Exploring Marcus Mariota and the Cleveland Browns

It’s not a secret that the Cleveland Browns have been one of the most dysfunctional NFL franchises since their rebirth in 1999. They’ve lacked continuity in the coaching staff, front office, and player personnel. Every year they try to shake up their roster in order to bring their desolate franchise back to prominence.

Here is a perfect tweet to epitomize what Browns’ fans have been subjected to for almost two decades.

Every Browns starting quarterback (21!) since 1999, with Johnny Manziel (the 22nd pick in the 2014 draft) as the latest name on that dreadful list.

His name might be crossed off before the start of the regular season. Cleveland Browns general manager Ray Farmer has a growing interest in Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota, which would make him the 22nd starting quarterback for the Cleveland Browns since 1999.

Anyone who watched Johnny Manziel play last season understands why the Browns would be interested in upgrading their quarterback situation, again. In two full starts Johnny Manziel didn’t look like he belonged in the NFL, let alone be a full time starter. He showed immaturity during his first season and recently checked into a rehab facility.

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Now the question has to be asked: What would it take for the Browns to trade up and get Marcus Mariota?

Of course, this all hinges on the speculation that the Titans or Buccaneers won’t select him with the top two picks in the draft. For the sake of this article, let’s just say that Mariota makes it past the first two picks.

That leaves the Cleveland Browns with three trade partners: Jacksonville, Oakland, and Washington. If they wait until after that point, Marcus Mariota will most likely be a New York Jet as they bring in a new head coach and front office. Armed with two first round picks, the Browns could make an trade offer that entices one of these three teams to move down.

Using the NFL Draft Value Chart, we can predict what it will take for Cleveland to move up in the draft and select Mariota. Let’s go through some possible trade scenarios with the teams mentioned above.

3rd Overall – Jacksonville Jaguars

4th Overall – Oakland Raiders

5th Overall – Washington Redskins

When you really start to break it down, the Browns wouldn’t have to surrender their entire draft class to get to the 4th or 5th spot in the draft to land Mariota.

The questions are, do the Browns want to start over and add another name to that already long list of quarterbacks? Or will they ride it out with Johnny Manziel for another season and use their first round picks to bolster the offense?

That all remains to be seen. Ray Farmer has some serious decision making to do over the next couple of months.

A 7-9 season for a franchise that has been as awful as the Browns is usually something to get excited about, but it looks like the Browns might be in for another major overhaul in the near future.

Hey, at least LeBron James is back in town.