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Cleveland Browns: Fans must move on from draft mistakes of the past

By Steven Kubitza

May 8, 2014; New York, NY, USA; Johnny Manziel (Texas A&M) poses with a jersey after being selected as the number twenty-two overall pick in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft to the Cleveland Browns at Radio City Music Hall. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports
May 8, 2014; New York, NY, USA; Johnny Manziel (Texas A&M) poses with a jersey after being selected as the number twenty-two overall pick in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft to the Cleveland Browns at Radio City Music Hall. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Cleveland Browns may choose to select a quarterback in the NFL Draft, which may upset some fans based on past draft misses at the position.

In what seems like a yearly tradition, the Cleveland Browns are once again looking for a new starting quarterback. And with plenty of draft capital, that player may be selected at some point during the 2017 NFL Draft.

The No. 1 overall pick seems to be set on Myles Garrett, but the No. 12 pick could be used to select a quarterback, or even traded to acquire Jimmy Garoppolo.

But another possibility, brought up in an article published yesterday here on Dawg Pound Daily, involves the Browns using later picks to trade back into the end of the first round to draft a quarterback. It allows the team to use the No. 1 and No. 12 picks on players who aren’t quarterbacks, and gives the team that extra year of team control on the quarterback taken at the end of the round.

Yet the idea of taking a quarterback at any point in the first round seems to scare a lot of fans, solely based on past quarterbacks taken by the team.

Brady Quinn, Brandon Weeden, and Johnny Manziel are all names that strike pain into the hearts of Browns fans who panic at the thought of investing any money or hope in a first-round quarterback.

But the failures of those players has nothing to do with the current group of quarterback prospects, or the decision-making abilities of the current front office.

Related: Top 30 moments in Browns history

There are constant false associations between the past and the present, and the fear of drafting a quarterback based on past players is a perfect example. Those players were busts, drafted by individuals who no longer work for the team. But not every first-round quarterback is a bust.

Fans must realize that the mistakes of the past have no bearing on the present, even though it is still the Browns we are talking about.

Mike Holmgren is gone, and so is Ray Farmer. A new group is in charge and their only similarity with past groups is their employer. So don’t let the bad decisions of the past make you terrified of drafting a quarterback in the first round, because eventually the team is going to have to do just that and build around a player at the position. The alternative is to keep slotting average players into the role, and that has not turned out great since 1999.

Next: Five free agents for the Browns to consider

Browns fans always seem to be scared of commitment, but it may be time to let go of that fear and accept the commitment to a first-round quarterback. Don’t worry, Johnny Manziel is not going to be walking onto the field for the Browns in 2017. It will be just fine.

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