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With draft day approaching, Cleveland Browns have many options at No. 2

By Giovanni Castelli

Oct 31, 2015; Berkeley, CA, USA; California Golden Bears quarterback Jared Goff (16) prepares to throw a pass against the Southern California Trojans in the third quarter at Memorial Stadium. The Trojans defeated the Bears 27-21. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 31, 2015; Berkeley, CA, USA; California Golden Bears quarterback Jared Goff (16) prepares to throw a pass against the Southern California Trojans in the third quarter at Memorial Stadium. The Trojans defeated the Bears 27-21. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Cleveland Browns have several options when it comes to the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft.

With the 2016 NFL Draft upon us, the Cleveland Browns sit in the number two spot and are poised to land one of the top quarterbacks.

Or are they?

Rumors are swirling, just as they do every year around this time, that the Browns can do an array of things with the No. 2 pick in the draft. The more popular scenarios are the following:

  • Stay put at two and draft the best quarterback available.
  • Draft the best player available at two, such as Jalen Ramsey, Joey Bosa or Laremy Tunsil.
  • Trade down from two and acquire extra picks to help fill in a roster lacking depth and playmakers.

Related: Browns working on contingency plans at No. 2

All of those scenarios make sense for a team lacking playmakers. Let’s take a look at each scenario and what we may happen on draft night.

Stay put at No. 2 and draft the best quarterback available

This makes a whole lot of sense for a team that has been lacking stability at the most important position for the past 20 years. Carson Wentz and Jared Goff are the top quarterback prospects in the draft this year, and most believe they may go one and two in the draft. With the Los Angeles Rams jumping the Browns by trading up with the Tennessee Titans for the No. 1 overall selection, the Browns will be left to take the quarterback that the Rams decide against.

Rumors swirled initially that the Rams would take Wentz at No. 1, but since have shifted to Goff. Honestly, no one really knows who the Rams will take and they have no interest in tipping their hand regardless. So the Browns need to decide if they are in love with one or the other, both or neither of the quarterbacks in order to be prepared with any of the scenarios. Through the draft process the Browns have been linked to Goff and have been rumored to be zoned in on him if they decide to select a quarterback at two and Goff is still on the board.

But if the Rams take Goff and the Browns aren’t that high on Wentz, or vice-versa, it could lead to another scenario.

Draft the best player available at No. 2

We all are aware that the Browns have a lot of holes to fill. Playmakers at most positions on the team are at a premium, and the Browns need to capitalize on as many draft picks as they can. So if a quarterback is not in the plans at No. 2, another scenario would be to take the best player available with the pick.

The top 10 of the draft is loaded with talent, so it’s imperative for the Browns to get a top-flight prospect if they stay at No. 2. Names that have been thrown around as options are Jalen Ramsey, Joey Bosa and Laremy Tunsil.  All three of these guys are regarded as the top prospects at their position and some say are can’t miss players.

Cases can be made for all three of these guys. Ramsey: the Browns need help in the secondary; Bosa: the Browns need an elite pass rusher to pressure opposing quarterbacks; Tunsil: Joe Thomas is getting old, so grab and groom his replacement. So each of these players would make sense at No. 2 and would fulfill a need.

But what if the Browns don’t value any of these guys that high and want to move back?

Trade down from No. 2 and acquire extra picks

This scenario seems to be gaining steam of late. Moving out of the two spot and collecting more picks would allow the Browns to acquire more young talent. This makes sense when you look at what the Browns have done so far this off-season. They purged the roster of players over the age of 30 who may be past their prime, and brought in young guys mostly coming off of their rookie contracts. So by trading down it would allow the team to continue to add more young talent and strength the depth of the roster as well.

But how far down do you move? How much can you get in return?

Well the thought is to trade somewhere within the top 10 to ensure you get one of the top talents. Prospective partners could be the San Francisco 49ers or Philadelphia Eagles, who covet one of the quarterbacks. The Eagles are without a second round pick this year, so it will be difficult for them to find the ammo to move up. The 49ers, on the other hand, may be a willing partner. Goff is from the Bay area, and the 49ers are in the market for a quarterback, meaning the hometown kid could be on their radar to help solidify the position for them.

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So the Browns could trade No. 2 to San Francisco for their first-, second- and third-round picks in order for the 49ers to move up and draft Goff or Wentz. In return, the Browns would move down to No. 7 and pick up two additional picks.

Yes, the Titans received a king’s ransom for the No. 1 pick, but at No. 1 you get the pick of the litter. At two, one of the top guys is already off the board, therefore it doesn’t hold the same value as the top pick.

So the Browns could still land a good package of picks while still staying in the top 10 of the draft by trading with the 49ers. At No. 7 they could go best player available and land a playmaker at one of the many positions of need.

In the end, the Browns have three very real and viable scenarios for the opening night of the draft in Chicago. All three make sense for a franchise in a full-on rebuild. But as they say in the weeks leading up to the draft, we are in “silly-season” where the craziest of rumors begin to swirl and the over-thinking begins.

No one truly knows what will happen with the No. 2 pick, but one can only hope this is the year that the Browns get it right and capitalize on all of their many picks.

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