Cleveland Browns potential draft target: USC quarterback Sam Darnold

The Cleveland Browns have the No. 1 overall selection in the 2018 NFL Draft and need a quarterback. Can USC’s Sam Darnold be the answer the team is looking for?

The Cleveland Browns made NFL history in 2017 by becoming the first team to earn the No. 1 overall selection in the draft for two consecutive years.

Now that the Browns have that pesky detail out of the way, they can turn their attention to what they will do once they are officially on the clock the night of April 26 in Arlington, Texas.

More than likely, general manager John Dorsey will use that top pick on a quarterback as he becomes the latest front office member to take on the task of fixing the team’s quarterback issue.

While not everyone has declared just yet, the choices facing Dorsey will include UCLA’s Josh Rosen, Wyoming’s Josh Allen, Louisville’s Lamar Jackson, USC’s Sam Darnold and Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield.

Browns fans can get a look at Darnold on Friday when he leads the Trojans against Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl, which will kick off at 8:30 p.m. on ESPN.

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Darnold, who is 6-foot-4 and 225 pounds, is a redshirt sophomore who has still not decided if he will enter the draft. This season he led the No. 8-ranked Trojans to an 11-2 record, while completing 63.7 percent of his passes, throwing for 26 touchdowns against just 12 interceptions, and adding five rushing touchdowns.

The last time we saw Darnold against a Big 10 team in a bowl game he was ripping apart Penn State with 453 passing yards and five touchdown passes. Another day like that against the Buckeyes, who got lit up by Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson in their last bowl game, could improve Darnold’s stock in the eyes of Browns fans.

The knock on Darnold is that he still makes questionable decisions and doesn’t always have the right touch on his passes, as his 21 interceptions in two seasons shows. He has also only started 23 games at USC, so he may need some seasoning at the pro level before he is ready to take over a team. (Just look at current Browns quarterback DeShone Kizer, who started 25 games at Notre Dame and was not ready for the starter’s role in Cleveland.)

Another possible concern is that, while scouts like Darnold’s game, they can’t seem to pinpoint exactly why he would be a better pick than Rosen, Mayfield and the rest other than that he has the “it” factor, whatever that is. As one NFC front office member told ESPN:

"“He’s got everything you look for – size, arm strength, accuracy. Could stand to clean up some mechanical stuff, but that’s going to come with time. He looks the part, and that matters when you’re trying to sell your fan base on a young guy with growing pains. He’ll show enough to get people excited.”"

The last time the Browns selected a quarterback with an “it” factor it turned into the worst draft pick in franchise history. And we’re more interested in finding a quarterback who can actually play the position; whether or not they look the part is irrelevant.

We’re still five months away from the draft, so there will be plenty of time to break down Darnold’s game and potential fit with the Browns if he declares for the draft by the Jan. 15 deadline.

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In the meantime, Friday night’s Cotton Bowl will be another chance to see what Darnold can do on the big stage.

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