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Cleveland Browns: Will They Have Their Pick Of The Quarterbacks?

By Ryan Rosko

Apr 28, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; A general view of the stage and podium before the 2016 NFL Draft at the Auditorium Theatre. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 28, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; A general view of the stage and podium before the 2016 NFL Draft at the Auditorium Theatre. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Cleveland Browns have multiple first round picks in round one, but does that guarantee them to be in a good position to draft  a quarterback?

There is no chance of the Cleveland Browns drafting a quarterback first overall. Instead, that could be the case at either 12th overall or in round two with the 33rd pick.

Whether the Browns go that route with either pick is anyone’s guess. However, it is difficult for me to imagine them being okay with drafting a quarterback again in the third round or later. I am confident that I share the same belief with many of you.

So, assuming Cleveland drafts a quarterback no later than 33rd overall, will they have their pick of quarterbacks? The short answer is no regardless of where a potential quarterback is drafted by Cleveland. The following is the more detailed version.

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There are so many teams that need a quarterback or could look to draft their successor earlier than expected. If fans expect a certain quarterback to fall to Cleveland at 12, don’t bet on it. This year’s class has projections all over the board.

The following teams all could go quarterback before Cleveland is back on the clock at 12: The San Francisco 49ers at two, Chicago Bears at three, New York Jets at six, Buffalo Bills at 10, and New Orleans Saints at 11.

I fully expect Notre Dame quarterback DeShone Kizer to be on the board at 12. However, Texas Tech’s Patrick Mahomes, North Carolina’s Mitchell Trubisky, and Clemson’s Deshaun Watson all could be too tempting for teams to pass over early on.

Should Cleveland bypass quarterback at 12, they understand how risky such a move could impact their draft. There will be teams contemplating making a quarterback move and may be willing to trade up to get a specific signal-caller.

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After 12 and before 33, the Arizona Cardinals at 13, New York Giants at 23, Houston Texans at 25, Kansas City Chiefs at 27, and Pittsburgh Steelers could all be sitting back waiting for a quarterback to fall their way too.

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Getting back to the possibility of a trade, don’t forget that the Saints also have the 32nd pick. They could trade up and grab one of those four quarterbacks too instead of waiting. The same could be said for the Bears, Jets, or any of those other teams if they choose to package their second round pick along with other assets back into the first round.

Yes, Cleveland has a ton of picks, 11 to be exact, so they the capital. However, just because they have such a large quantity does not mean they will trade them. If they did though, nothing is guaranteed that the player they have their sights on trading up for will be a quarterback.

Given how the offseason has gone, in addition to how projections have played out, Cleveland will have options; Just not every single one of them.

As of now, either or possibly both Trubisky and/or Watson will be selected in the 11. Should only one get taken there, Cleveland could go with the other one or Mahomes or Kizer at 12. Thus, in this scenario, there would be a 75% chance of three of the top four projected quarterbacks will be there at 12.

Let’s say Cleveland went a different way at 12. At 33, I only see one, maybe two of the four being on the board.

That said, cases can be made for all four to have fallen to this point of the draft. From a projecting standpoint, the favorites to have this happen to are Kizer and possibly Watson.

This would be the Browns’ chance to hopefully get “their guy”. A good value, in a very similar way to that of the Oakland Raiders when they selected their franchise quarterback, Derek Carr, in the second round during the 2014 draft.

Next: Browns Can't Wait on Mahomes


Cleveland has moved up and down the draft order before. At the end of the month, this draft will be no different. With that in mind, how they go about getting themselves in a spot to take a quarterback, if they want to, will be the most interesting thing to keep tabs on in the first two rounds.

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