Will Someone Other Than Garrett Go No. 1?
The No. 1 overall pick is an open and shut case – unless it isn’t. Popular thinking in recent weeks has Myles Garrett going to the Browns, but they’re not ruling out Leonard Fournette with the top selection. The LSU running back is a possibility, per Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com, although JLC concedes that it’s still unlikely to happen. 
Garrett is widely considered to be the best talent in this year’s class at any position and would be a strong choice for the rebuilding Browns. By the same token, there are other quality defensive ends to be had early in the draft and the Browns have a stockpile of picks to use. Solomon Thomas, Derek Barnett, Charles Harris, Takkarist McKinley, Taco Charlton, and T.J. Watt all hold varying levels of promise and some of those names can be had as late as the second round. The Browns presently own four picks in the top 52 and five picks in the top 65. Passing on Garrett could come back to haunt them – the Texas A&M actually says that he’ll “punish” the Browns in the NFL if he doesn’t hear his name called at the top of the draft – but there are still alternatives to consider later on.
Fournette isn’t the only non-Garrett player to be mentioned in connection with the top pick. Though Mitch Trubisky‘s momentum has cooled significantly, it wasn’t long ago that he was thought to have a chance at going No. 1. You’d be hard-pressed to find someone who considers Trubisky to be the BPA (best player available), but Cleveland has an obvious need under center. If the Browns really like Trubisky or Deshaun Watson, they could theoretically play it safe and shock the world by taking a quarterback at No. 1 instead of waiting for pick No. 12 or later.
With a few weeks to go until the draft, what does your gut tell you about the Browns’ intentions with the top pick? Will they select Garrett, a player who they have bestowed with an “astronomical grade”? Or will they go in a different direction and take someone else? Alternatively, if they trade the pick, do you envision the deal being for someone other than the Texas A&M star? Cast your vote below to choose between Garrett and the rest of the field.
Photo courtesy of Pro Football Rumors on Instagram.
Browns Draft Rumors: Fournette, Garrett, Trubisky, King
There’s reportedly a chance LSU running back Leonard Fournette will go No. 1 overall to the Browns in this month’s draft, but Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com doesn’t expect that to happen. The odds of coming off the board with the top pick continue to favor Texas A&M edge defender Myles Garrett, though Cleveland could give some consideration to North Carolina quarterback Mitch Trubisky, notes Cabot. The Browns do have another first-rounder, No. 12 overall, and they’d have interest in taking Fournette there, Cabot writes. However, it doesn’t seem as if Fournette will still be available then.
Garrett, meanwhile, informed Sam Alipour of ESPN The Magazine that he wants the Browns to draft him, vowing to get revenge if they don’t. On why he should be the first choice this year, Garrett offered: “Because I’ll be a difference maker from day one. And I’m not gonna be in any trouble. I’m just gonna make plays and bring a good atmosphere to your organization. And I’m gonna start winning and winning now. And because if you don’t draft me No. 1, I will punish your team for the next 10 to 12 years. I’ll knock your QB out of the game every time we play you, and I’ll have to kick the hell out of No. 1, whoever it is.”
- University of Washington cornerback Kevin King will visit the Eagles, Raiders, Browns and Ravens this week, reports FOX Sports’ Charles Davis (on Twitter). King, a prospective first-rounder, received an invitation to the draft, adds Davis.
Leonard Fournette Candidate To Go No. 1?
LSU running back Leonard Fournette ventured to Charlotte on Monday to visit the Panthers, according to Albert Breer of The MMQB (Twitter link). Few teams, if any, have drawn more connections to Fournette than the Panthers in recent weeks, though it doesn’t seem as if they’ll be able to land the 228-pounder with their current first-round pick, No. 8 overall.
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Carolina is reportedly interested in trading up to the 49ers’ top selection, No. 2, to select either Fournette or Stanford defensive lineman Solomon Thomas. However, Fournette might not even be on the board then, according to CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora, who writes that the Browns aren’t ruling out taking him with the first pick in the draft. That’s unlikely, concedes La Canfora, who expects the Browns to grab Texas A&M edge defender Myles Garrett. But even if the Browns pass on Fournette, he’s nevertheless enough of a blue-chip talent to go higher than expected, notes La Canfora.
It should help Fournette’s cause that the rest of the offensive talent in this year’s class is underwhelming, La Canfora suggests, with no surefire quarterback prospects, a receiver group which leaves “plenty to be desired” and a subpar collection of tackles. There are other first-round-caliber running backs in Florida State’s Dalvin Cook and Stanford’s Christian McCaffrey, but scouts are down on the former because of character issues, relays La Canfora. As such, McCaffrey could end up as the second back taken, perhaps near the top 10, which jibes with an earlier report from FOX Sports’ Peter Schrager.
If Fournette does wind up a top five pick, as La Canfora expects, it seems the Jaguars, who pick fourth, would be the most logical fit. Jacksonville’s top two runners, T.J. Yeldon and Chris Ivory, each averaged under 4.0 yards per carry last season, and head coach Doug Marrone seemingly wants to upgrade the team’s backfield. The other clubs with selections in the first five, the Browns, 49ers, Bears and Titans, have more-than-capable No. 1 rushers in Isaiah Crowell, Carlos Hyde, Jordan Howard and DeMarco Murray, respectively.
Browns Continue To Seek Brock Osweiler Trade
- Nothing has changed on the Brock Osweiler front. Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer says the Browns will continue to look to trade Osweiler over draft weekend, and if they cannot find a taker, they will continue to pursue a trade over the coming months. Otherwise, they will simply cut him. Cabot believes the team will still try to add a veteran that can start for them in 2017, and if Osweiler is still on the roster when the regular season rolls around, it will be because they failed to find someone they like better.
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Obi Melifonwu Visited Browns
- After visiting with the Browns yesterday, Connecticut safety Obi Melifonwu is set to meet with the Redskins today, reports Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter). Melifonwu, who finished last season with 73 tackles and four interceptions, was listed 46th on Daniel Jeremiah’s list of the top-50 prospects. The defensive back has garnered interest from a number of teams, including the Lions, Panthers, Steelers, Seahawks, Saints, Cowboys, and Dolphins.
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Browns Losing Hope On Acquiring Jimmy Garoppolo
There have been conflicting reports over the past couple months on whether the Patriots will consider trading backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo this offseason. The latest update, via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, indicates the Pats “do not want to deal” Garoppolo, even though he could hit free agency next year. No team has shown more interest in Garoppolo this offseason than the Browns, but they’ve seemingly given up hope on acquiring him, per Rapoport, who adds that the Pats regard the 25-year-old as a franchise-caliber passer. New England already has an all-world option under center in Tom Brady, of course, but the five-time Super Bowl champion is set to play his age-40 season in 2017.
Patrick Mahomes To Visit Browns
The Browns already put Patrick Mahomes through a private workout, but the team will continue to determine a possible fit for the fast-rising quarterback. The Texas Tech standout arrived in Cleveland on Thursday night and will visit with the Browns on Friday, Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com reports.
Once given a second-round grade, Mahomes has been a hot pre-draft commodity. The Browns, who hold the No. 12 pick in addition to the No. 1 choice that looks set to be used to draft Myles Garrett, put the former Red Raiders passer through a workout last month. Cabot reported the Browns prefer Mahomes to DeShone Kizer, who entered the offseason as the better prospect but hasn’t generated the kind of buzz Mahomes has, and has linked Cleveland to Mahomes, Mitchell Trubisky and Deshaun Watson.
She posits the Browns could target Mahomes if they don’t draft Watson or Trubisky at No. 12, possibly using the No. 33 pick to trade back into the first round and nab the cannon-armed passer. Mahomes has met with the Jets, who are believed to have strong interest in him, along with numerous other teams. As of last week, he’d participated in a league-high 18 visits or private workouts.
The Browns are still considering each of the top four quarterbacks in this draft, per Cabot. Watson’s visit with the Browns remains ahead, while Kizer came to northeast Ohio on Wednesday. The Browns appear quite serious in examining these quarterbacks, pointing them in the direction of pulling the trigger on one of them with either their second or third pick in this draft.
Browns Interested In A.J. McCarron
- The Browns remain interested in A.J. McCarron, a former charge of Hue Jackson while in Cincinnati, Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com notes. Familiarity with Jackson and a knowledge of his system endear the Browns to McCarron, with Cabot categorizing the quarterback as a bridge player while the franchise develops the rookie passer it’s expected to select. McCarron has two years remaining on his rookie contract. Cabot adds the fourth-year backup wants to be traded.
- Cabot connects the Browns Mitchell Trubisky, Deshaun Watson and Patrick Mahomes, believing they will draft one of this trio later this month. But sources informed the longtime Cleveland reporter the 2018 crop of passers outflanks this one. In particular, Wyoming’s Josh Allen is a “once-in-every-10-years talent,” one evaluator told Cabot.
Browns Will Meet With David Njoku
- Miami tight end David Njoku is scheduled to visit with the Saints, Browns, and Giants, as Njoku said during an appearance on Pro Football Talk Live. New York, specifically, could be an intriguing landing spot for Njoku, and Big Blue is reportedly “very high” on the 20-year-old pass-catcher. Widely viewed as the draft’s second-best tight end behind Alabama’s O.J. Howard, Njoku will likely be a first-round selection. He’s also been linked to the Buccaneers, Titans, and Panthers.
Browns: DePodesta, Cook
The Browns allowed free agents Alex Mack, Mitchell Schwartz, Tashaun Gipson, and Taylor Gabriel to leave via the open market in 2016, and did the same with wide receiver Terrelle Pryor this year. But Cleveland doesn’t plan on constantly employing a strategy of letting key players walk for the cost of only a compensatory pick, as Browns chief strategy officer Paul DePodesta explained to Peter King of TheMMQB.com.
- The Browns aren’t necessarily in need of a running back, but they “really like” Florida State’s Dalvin Cook, according to Dane Brugler of CBSSports.com (Twitter link). Cleveland hosted Cook on a predraft visit Monday, and could conceivably use the No. 12 pick to add him to the roster. At present, the Browns’ backfield is led by Isaiah Crowell (who was tendered at the second-round level) and Duke Johnson. Other backs on Cleveland’s squad include George Atkinson and Darius Jackson.