The Cleveland Browns cannot afford to whiff on this years draft

The Cleveland Browns are the longest running laughing stock in the NFL, as well as all of professional sports. They have gone through a staggering, mind-boggling, inexplicable TWENTY-EIGHT Quarterbacks since 1999! Along with "laughing stock" you might also hear the Cleveland Browns referred to as "a dumpster fire" or "the place quarterbacks careers go to die".

The upcoming 2018 NFL Draft on April 26th, is the single most important day for Cleveland's franchise in the last 20 years. The Browns have struck out or air-balled on staggering number of drafts and free agent signings in an attempt to land a franchise quarterback. This year, however, has a lot more riding on finding the franchise guy than years past. The Browns actually have a ridiculous amount of raw talent on their roster right now! The have arguably the best group of wide receivers in the league with Josh Gordon, Corey Coleman and the recently acquired Jarvis Landry from the Dolphins. They have other returning, talented offensive weapons such as tight end David Njoku and pass catching back Duke Johnson who will share snaps with Carlos Hyde. Cleveland has also managed to acquire some talent to establish a solid core on the defensive side of the ball with guys like Myles Garrett, Jamie Collins, Jabrill Peppers and E.J. Gaines.

Not only do the Browns have the #1 pick in the, they have the #4 pick as well. Whats more, this draft is considered to be the best Quarterback drafts in years and possibly ever depending on how they pan out. Sam Darnold (USC), Josh Rosen (UCLA), and Josh Allen (Wyoming) are all highly touted prospects whom many believe are all capable of being franchise quarterbacks. Then there are guys like Baker Mayfield (Oklahoma) and Lamar Jackson (Louisville) who have potential as well. The time is now for the Browns. With this decision that will make or break their franchise, they must get it right. So, what should they do? I have an idea.

I personally believe Sam Darnold will be the best NFL quarterback in the Draft. If I ran the Browns, he's the guy I would take with the first overall pick. If the Browns prefer Rosen or Allen over him, then so be it. The point is, TAKE ONE OF THESE THREE GUYS WITH THE FIRST PICK! Please Cleveland, I beg you, do not make the mistake of counting on Tyrod Taylor to run your franchise and opting for running back Saquan Barkley (Penn State) with the first overall pick. Or worse, doing the unthinkable and drafting Baker Mayfield #1. Both of those picks will certainly be mistakes. Take a top 3 prospect. Uh-hem... Sam Darnold.

This feels funny to speculate about but lets just say the Browns make a good decision and draft Darnold first overall (huge sigh of relief), what should they do with the 4th pick? Here is where my theory of what the correct decision is will differ from most NFL experts and the tv and radio talking heads will tell you. Most mock drafts, which don't mean everything but still say something, have the Giants taking Saquan Barkley #2 and the Jets taking a quarterback 3rd. Which quarterback would go 3rd is still to be determined but there are several reports that the Jets are seriously considering taking Baker Mayfield. A very "Jets" thing to do. Bummer, I really thought Geno Smith was going to work out for them, but I digress. If the Browns are on the clock for the 4th overall pick and one of those top three quarterbacks are still on the board, they should absolutely draft another quarterback 100% of the time!

In the last 30-40 years, there have been three quarterbacks that everybody knew were going to be exceptional. Those guys were Dan Marino, John Elway and Andrew Luck. Even hall of fame guys like Aaron Rodgers and Peyton Manning had their question marks. And Luck has had his issues staying healthy (and issues trying to find open receivers with an invisible offensive line). My point here is that this year might have that Aaron Rodgers, hall of fame type QB, its just not as obvious as Marino, Elway or Luck were. So lets first go over the "Cons" of drafting quarterbacks with both of their first round picks. The cons are quite obvious. The Browns have other holes they would like to fill. Perhaps they would take the top offensive lineman, guard Quinton Nelson (Notre Dame) or a defensive stud such as defensive end Bradley Chubb (N.C. State) or Alabama safety Minkah Fitzpatrick. I won't deny that the Browns could use them all. There's also the "problem" of if they both end up being good, you need to decide which guy is first in line to start. This will surely stir up some drama when both guys think they should be the starting Quarterback. Interesting.

But now, lets look at some of the "pros". There are three scenarios that could play out. The most likely scenario in my opinion is that one quarterback is a the real deal and becomes your franchise guy and the other is a bust. Bang, you got your guy for the next decade! Mission accomplished.
The next most likely scenario in my opinion is that both quarterbacks are franchise caliber! I've never heard of a franchise complain about having TWO high end quarterbacks in their early twenties (it's never happened). So what are the pros in this scenario? Well, first of all, you have your pick between two guys capable of leading your franchise and you get to choose which one is a better fit. Guess what else has happened because you took both QB's? It means there is one more team out there WITHOUT a quarterback because you drafted him. Just imagine having an extra franchise QB laying around and what kind of kings ransom you get in return for him from a team in desperate need. They could surely get more in return in this scenario that they would have gotten with the number 4 pick.
The last, and most unlikely scenario would be that both Quarterbacks are busts. In this scenario, yes, the Browns would not only have wasted the 1st pick but they would have wasted the 4th pick as well and I would be convinced that the Cleveland Browns are simply cursed and destined to remain at the bottom of the NFL for all of eternity. Or as long as the city keeps them there.

Please Cleveland, get this one right. Do not gamble on just one of these quarterbacks. So many things can go wrong in the transition process from College to NFL. I could list hundreds of drafted quarterbacks who failed to become NFL relevant but you already know this Cleveland, you already know. Getting your franchise guy, here and now, will mean your core of talented players will want to stay wearing a Browns uniform. Hell, free agents might start to look at your franchise as one of the better opportunities to get a ring in a few years. If you fail, this core of talent will be dispersed across the league and you will find yourselves drafting #1 again without any notable players on your roster. Do the right thing Cleveland, not only for yourselves as a franchise but for your fans, your players, the league and even for opposing fans of your division rivals, who basically get three bye weeks each season because they have to play you twice a year.