5 quarterbacks Browns can sign/draft to replace Baker Mayfield

Draft Kenny Pickett out of Pitt to ruin the Pittsburgh Steelers’ hopes and dreams

This would be something. Arguably the top quarterback in this year’s weak quarterback draft class is Pitt football star Kenny Pickett. The Heisman Trophy finalist guided the Panthers to an ACC Championship victory and a New Year’s Six Bowl appearance. While he did not play in the Peach Bowl, Pickett projects as some combination of Tony Romo or Matt Ryan. Cleveland may want that.

The crazy part in all this is the hometown Pittsburgh Steelers are in dire need of a franchise quarterback. It is over for Ben Roethlisberger, so they are absolutely drafting his successor. Given that Cleveland may be picking ahead of the Steelers, it would be so funny if the Browns took the most celebrated Pitt quarterback since Dan Marino only a few spots ahead of their division rival.

Sam Howell projects as the next Baker Mayfield coming out of North Carolina

Ultimately, the Browns are probably not in position to draft Pickett or the other fringe top-10 quarterback in the draft in Ole Miss’ Matt Corral. They are going to go to teams like the Carolina Panthers or whatever the Washington Football Team is called somewhere in the top 10. After that, the Browns could be in the mix to draft the next Baker Mayfield: Sam Howell out of North Carolina.

It was a bad year for UNC football. The Tar Heels went from playing in a New Year’s Six Bowl a season ago to finishing below .500 in a Mayo Bowl defeat to South Carolina. Though Howell has seen his draft stock plummet, he projects as the third quarterback off the board this spring. He offers a lot of what Mayfield did coming out of Oklahoma, but without the abrasive personality.

Howell has a chance to be this year’s Mac Jones, an underrated college passer who ends up going to the best situation in his draft class. Whether or not that is Cleveland picking in the teens remains to be seen.