2016 NFL Draft: Cleveland Browns May Have Their QB Target
By Erik Lambert
The Cleveland Browns are still very much in on the top quarterbacks in the 2016 NFL draft, and they may have their preferred target set.
The fact that there is muddle and disagreement amongst the Browns brass is nothing new. After so many changes to both the front office and coaching staff, it stands to reason there wouldn’t be much uniformity on most subjects, particularly the upcoming draft. Not only is there no decisive choice regarding whether or not they’ll take a quarterback with the #2 overall pick, but if they do they can’t even reach a consensus on which quarterback they want.
Most mock draft from experts down to the fans believe that the team is well-positioned to take Carson Wentz out of North Dakota State given his mix of winning pedigree and physical upside. However, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports believes key members of the new hierarchy have a different idea in mind.
"“I believe Jared Goff will be drafted before Carson Wentz, barring a trade of the first-overall pick. And if new Cleveland Browns offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton gets his way, it will be Goff and not Wentz who that team uses with the second overall selection.In fact, Goff has many champions within the Browns’ organization and although a preponderance of mock drafts will show Wentz being selected with the second-overall pick, I have continued to hear that Goff is actually very well positioned to be Cleveland’s guy. There are certainly some splits within the organization — as is almost always the case in these situations. There are very few once-in-a-generation quarterback prospects to unite an entire franchise in the draft process……And while there is some natural debate as to which of these quarterbacks is best, and some believe the margin is close, sources say Hamilton — hand-picked by new head coach Hue Jackson (a quarterback guru himself), doesn’t see it that way at all. His reports have Goff far and away the better candidate and it wouldn’t take a major leap to infer that might just be how Jackson sees things himself.”"
Goff has quietly gone that direction of late due in large part to his greater experience against top college competition and his advanced knowledge of a pro passing attack. It’s enough to overlook some of his iffy physical deficiencies from the thin body to the small hands and good-not-great arm strength. Teams are too afraid of Wentz’s lack of experience and being unproven against top tier opponents.
It’s understandable. There is a strong history of teams paying dearly for going after the prospect with more upside rather than the one who is more proven. After so many painful misses at the quarterback position since the franchise was renewed, one can’t blame the Cleveland Browns for wanted to play it as safe as possible.