just a few plays away in every game against their biggest rival. The acquisition of Boldin may provide a shift in power toward the Ravens in the AFC North. At the very least, it would close the gap between these two teams. With Boldin, Baltimore would instantly have one of the top receivers in the division.

Cons

1. Boldin wants a huge extension

Although it's easy to get enamored with Boldin, many lose sight that this dispute is all about money. Boldin wants to leave a Super Bowl contender with good chemistry because he wants to get paid in the range of $9 million per season. And he wants his money now, so the same team to acquire Boldin will get the same stern contract demands. The Ravens are already under pressure to come up with a huge deal for Pro Bowl defender Terrell Suggs -- one that likely exceeds the $51.175 million contract for Pittsburgh linebacker James Harrison. Baltimore has been pretty cautious with its money this offseason. Therefore, it's hard to envision the Ravens doling out approximately $100 million in contracts for two players by the start of the regular season.

	NFL.com Video
	Check out the top highlights of Cardinals WR Anquan Boldin from 2008.

2. Ravens don't have many draft picks

Baltimore has just a half-dozen picks in next week's NFL draft. That means there is a good chance other suitors could outbid the Ravens. For instance, the normal asking price for a top-notch receiver is a first- and a third-round pick. If more than one team is willing to give that up for Boldin, the price tag would raise even higher. Perhaps Arizona could then asks for a third draft pick or a player to be added to the equation. Do the Ravens want to give up half their 2009 draft for Boldin? For an organization which covets its draft picks, this isn't an ideal scenario.

3. Plenty of WRs in the draft

As luck would have it, there are plenty of quality receivers in this year's NFL draft. It would be much cheaper to spend a late first-round pick on a receiving prospects such as Darrius Heyward-Bey, Hakeem Nicks, Kenny Britt, Percy Harvin, etc. versus the approximately $9 million per season on Boldin. Sure, the Ravens would be choosing an unproven player in the draft. But with Baltimore's solid track record of scouting players, it would be a calculated risk.

Do the pros outweigh the cons, Raven fans?

You decide.

Posted by ESPN.com's James Walker

Here are seven NFL combine notes and observations as it pertains to the AFC North:

	AP Photo/Darron Cummings
	Why are the Browns interviewing USC quarterback Mark Sanchez?

• An interesting name showed up on the list of players interviewed by the Cleveland Browns: USC quarterback Mark Sanchez. The Browns, with two young quarterbacks in Derek Anderson and Brady Quinn, are probably the last team interested in drafting a quarterback with the No. 5 overall pick. But this shows Cleveland could be willing to explore trade options for teams looking to move up. Sanchez is expected to be the second quarterback taken and there are a lot of teams in need of that position. Cleveland getting to know Sanchez in Indianapolis could give the Browns a gauge of the player other teams are coveting.
• Everyone has major questions now about Alabama left tackle Andre Smith. When watching him play, he's a beast. But when it comes to the maturity of this draft process, he is making mistakes left and right. Smith didn't participate in the combine, basically admitting he wasn't in shape. He also left the combine early and was suspended for Alabama's bowl game. This brings up questions of his maturity, and with so much guaranteed money spent at the top of the draft, I no longer think Smith is a good fit for the Cincinnati Bengals at No. 6. His tape looks great, but the last thing the Bengals need is a player with question marks.
• While we're on the subject of offensive tackles, Baylor's Jason Smith was impressive all week. He said the right things in his interview with the media and the workouts were solid, which included a 33-rep bench press of 225 pounds and a 5.22 run in the 40-yard dash. Obviously, his tape is off the charts, so this combination makes him an early candidate to be the top overall pick of the Detroit Lions.
• Oklahoma State tight end Brandon Pettigrew ran unofficial times of 4.85 and 4.97 in the 40-yard dash this weekend. He even was granted a third run and clocked a 4.87. None of Pettigrew's times landed in the top 10 of his position, which is disappointing for the projected best tight end in the draft. Pettigrew looked nervous and had false starts twice during his runs, He is a mid-to-late first-round pick and potentially a target of the Baltimore Ravens at No. 26.
• But the Ravens have to be very happy with the speed they saw from the receiver position at this year's combine. A host of good prospects ran a 4.5 or lower in the 40-yard dash, including Florida's Percy Harvin and Darrius Heyward-Bey of Maryland. Baltimore will target a deep threat at some point in the draft, possibly in the first round.
• Seeing energetic Arizona Cardinals strength coach John Lott run the bench press at the combine brought back great memories. Lott was a former strength coach of the Browns in 2005 and 2006 when I covered the team exclusively, and he was the most relentless assistant I've ever seen on the practice field. Banged up players for Cleveland would work out with Lott in practice. And it came to a point when it was better to practice hurt than get drilled by Lott for two-plus hours. I've heard Cleveland players describe Lott as "crazy" and "a maniac." But he's also a great strength coach. Said Lott at the combine, "I don't care what you did in your Wonderlic, and I don't care what your brain capacity is. All I care is what you bench press." You gotta love it!
• Speaking of bench press, I was disappointed with the bench press results for Oregon center Max Unger, who recorded just 22 reps. USC place kicker David Buehler did 25 reps and is about 70 pounds lighter. The book on Unger is he is not very athletic, which is fine for a center. But the bench press was important in this process. If he is drafted in the AFC North, particularly for the Pittsburgh Steelers at No. 32, he would have to push around big nose tackles such as Haloti Ngata in Baltimore and Cleveland's Shaun Rogers in 3-4 defenses. I just don't see it.