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For the second consecutive NFL draft, the Cleveland Browns are set to select first overall. This year, they "earned" the first overall selection by going 0-16 in the 2017 season, becoming the first NFL team to go 0-16 in a season since the 2008 Detroit Lions.
However, this year's Browns should not be nearly as bad as last year's, as they have what it takes to rebuild. In addition to owning the first to the first overall pick in the draft, they also made some solid trades and free agent signings, and they still have plenty of cap space to work with.
Perhaps most importantly, they also own the rights to the fourth overall pick in the NFL draft as well. This pick was initially owned by the Houston Texans, but the Texans and the Browns made a trade during last year's draft that ultimately resulted in the Texans selecting standout quarterback Deshaun Watson out of Clemson.
Despite the fact that everything actually doesn't look terrible for the Browns at this point in the year for once, they face a dilemma at the first overall pick that could have major consequences on the fourth overall pick.
Do the Browns select running back Saquon Barkley out of Penn State, or do they select one of the many top quarterback prospects in this year's draft?
The obvious answer for the Browns would be to select Barkley, who could very well be the best running back in the NFL draft since future Hall of Famer Adrian Peterson, who was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the 2007 draft. Plus, the Browns never, ever, ever have good fortune with quarterbacks.
However, the New York Giants and Buffalo Bills could potentially mess up the Browns' selection process following the trade that involved the New York Jets moving to the third overall pick from the sixth overall pick and the Indianapolis Colts moving from third to sixth.
Think about it: from the time the Browns' 2017 ended until the NFL draft, there are roughly four months. The Browns will literally have been on the clock for four months once the 10-minute countdown officially begins on draft night and the team are forced to make their selection.
They may need all 10 of those minutes.
If the Bills trade up for the second overall pick with the Giants, there is no doubt that they will select a quarterback to replace Tyrod Taylor, who is ironically one of the players the Browns recently signed.
This will likely be the case despite the fact that the Bills just signed former Cincinnati Bengals backup quarterback A.J. McCarron.
However, with the Giants at the second overall pick, things are a little bit less certain. They could very well opt to select a quarterback at second overall to potentially replace Eli Manning one day, but they could also select Barkley if he is available, as they are extremely weak at the running back position.
There is no doubt that the Jets traded up to the third overall pick so that they could select a quarterback, which is arguably their biggest need. This is primarily why the Browns' dilemma lies in the hands of the Giants and the Bills.
The top quarterback prospects who all have great odds of being selected early in the draft are Sam Darnold out of USC, Josh Rosen out of UCLA, Josh Allen out of Wyoming, and Baker Mayfield out of Oklahoma.
If the Giants keep the second overall pick, do the Browns select Barkley and wait to select one of those quarterbacks until the fourth overall pick with only two of those quarterbacks still on the draft board, thus potentially risking not getting their preferred quarterback selection?
Or, do the Browns count on the Giants selecting a quarterback, select a quarterback themselves, and then draft Barkley with the fourth overall pick following the Jets' selection of another quarterback?
If the Bills do trade for the second overall pick from the Giants, the Browns should obviously take a quarterback first overall since there is literally no chance of the Bills or Jets selecting Barkley, who the Browns would then select with the fourth overall pick.
The issue with this is the fact that the Giants currently own the second overall pick, so knowing whether or not the Bills will actually own that pick may not officially take place until draft night.
In fact, the Browns may not know who will officially end up owning the rights to the second overall pick in the draft until after they make their selection. This is extremely unfortunate for the Browns, but to be completely honest, it fits the franchise and their struggles perfectly.
If I controlled the Browns organization, I would select Barkley with the first overall pick and wait to select a quarterback until the fourth overall pick despite the fact that two of the top four quarterbacks will be off the draft board at that point.
The reasoning behind this is the fact that the Browns never have any success drafting quarterbacks, so why risk not having the opportunity to draft Barkley by also risking wasting the first overall pick on another quarterback bust?
Selecting a quarterback with the first overall pick just does not seem like the best option for the Browns at this point. If they know for a fact that the Bills will secure the second overall pick, which likely will not happen but definitely could, then selecting a quarterback makes slightly more sense.
However, it would still be extremely risky.
