Cleveland Browns should not draft Ezekiel Elliot No. 2 overall

The Cleveland Browns should avoid drafting Ezekiel Elliot with the second overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft.

The Cleveland Browns cannot afford to waste another draft. The 2015 version of the Browns was so bad the front office has elected to undergo a rebuild rather than work with the talent that was on the team.

The most important part of a rebuild is drafting players who will be part of the team for years to come.

The Browns hold the second overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, which gives the team a chance to take a player that will help turnaround the franchise.

A player that has come up as a possible pick is Ezekiel Elliot, running back out of Ohio State.

Now there is no denying Elliot is a dominant player. He rushed for over 1,800 yards in both 2014 and 2015, with a total of 41 rushing touchdowns in that two-year span. But the Browns have a major problem if they were to draft Elliot. There is no one to block for him.

Drafting Elliot would be a high-profile pick, but one that does not maximize the benefits of the second overall pick in the draft.

The ideal pick for the Browns right now is Laremy Tunsil, offensive tackle out of Mississippi. He seems like a likely pick for the Tennessee Titans, but if he falls he should be the obvious pick for the Browns.

After losing Mack and Schwartz, rebuilding the offense line should be one of the top priorities for rebuilding this franchise. So if Tunsil is there with the second pick, he must be taken. If the Titans take him, this does not mean Elliot should be selected.

This is not to say that Elliot is not worthy of a high pick. He can be an All-Pro player in the NFL, but he does not fit with the Browns, at least right now.

Drafting a player like Myles Jack or Jalen Ramsey would fit this team much better with the second overall pick than Elliot.

The only way the Browns should draft Elliot is if they trade down with one of the other teams holding a top-ten pick. A trade like this would give the Browns a beneficial haul, allowing them to begin the rebuild that will take several years to result in success.

Ezekiel Elliot is a great running back, but flashbacks of Trent Richardson’s failures may be enough to prevent the front office from taking a running back with such a high pick. This is not to say that Elliot is going to have the same NFL career as Richardson, but it is known that the running back position is one that results in a relatively shorter career than other positions.