Cleveland Browns: May trade No. 4 pick, once on the clock
By Randy Gurzi
While the Cleveland Browns look ready to use their No. 1 pick on a quarterback, they could be ready to drop down from the No. 4 spot for the right price
The news about the Cleveland Browns in Thursday’s 2018 NFL Draft has been interesting to say the least. The news early was that they were finally settled on what to do with the No. 1 pick.
After spending all offseason with the belief it would be USC quarterback Sam Darnold hearing his name first, reports starting flowing that Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield would instead be their guy to take over at quarterback.
Don’t go out and buy your Mayfield jersey just yet though, because this offseason has been anything but predictable, and nothing is set in stone until we see who comes up and hugs the commissioner.
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Outside of that story, we also are hearing rumblings of the Browns being willing to drop out of their other top pick. Former general manager Michael Lombardi says he’s hearing the Browns may be willing to deal the fourth pick, but not until they’re on the clock.
Hearing Browns will trade 4, but only when they are on the clock, not before the pick and they don't want to go down too far.
— Michael Lombardi (@mlombardiNFL) April 26, 2018
Lombardi also says the team doesn’t want to drop back too far. One obvious team to deal with is the Buffalo Bills. They’re rumored to be interested in Wyoming’s Josh Allen and could offer a package that could include the No. 12 and No. 22 picks on Thursday as well as one — or both — of their second round picks — No. 53 or 56.
That would be interesting as Cleveland already owns three picks in the second, so they could dominate day two of the draft with such a move.
That’s a lot of stock for the Bills to give up, but it wouldn’t be far fetched from other draft day trades. It would also be hard to pass up if you’re Browns general manager John Dorsey.
At 12, the Browns could end up drafting another big playmaker — perhaps Florida State safety Derwin James, Boston College edge rusher Harold Landry, Michigan defensive tackle Maurice Hurst or Georgia linebacker Roquan Smith could be targeted there.
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That’s without even considering what they could do at No. 22.