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Cleveland Browns: Mitch Trubisky Could Be Bernie Kosar 2.0

By Erik Lambert

Sep 17, 2016; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels quarterback Mitch Trubisky (10) looks to pass in the first quarter at Kenan Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 17, 2016; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels quarterback Mitch Trubisky (10) looks to pass in the first quarter at Kenan Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports /
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Sep 17, 2016; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels quarterback Mitch Trubisky (10) looks to pass in the first quarter at Kenan Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 17, 2016; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels quarterback Mitch Trubisky (10) looks to pass in the first quarter at Kenan Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports /

Facts are facts. The Cleveland Browns have had a nightmare trying to figure out the quarterback position for over two decades.

Previous 1st round picks like Johnny Manziel and Tim Couch met with disaster. This forced the franchise to seek alternatives. Some were late round picks and others veteran free agents. Most failed to pull this luckless franchise out of the NFL cellar. Thus far the Browns have one playoff appearance since it was reinstated in 1999. The magic it used to have almost stolen and lost to time and the four winds.

It’s clear they’re never going to get out of this funk until they solve this problem. The 2017 NFL draft offers their best opportunity in years to do so. Cleveland holds the #1 overall pick, historically a great spot to get a franchise quarterbacks. To date 19 taken at that spot went to at least one Pro Bowl and four are in the Hall of Fame. Another, Peyton Manning, will be in the first time he goes on the ballot.

So the Browns have a difficult decision. Do they go for the quarterback right away, or take another player and hope they can still get one later in the draft? Odds are it will come down to how they feel about one kid in particular named Mitch Trubisky. Most agreed the North Carolina junior is the best quarterback in this class, and he just declared himself eligible.

He’s a fascinating prospect. Though only a starter for one year, his mix of size, arm strength, mobility, accuracy and poise are hard to miss. He certainly has the look of a player who can thrive at the NFL level. Where it really gets interesting, at least from the Browns’ perspective is where he comes from. Trubisky is a native of Mentor, Ohio. That’s just 25 miles outside of Cleveland proper. This young man grew up watching the Browns.

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Anybody with knowledge of history can imagine how Browns fans would feel about this. It must be fate. The last time they had a franchise quarterback was in the 1980s when Bernie Kosar was under center. A Pro Bowler in 1987, he led them to three AFC championship games in four years. What made him so special beyond that? He was born in Youngstown, Ohio. Cleveland was his favorite team growing up.

This certainly has the feel of a Hollywood script. A young Ohio native rises out of nowhere at just the right time when the Browns get the #1 pick and desperately need a quarterback. It does seem like the only way Cleveland teams can be competitive for championships is by having hometown darlings leading the way. Ask LeBron James.

Make no mistake. The Cleveland Browns have a monumentally difficult decision ahead of them. If they pass on Mitch Trubisky at #1, odds are they will have no shot at him later on. Not with QB-needy teams like San Francisco (#2), Chicago (#3) and New York Jets (#6) picking so close behind them. This is something they’ll have to spend every waking hour researching for the next four months.

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