Cleveland Browns willing to trade No. 2 overall pick

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000652364/article/cleveland-browns-willing-to-trade-no-2-overall-pick
Cleveland Browns willing to trade No. 2 overall pick

By Dan Parr
College Football 24/7 Editor
Published: April 12, 2016 at 07:15 p.m.
Updated: April 13, 2016 at 12:54 a.m.

A week after the Tennessee Titans said trade “interest has increased” for the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, Cleveland has entered the exploratory stages of dealing its No. 2 pick.

Citing an NFL team executive as a source, NFL Media analyst Lance Zierlein says the Browns are not enamored with a single player who would be available with their top selection and would be willing to part with it in order to collect more draft picks.

It’s not known how far the Browns would be willing to move down in Round 1. Last month, an NFC executive told Zierlein he wouldn’t be surprised if the Eagles traded up to No. 2 to land North Dakota State QB Carson Wentz. Philadelphia currently holds the No. 8 overall selection. Wentz is visiting with the Eagles on Wednesday, a source familiar with the schedule told NFL Media’s Rand Getlin.

The Browns have shown high interest in both Wentz and Cal’s Jared Goff; head coach Hue Jackson and quarterbacks coach Pep Hamilton traveled to the pro days of both signal-callers (Jackson was the only NFL head coach who was present for Wentz’s workout). They also had the draft’s presumptive No. 3 quarterback, Memphis’ Paxton Lynch, in for a visit. However, Cleveland has also been doing its homework on quarterbacks likely to be available after Round 1.

They’ve worked out Michigan State’s Connor Cook, met with Stanford’s Kevin Hogan, and put Mississippi State’s Dak Prescott through a series of psychological tests the day before his pro day last month. Hogan was Hamilton’s first recruit when he was a coach at Stanford, per The Washington Post.

When the Browns signed Robert Griffin III to a two-year deal last month, NFL Media draft expert Mike Mayock said he didn’t believe RGIII’s addition would change the team’s draft plans.

“If you believe there’s a franchise quarterback at No. 2 when you’re on the clock, you’d better draft him,” Mayock said. “From my perspective, if it’s Carson Wentz, draft him. Let him compete with the other two guys and let’s see what happens.”

It’s possible the signing didn’t alter the Browns’ intentions; it could be they have never been sold on the idea that they have to take a quarterback with the No. 2 overall pick.

I guess the difference of the top QBs esn’t quite as much as has been hyped?