NFL Draft: Browns hold keys in first round
The Cleveland Browns are the lynchpin of the NFL Draft. When is the last time the Browns were the pivot point of anything, other than who got the first pick?
Yes, it is Cleveland that controls what is going to happen for so many teams coming behind it in the draft order. The Browns have the first-overall selection by virtue of their dreadful 1-15 mark, but also hold the 12th-overall pick thanks to a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles that netted Carson Wentz for the City of Brotherly Love.
With its first choice, it would be a stunner if Cleveland didn’t go with Myles Garrett. Garrett is perhaps the best defensive prospect to come out this decade, rivaling the expectations that Jadeveon Clowney was shouldered with coming out of South Carolina. Watching Garrett at Texas A&M reminds most of a former Aggie, Von Miller. If he ends up having a similar career to Miller, the Browns will have struck gold.
However, it is that second selection at No. 12 that shapes everything coming afterwards. The Browns clearly need to take a quarterback at some point. General manager Sashi Brown knows he needs to find the face of the franchise, something that Cody Kessler and Kevin Hogan are not. If Kessler and Hogan are battling it out for the starting spot in camp come August, Brown failed massively in his bid to change the direction of the organization.
Cleveland has to make a choice at No. 12. Does it take the best player available, which almost certainly is not a quarterback, or does it reach a bit and take Mitchell Trubisky, Deshaun Watson or Patrick Mahomes?
If the Browns go with a quarterback, we might see an immediate run on the position. The Arizona Cardinals have to start thinking about what the future holds beyond Carson Palmer, and they pick at 13th. The Washington Redskins are four selections later and could consider a quarterback, thinking about the chances of Kirk Cousins leaving after one more season in the nation’s capital.
If Cleveland passes on a quarterback, perhaps Arizona feels more confident in waiting for the second round to address the need. Washington could be in the same boat, potentially leaving the Houston Texans at No. 25 to be the first team selecting a signal-caller. With the Browns picking first in the second round (No. 33 overall) it wouldn’t be crazy for them to wait and hope for one of the aforementioned trio or DeShone Kizer.
In two weeks, we’ll know whether or not Cleveland spends another first-round pick on a quarterback, or if it goes best player available. Then, every other team can make their moves.
