Would the Browns Draft a QB at #1?
In the NFL, there are very few guarantees from year to year with the expectation of a few constants like the expected success of teams like the Patriots but the other constant that has become a revolving door is the Cleveland Browns QB carousel. Each year the Browns enter another season with question marks surrounding their QB situation and this year was no exception.
This season was supposed to be the re-incarnation of Robert Griffin III after his shaky career in Washington but after another sustaining yet another injury early in the season it seems like the RGIII era in Cleveland may be short lived. Once it was clear Griffin would not be playing for most the season, the Browns went to their journeyman QB Josh McCown but once again the injury bug struck again but this time it was McCown. With both Griffin and McCown out the Browns and no choice but to go to Cody Kessler, a rookie QB who had success at USC but was no way ready to start in the NFL.
Now that we are more than half way through the 2016 season, it’s clear the Browns have an issue finding a long-term answer at QB and with some rumblings linking the Browns to North Carolina QB Mitch Trubisky it begs the question- should the Browns draft a QB in the 2017 NFL Draft? Considering the Browns have not won a game yet this year, it’s safe to say they will most likely have the #1 overall pick which gives them the power to draft anyone they want. Right now, the two-top ranked QB prospects are Trubisky and DeShone Kizer from Notre Dame yet neither are considered a lock for the top pick like we have seen in the past with Andrew Luck and Jameis Winston. Both Trubisky (6-3) and Kizer (6-4) are athletic QBs who have good arms and seem to command their offenses with ease but Kizer makes more mental mistakes than teams would like and Trubisky lacks experience starting in college. Do the Browns really want to take a chance on one of these QBs? At this stage, it would not shock me if they draft QB #1 overall but that will be decided come the 2017 NFL Draft.
The biggest issue the Browns will have is determining whether any of these QBs are worth drafting over impactful defenders like Texas A&M’s Myles Garrett, Alabama’s Jonathan Allen or Michigan’s Jabrill Peppers. Garrett is one of the best edge rushers in college, Allen is a dominant interior lineman who can play in a 3-4 or 4-3 and Peppers is an athletic freak who can play anywhere in the secondary. The Browns have multiple holes on their defense that could easily be solved with one of these defenders so maybe Cleveland passes on a QB. Let’s not forget the Browns have two 1st round picks so they could grab a QB with their other 1st round pick like Miami’s Brad Kaaya or even Clemson’s DeShaun Watson if he indeed falls out of the top 10. While this plan could work, the Browns have gone this route in the past and let’s just say it did not work in their favor with Brandon Weeden and Johnny Manziel.
Besides passing on a bunch of defensive talent the other thing the Browns must consider is their long-term outlook in terms of their plans for 2018 and beyond. The Browns are not a team on the cusp of a playoff run who need a QB, this is a team who needs talent at multiple positions on both sides of the ball. The Browns should also consider which QBs will be available in 2018 and 2019 including UCLA’s Josh Rosen and Georgia’s Jacob Eason, Louisville’s Lamar Jackson and Washington’s Jake Browning all of which will most likely be future 1st round picks.
The Browns have tough decisions ahead but to put everything in perspective the Browns have three options:
Draft Mitch Trubisky or DeShone Kizer #1 overall and use other 1st round pick on defender
Draft Myles Garrett or Jonathan Allen #1 overall and use other 1st round pick on DeShaun Watson or Brad Kaaya
Draft Garrett or Allen #1 overall, use other 1st round pick on another defender, draft a QB in the 2nd or 3rd round (Patrick Mahomes or Luke Falk) and plan to draft a QB in the 1st round in 2018 (Josh Rosen, Lamar Jackson, Jake Browning).
Out of the three options listed above the 3rd option may be the best plan for the Browns. Trubisky and Kizer may be good QBs in the future but right now the Browns are in not in win now mode and can use all the talent they can get on both sides of the ball. Drafting a QB in the top 3 this year is more of a reach so the Browns should avoid this decision entirely and go with the best player on the board. Whatever the Browns choose to do in the 2017 draft and beyond will not doubt be an interesting story-line and will certainly be under a magnifying glass until they show some success on the field.