Browns Rumor: Trading Up For Marcus Mariota?
The Cleveland Browns have been the center of the back pages of the NFL for far to long. A new Browns rumor says that the team is interested in trading up for Marcus Mariota to finally answer their long standing problem at the quarterback position. This via Bleacher Report and Jason Cole:
As Cole notes the Browns have interest in both Marcus Mariota and Jameis Winston, but given their issues with Johnny Manziel and Josh Gordon, Winston is a bit lower.
Obviously anything this time of year has to be taken with a grain of salt but, based on information from last year, we know that GM Ray Farmer like Mariota a ton. Mariota has been a favorite of this writer, and I still believe he could fall down draft boards with the St. Louis Rams at 10 being a possible stop.
Interestingly Cole talked about the Browns being interested in this even before Manziel’s admission into rehab. It seems that many in the national media are talking about Manziel’s decision as if it makes things worse for him with the Browns. It is more likely to be a positive step in the eyes of the decision makers.
That they were interested in making such a move before Manziel’s troubles became confirmed tells you what they think about his possible future. Much like when he was drafted, he is still a boom or bust prospect. The Browns may decide not to wait on him to do one of those two things when they have a shot at a QB that they think highly about.
Trading up for Mariota becomes a difficult proposition. How high will they have to move? Are they willing to give up their first 3 picks to secure a guy they think is the Franchise? Could their willingness to trade up impact how much they spend on certain positions in free agency?
Many fans want their cake as well as their pie (the cake and eat it to saying makes no sense to me). They want to use the high picks on other positions, like receiver, tight end, offensive tackle or nose tackle (my favorite), while drafting a later round quarterback to develop. The problem is that those QBs rarely, rarely do.
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If the Browns believe that Marcus Mariota is THE Franchise Guy they have been missing behind center for years, they will likely move heaven and earth to make it happen. With some concerns about Mariota, as well as teams other needs, it is possible they won’t have to spend too much to do so.
If the current Browns rumor is to be believed though, other teams could try to cash in. Based on the standard NFL Draft Value Chart the Browns two 1st round picks are worth 2075 points. That is enough to get the 4th pick, 1800, but falls just short of the 3rd pick, 2200. Adding their 2nd rounder doesn’t get them enough to get to #2.
Needless to say the NFL Draft process will be very interesting for the Cleveland Browns and Marcus Mariota. Does he test well? What does his Pro Day look like? Will the Browns sign enough free agents to make the trade up okay for their roster? Will they sign a veteran so Mariota can sit a year to develop?
All we know now is the current Browns rumor and it is a big one.
What do you think about Jason Cole’s Browns rumor?