Browns can’t risk trading down in 2018 NFL Draft after Carson Wentz fiasco
Cleveland Browns General Manager John Dorsey is open to moving the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft but is that the right move for the organization?
The Browns hold all the cards as the owners of the No. 1 pick in April’s draft and first-year general manager John Dorsey let it be known at the NFL Combine he’s open for business.
Dorsey said he’s willing to listen to see what other teams are willing to offer for the top pick, and that’s what any good general manager in any sport should do. The Browns hold an asset and it’s in their best interest to see what they can get for it.
“There’s a lot of things I can do with No. 1, and not just get a quarterback as well,” Dorsey said, via ESPN. “My door is wide open. If somebody wants to come up and talk to me about a trade, I’m willing to trade. But also I’m going to do what’s best for this organization, and I will do that.”
However, that doesn’t mean the Browns are going to trade out of the top spot. The Browns also own the No. 4 pick and have three second round picks to work with so they already have a bounty of picks to use to rebuild the roster after going 0-16.
What I think is in the best interest for the organization is to gauge the interest for the pick to see if any teams are clamoring to take one of the top quarterback prospects from a group that includes Josh Rosen, Sam Darnold, Josh Allen and Baker Mayfield.
It’s time for the Browns to make a bold move and take the quarterback they love the most and think can develop into a franchise quarterback and lead the team back to respectability, and eventually the postseason.
The Browns took DeShone Kizer out of Notre Dame in the second round last year and he had a rocky rookie season so they clearly need a better answer at the position. They could get some additional mid-round picks and a first round pick next year if they wanted, but again, the Browns already have so many picks, it’s time to start using them on players that can help them win in 2018.
Browns fans have waited long enough and they’ve seen them trade down in previous drafts to secure extra picks and those picks have gone to waste. The Browns already traded down when they could have drafted Carson Wentz who was an injury away from winning the NFL MVP. The Browns could alter the direction of the franchise for the next decade if they ace this pick and one of the quarterbacks turns into the next big thing. Coupled with the fourth pick and the surplus of second round picks they own, the Browns could be in a position to add so much young talent that it wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibilities to see them make a giant leap from 2018-2019, similar to the Los Angeles Rams.
Forget about trading down and start thinking about loading up for 2018. It begins with taking Rosen or Darnold because there will be another fan revolt if Dorsey moves out of the top spot and passes on the next Wentz.