Since 1998 the Browns have gone through 27 different starting quarterbacks during 18 seasons. They have been the laughing stock of the NFL, and the biggest issue they have is the quarterback position. Right now they have a lot of light, since Hue Jackson has came into the organization. So much light I have bet among my peers they can make it not just back into the playoffs, but be AFC contenders within the next 3 seasons.
Corey Coleman is a great wide receiver prospect, Terrelle Pryor is coming off a more than impressive season, Isaiah Crowell ran for nearly 5 yards a carry and 7 touchdowns behind a less than great offensive line last season (LLC, 2017). This year they have a lot of draft picks in a draft that is extremely deep on defense, and can have plenty of cornerstone athletes in it. They own 13 picks in this draft, 8 of which come in the first 4 rounds (Patsko, 2016). With all those picks, if used wisely, you could set up for an amazing platform to a rebuild that has taken much too long.
With the first overall pick, some believe the Browns should jump on a quarterback but passing on Myles Garrett for a quarterback would be a mistake. Garrett is a game wrecker on defense and has plenty of All-Pro selections in his future. Heck I would suggest them taking Malik Hooker or Jamal Adams before taking a quarterback with the first overall pick. Their second 1st round pick, would be the wisest choice in my opinion, since I don’t see Deshaun or Trubisky being a better prospect than Garrett.
In comes Patrick Mahomes.
Now if you watch Big 12 football you probably know who this is because he shredded your team’s defense this season. Passing for over 5000 yards, and boasting 53 touchdowns (41 passing/12 rushing) Pat Mahomes II flourished in Texas Tech’s Air Raider offense but don’t let that fool you into thinking he is a system QB. He has a cannon of an arm, as he was scouted in the MLB coming out of highschool but opted for football instead. Throwing a 66% completion rate, in an offense that was 82% in favor of passing vs running, and throwing an interception on just under 2% of all his pass attempts this year (10) (Ventures, 2017). With Robert Griffin III, Josh McCown, and Cody Concussion, they have plenty of people to place ahead of Patrick Mahomes in case he needs the a few extra weeks to adjust to an NFL playbook.
I do understand that you probably could trade down and find yourself with another 4th or 5th round pick, and still be able to get Mahomes, but in favor of not having to deal with trades I say go ahead and snag him up. This draft class is deep enough to be able to grab yourself a 1st round prospect in the 2nd round if you have the 33rd overall pick, and a good overall prospect with the 53rd overall pick as well. So as of right now I say get Myles Garrett with the 1st, with the 12th reach for Pat Mahomes, and give Hue Jackson an amazing prospect at quarterback to mold. Now what to do with the 33rd, and 53rd overall picks? Honestly the Browns have so many holes I doubt they can go wrong with any players really. I believe Budda Baker, safety from Washington would fill a much needed gap in their defense. If Jarrad Davis is available he could be great next to Jamie Collins, and also a safety net if Jamie Collins doesn’t “get his money”. They could go with some offensive line help and pick the OG/C from Ohio State, Pat Elfein with the 53rd pick. That would help make the Cam Irving move a lot easier of a transition, and provide whoever they go with as their future QB a nice pocket of protection.
You can have the questionable decision making skills that Deshaun Watson brings along, and hope that he matures through going through the NFL circuit. Watson probably is the most clutch quarterback in this class, which also makes me feel like he is the most NFL ready. You can go with Mitch Trubisky and everything he comes with in just his 13 starts in college. Yes his numbers are nice, but I question if they back up a 1st round claim. Deshone Kizer has a great arm and athleticism but reminds a lot of Cardale Jones from a few years back, but with less on field success. He is one of the juniors I believe could have used an extra year, with that being said, give him a year before he starts and maybe we are looking at a good prospect. That isn’t who I would want to spend a first round pick on, especially as high as 12th. I believe if you have that many future NFL players on your team, you must perform better than he has in his career. Mahomes hasn’t had the best record but he also has had to carry a top 3 worst defense in his 3 year span at Texas Tech. The defense is so bad that scoring 55 points isn’t enough to guarantee a win for the Red Raiders. Mahomes II also has 32 games and 27 starts under his belt for you to gage his abilities. He has NFL size for a quarterback, a great arm, and the stats to back up a mid 1st round grade.
Downey, T. (2016, August 16). The 5 best QBs in the big 12 for 2016. Retrieved January 20, 2017, from Chat Sports, http://www.chatsports.com/big-12/a/5-best-qbs-big-12-2016-30554
LLC, N. E. (2017). Cleveland Browns stats at NFL.Com. Retrieved January 20, 2017, from http://www.nfl.com/teams/statistics?team=CLE
Emanuele Addondi (2016, October 31). Patrick Mahomes II vs Oklahoma(2016) Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8evxif4FiI
Patsko, S. (2016, August 26). What picks do the Browns have in the 2017 NFL draft? Retrieved January 20, 2017, from http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/2016/08/what_picks_do_the_browns_have.html
Ventures, E. I. (2017). Patrick Mahomes II. Retrieved January 20, 2017, from http://www.espn.com/college-football/player/stats/_/id/3139477/patrick-mahomes-ii