2012 NFL Draft: Trading Up With Fourth Overall Pick Not an Option for Cleveland Browns
A great deal of mock drafts for the 2012 NFL Draft have the Cleveland Browns trading up from the fourth overall pick to secure the right to select quarterback Robert Griffin III.
But it’s not just the mock drafts that have people talking. Scouts and draft analysts alike have been speculating about the possibility of the Browns trading up for Griffin III, citing the team’s supposedly glaring need for a quarterback.
Regardless of what you think about Colt McCoy, trading up for, say, the second overall pick simply isn’t in the cards for the Browns.
Think of it this way: teams know when others are desperate for a certain player, so they hold those interested teams over a barrel until they get a deal that works in their favor. And that means extra draft picks.
It’s impossible to tell what the Browns would have to give up to move into the second overall pick, but you’d have to assume that their second pick in the first round (No. 22 overall), any of their picks in the second to fourth rounds, and some potential 2013 draft picks might be involved.
For the Cleveland Browns, that’ s simply something they can’t swing. For a roster that is depleted and in desperate need of playmakers on both sides of the ball, the Browns need as many draft picks as they can get. If anything, fans shouldn’t be surprised to see the Browns trade down once again.
More important, though, is the implication of what could happen to this franchise should it trade up to draft Robert Griffin III and it doesn’t work out. Obviously, the NFL Draft is a risk for every team, but it’s a particularly precarious situation for the Browns, who can’t afford to not only trade up, but certainly can’t afford to pick a “franchise quarterback” who only amounts to being a bust.
For the Browns, there are many healthy options for them at No. 4, and Griffin III could even be one of them. However, if another team trades up to select him before that point, so be it. The Browns can then choose to stockpile talent around Colt McCoy.
It may not be the sexiest way to conduct this draft, but it sure is the smartest.