Amari Cooper A Trade Up Candidate for the Browns?

The NFL Draft has three, maybe four, stud wide receivers based on most analysis: Kevin White, Amari Cooper and DeVante Parker. Dorial Green-Beckham may have the physical tools but he is raw, been off the field for over a year and has his off the field baggage.

The Cleveland Browns have a need at the wide receiver position and many believe that they could use the #12 pick to get one of these stud receivers. Most agree that the Browns biggest need, in some order, is QB, NT, WR and OL. Both of the QBs worthy of 1st round picks are likely to be off the board, Jameis Winston based on skill and Marcus Mariota based on the Eagles desire to get him.

That will leave the Browns in a unique position. There are talented players at receiver, nose tackle and offensive line in the first few rounds of the draft but in what direction should the Browns go. Will the fact that there are 3, maybe 4, receivers that stand out above the rest, play a role?

Peter King touched on it in his Top 15 NFL Mock Draft. He has the Browns selecting Parker but notes that he wouldn’t be surprised if the team traded up for Cooper:

"What choice do the Browns have, really, with the crushing disappointment that Josh Gordon has become? Wouldn’t be shocked to see Cleveland trade up if Amari Cooper or Kevin White is hanging around a few picks earlier, but I doubt the Browns would sacrifice their second first-rounder, which is 19th overall, with such a good crop of receivers here."

It feels a bit like King is talking out of both sides of his mouth there. He thinks the Browns might trade up for Cooper or White, we think White is going much higher so will focus on Cooper here, but that they won’t sacrifice #19 because there is such a good crop of receivers. If it is such a good crop of receivers, why would the Browns trade up for any of them?

On the other hand the Browns may have to trade up to secure one of the Top 3 receivers. White could be gone at #4 to the Raiders, the Jets or Giants could take Cooper and that would leave Parker going to the Vikings at #11, paring him back with his college QB Teddy Bridgewater. In that case the Browns may have to deal up to 10 with the Rams to secure one of the Top 3.

If the Browns believe one of them will fall, either Cooper or Parker, to them at 12 they would be hard pressed to trade up for the other. At the end of the college season Cooper was seen as the sure fire top receiver in the NFL Draft. Since then he has been passed by White and we would not be surprised to see Parker drafted over him as well. Besides Mariota falling to 12, Cooper with the Browns first pick may be the best case scenario. Parker is not a bad consolation prize.

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While King is just speculating it is highly unlikely that the Browns would move a resource to move up to get one of the receivers in this draft. Last year GM Ray Farmer showed how little he valued the receiver position in a great receiver draft. This year’s draft is shaping up to be similarly deep and talented. Trading up when there are a ton of other options at the position is silly. If the Browns see a dramatic drop off between the Top 3 and the rest of the class, and believe they will all be off the board, then you could see a move up but not a dramatic one.

The good news for the Browns is that they have a ton of resources to be aggressive in trades. They have 10 picks in the 7 Round NFL Draft. The extra 1st, 4th and 6th round picks could all be useful for Farmer to move up and down the Draft to get what he wants. Farmer has shown a willingness to trade all over the place and, based on his comments at the NFL Combine, has likely played out a ton of scenarios that could lead them to make trades.

Do you think the Browns should target Amari Cooper in a trade up?

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