The Cleveland Browns are expected to make the smart decision to open up the 2017 NFL Draft by selecting Texas A&M EDGE Myles Garrett, per SB Nation’s Thomas George. Garrett is the best player in the draft and is considered one of the best pass rushing prospects in recent years.
Thomas George of SB Nation (in contact with Myles Garrett's agent earlier): #Browns have informed him he's the pick. https://t.co/MjJ0q77AdQ
— Dawgs By Nature (@DawgsByNature) April 27, 2017
The Browns are still expected to address their quarterback position early in the draft, and the team is still making a push to select North Carolina QB Mitchell Trubisky as sources tell Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot:
The Browns have been working the phones and will continue to try to trade up for Trubisky from No. 12. They also have the No. 33 and No. 52 overall picks.
But they won't panic or overspend to get him. Brown told NFL Network on Wednesday "we're not desperate for a quarterback.''
Trubisky could go as high as No. 2 to the 49ers. If he's around at No. 5 or No. 6, the Browns could try to jump up to land him.
If they don't draft Trubisky, they will consider Clemson's Deshaun Watson and Texas Tech's Patrick Mahomes at No. 12. The Browns could also trade back up into the late first round from No. 33 to draft a QB.
The Browns are still the favorites to land Trubisky and they have the draft capital to move up in the draft. If Trubisky slips past the San Francisco 49ers (#2) and the Chicago Bears (#3), the Browns could trade with the Tennessee Titans at #5 overall. The Jacksonville Jaguars are rumored to be interested in Clemson QB Deshaun Watson or LSU RB Leonard Fournette at #4.
Teams like the Buffalo Bills and the New York Jets are also in need of a quarterback, so the Browns might need to leap them in the draft order to make their pick. The Los Angeles Chargers are also a dark horse to draft a quarterback after masking their interest in EDGE Joey Bosa in the 2016 NFL Draft; Philip Rivers is aging and the Chargers could groom an eventual replacement.
Of course, there’s a perfect world- for the Patriots- where the Browns don’t get the quarterbacks they want. Maybe Trubisky goes to the 49ers at #2 and Watson goes to the Jaguars at #4. If Texas Tech’s Patrick Mahomes goes to the Jets, Bills, or Arizona Cardinals, then the Browns might be inclined to make a move on New England Patriots back-up QB Jimmy Garoppolo.
A trade for Garoppolo would be unlikely, but a simple reading of this hypothetical draft board would point towards an overvaluation of the quarterback position, and a low chance that Cal’s Davis Webb would still be on the board at #33, forcing the Browns to head into the 2017 season without a quarterback or worse- they might have to use Brock Osweiler.
So maybe an early shakeup of the draft board could force the Browns into action. The Patriots might be willing to listen to the Browns if they offered #12, #33 or #52, and a 2018 second round pick. Maybe.
I still don’t think it happens. But the first domino that could lead to Garoppolo in Cleveland has toppled.