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All-time NFL mock draft: Legends edition

By Russell S. Baxter

(Original Caption) Jim Brown (32) has just taken hand off from Quarterback Frank Ryan (13) in game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
(Original Caption) Jim Brown (32) has just taken hand off from Quarterback Frank Ryan (13) in game against the Philadelphia Eagles. /
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All 32 NFL teams have their share of needs in 2018. But here’s a mock draft that use football history to cure what ails each of those clubs.

Before anyone makes the assumption that this is a ranking of the Top 32 players in league history, let’s go over the premise of this piece.

Here is the original order of the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft, sans any trades. The Cleveland Browns will pick first and the Super Bowl LII champion Philadelphia Eagles will pick last in this exercise. Based on what the teams have done this offseason, each has a specific need or needs. And in this instance, each franchise has any player in NFL history to select as their first-round choice.

Schemes and systems are all taken into account. All told, it’s a modern-day exercise with a lot of nostalgia. So sit back and enjoy and contemplate the possibilities.

MINNEAPOLIS, MN – FEBRUARY 04: Tom Brady
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – FEBRUARY 04: Tom Brady /

1. Cleveland Browns: QB Tom Brady

Talk about opposites attracting. The 2017 Cleveland Browns are the second team in NFL history to go 0-16. But 10 years earlier, the New England Patriots remain the only club in the league to finish a season 16-0. And since this is all about being creative, why wouldn’t a franchise want a highly dependable quarterback who has been the on-the-field guiding force during one of the league’s great runs ever.

As has been well-documented, the Browns have used 28 different starting quarterbacks and forged an 88-216 regular-season record since returning to the NFL as an expansion team in 1999. Meanwhile, Tom Brady and his team have been to eight Super Bowls since ’01. The veteran signal-caller missed the final 15 games of the 2008 season with a knee injury. He’s been in the Patriots’ opening lineup pretty much ever since (save for a four-game suspension in 2016) and has made at least postseason start each of the past nine years.

The Cleveland Browns have won a measly four games since opening the 2014 season with 7-4 record. New general manager John Dorsey has been adding talent via free agency and trades. Tyrod Taylor and Drew Stanton would vie for the backup job behind the 18-year pro.

Look, it’s a start. And Brady is only one guy. But as we have seen, he’s joining a team that has proven that 28 guys in 18 seasons certainly doesn’t work at all.

Next: No. 2

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