We are less than three weeks away from the 2017 NFL Draft, and there has been the first “what are you thinking” draft story to come out. Congratulations, Cleveland Browns fans, your team has finally won something. News has come out that the Browns front office is leaning towards passing on former Martin High School, and Texas A&M Aggie, Myles Garrett.
The Browns, owners of one of the worst defensives in the league last season, are leaning on passing over on a once in a generation type player. A defense that gave up 452 total points, 142.7 rushing yards per game, and 392 total yards per game during 2016. Cleveland also ranked in the bottom of the league in sacks; only besting the Oakland Raiders by one to stay out of the basement.
So, this would point in every direction to someone that had 47 tackles for loss, and 31 sacks in only 34 games while in college, and former All-American, right?
To take a quote from our President of the United States, Donald Trump: “Wrong.”
Instead, the Browns are thinking of draft North Carolina quarterback Mitch Trubisky first-overall. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported from his source on this issue tweeting, “Cleveland has not made up its mind at No. 1, per source. Split opinions. Some like Myles Garrett, some like Mitchell Trubisky. We will see.’’
Trubisky, an Ohio native, would fit for Cleveland in the sense that they do need a quarterback. However, it’s not like the Browns haven’t reached in the draft before to draft a quarterback who grew up near Cleveland only to see it blow up in their faces.
Another route the Browns may go, if they do not draft Garrett, is to trade away the pick. Browns executive vice president Sashi Brown told cleveland.com “We will always listen if teams want to call us,” he said. “I think that’s our MO as most teams do. But we do feel good about some of the players that are going to be available at the top of the draft. We haven’t made our decision yet, but we have a number of players that we feel like can really help us there. But we do know there will be a couple teams that are going to be interested in talking to us about that pick.”
However, it’s not like the Browns to trade away a high draft pick for other picks or players and not see it blow up in their faces.
Oh, right, the spot they traded to the Atlanta Falcons was used to select Julio Jones.
So what have we learned here today by revisiting two instances where Cleveland reached for a quarterback, or traded away the pick, instead of selecting the best player available?
It doesn’t work.
So, Cleveland front office, if your plans are to pass over Garrett, please stop and look back at your awful history. Do the right thing and pick the best player. And, who knows maybe with your second draft pick you can select that quarterback. Or, maybe trade back into the first round to pick that QB of the future.
It’s not like that hasn’t blown up in your faces before.
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