Cleveland Browns: 10 biggest ‘what ifs?’ in the NFL Draft since 1999

CLEVELAND, OHIO - SEPTEMBER 17: Wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. #13 of the Cleveland Browns after a play against the Cincinnati Bengals during the first half at FirstEnergy Stadium on September 17, 2020 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Browns defeated the Bengals 35-30. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OHIO - SEPTEMBER 17: Wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. #13 of the Cleveland Browns after a play against the Cincinnati Bengals during the first half at FirstEnergy Stadium on September 17, 2020 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Browns defeated the Bengals 35-30. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
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Cleveland Browns
Carson Wentz #11. (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)

7. What if the Cleveland Browns drafted Carson Wentz in 2016?

The Browns were sitting pretty, at least in terms of draft talk, in 2016. They owned the No. 2 overall pick and had options as to what they could’ve done with it. In a blockbuster deal, Cleveland traded the pick to the Eagles who drafted Carson Wentz.

Cleveland selected wide receiver Corey Coleman with the 15th pick they got in the deal with Philly. A lot of people thought Wentz had all the tools to be a franchise quarterback in the NFL, but the Browns decided he wasn’t for them and thus dealt the pick.

Wentz has gone on to have an up-and-down career. He showed signs of looking like an MVP until he got hurt. He never really got back to that form on a consistent basis and then had a falling out with the head coach and front office. He was traded to the Colts in a huge offseason move.

The Browns seeming dodged a bullet and appear to be better suited moving forward with Mayfield as the signal-caller. Wentz still has time to get back to an MVP level and have a reset in Indy, so time will ultimately tell if this was the right decision.

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