Cleveland Browns: Would They Really Trade the #1 Pick?
The NFL Scouting Combine is underway and the Cleveland Browns managed to create some intrigue when General Manager John Dorsey suggested he could be open to trading the first overall pick.
Well, it happened. Cleveland Browns general manager John Dorsey got asked the question.
Not the question about which quarterback he likes the most. Everybody knew he wouldn’t touch that one.
Not whether we would consider taking Penn State running back Saquon Barkley with the first overall pick. He wasn’t going to touch that one either.
No, the question I’m talking about is would we trade the first overall pick and his answer was:
"“Give me a call and see what’s up” — Dorsey, via Greg Rosenthal"
For Browns fans who have become accustomed to the trade down hokey-pokey, this must be disheartening. However, it’s really the only answer Dorsey can give.
NFL Scouting Combine, Day 2: GM John Dorsey says he’s open to trading No. 1 pick, discusses other topics. #Browns https://t.co/hzfI7lOPHo
— Scott Petrak ct (@ScottPetrak) March 1, 2018
The problem with a question like this is that it assumes a willing trading partner. That’s what I think about when I consider whether the Browns would trade the first overall pick. Who’s going to make that call?
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To begin with, there is no clear overall number one pick. One could make an argument for Barkley. In Mel Kiper’s most recent mock draft, he had Barkley going to the Giants with the second pick. In that case, a team that really likes Barkley may think they have to get ahead of the Giants. But who is that team? Miami? San Francisco? And are they really going to pay that price in a year when the running back class is so deep? Do they have the assets?
Another reason it’s unlikely the Browns would find a trading partner for the first overall pick is that they also have the number four pick. If I were a team like the Arizona Cardinals, this would be a more likely spot to consider trading to. Let’s say through some confluence of circumstances the first three picks are all quarterbacks.
The Cardinals could still swoop in to guarantee themselves one of the top four quarterbacks in the draft. But how likely is that scenario? And at what cost for a team that had the oldest starting lineup in the league last year and will likely be loath to trade away its future.
Like I said, trades are fun to talk about, but rarely make sense for both sides.
But the real problem with a question like this is that it’s a “gotcha” question. If Dorsey answers yes or no, he sets himself up to have to explain why he reversed course. The only logical answer is to say he would listen.
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Which, of course, he would and everybody knows that. So why ask? Because fans, like me, will write about it. And fans, like me, will talk about it.
It’s the silly season folks. Enjoy.