Browns must land cornerstones in NFL Draft

Johnny Manziel and Justin Gilbert. Danny Shelton and Cam Erving. Brandon Weeden and Trent Richardson.

Over the last decade, the Cleveland Browns have had a air of first-round picks in the same NFL Draft, only to miss on literally every player (Shelton might be a decent rotational player). The probability ofmissiong on all these high selections is absurd, and yet Cleveland has manage to do it.

This year, the Browns hold the first and fourth-overall picks after finishing 0-16, something that had only been done once before in league history. However, with general manager John Dorsey running the show, things feel different this time around.

Dorsey was terrific in the draft while general manager of the Kansas City Chiefs. The former Green Bay Packers linebacker was consistently able to find talent across all rounds, landing players such as Tyreek Hill, Travis Kelce, Patrick Mahomes, Kareem Hunt, Eric Fisher, Marcus Peters, Laurent Duvernuay-Tardif and others.

The Browns have so many needs, it’s almost impossible to nail down what they will do with two firsts and three second-round choices. Still, it’s evident that Cleveland has to fix the quarterback situation, and you can bet that will be addressed at first-overall. DeShone Kizer was atrocious last season and while he remains just a second-year player, he’s going to the bench. Dorsey has options in that regard, with Sam Darnold, Josh Rosen, Josh Allen and Baker Mayfield all in the mix.

With the fourth-overall pick, Dorsey could go in a litany of different directions. This time of year, you’ll hear a ton about taking the best player available, and while many times that’s an easy out, it should be the mantra by Lake Erie.

If Bradley Chubb is on the board, Cleveland could do worse than pairing him with Myles Garrett. The Browns would be able to get some significant pressure off the edge … think Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram.

If Mincah Fitzpatrick is available, Cleveland could add a stud to the secondary, giving it the ability to cover better than a year ago.

Then there is running back Saquon Barkley. There are some who believe that drafting a running back so high is a bad investment, but Barkley is a unique talent, reminding this writer of Le’Veon Bell. And, for his part, Barkley would welcome going from Happy Valley to Cleveland, per NFL.com.

Regardless of who Dorsey chooses, the Browns simply have to be right. A player at any position can help, so it’s to a matter of fit so much as it is not drafting another Manziel, another Gilbert, another Richardson.

The Browns are a joke. But if they find some real talent in this draft, they might be the ones laughing soon enough.