Cleveland Browns trading out of top pick would be bad idea
The Cleveland Browns have made it known the top overall pick in the draft is available for the right price, but trading out would be a bad idea…
New Cleveland Browns general manager John Dorsey doesn’t seem thrilled about this year’s quarterback class, or at least, he doesn’t have a favorite at this point.
The man who owns the top pick in this year’s draft as well as the fourth overall pick has made it known that he is open to trading the top pick.
Here’s what he said at the Scouting Combine:
Browns GM Dorsey: my door is wide open for a trade at no. 1. “Give me a call and see what’s up.”
— Gregg Rosenthal (@greggrosenthal) March 1, 2018
This is a clear indicator to me that Dorsey either really likes a few quarterbacks in this class, or he really doesn’t feel good about it at all.
This comes on the same day that Browns head coach Hue Jackson stated that he would rather not have a rookie starting week one this coming season.
Perhaps there’s merit to this. Do the Browns need to draft a quarterback? Is this a smokescreen?
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Cleveland has DeShone Kizer on the roster, so they have a guy that has all of the physical skills in the world, athleticism to boot, but is somewhat of an unfinished product at this point. If they wanted to take someone in this year’s draft class that offered mostly the same things, that wouldn’t make much sense.
The Browns are likely to sign someone in free agency, and most think that A.J. McCarron makes sense given the relationship he has to Hue Jackson, and the fact that the Browns agreed to trade a second round pick to the Bengals at this year’s trade deadline for McCarron.
Now, they don’t have to give anything up, and McCarron can be their starter this season.
If the Browns land McCarron in free agency, is a quarterback a lock for that top pick?
Given Dorsey’s willingness to trade the pick, I don’t think so.
The smart money is still on a player like Sam Darnold being that top selection, but it’s possible the Browns could look at adding two starters elsewhere at the top of this year’s draft if they can sign someone they like, like McCarron, in free agency.
But not taking a quarterback with the top pick, or trading out of it altogether could be one of the worst possible ideas for the Browns. They already lead the league in draft picks this year, and they desperately need some direction as a franchise.