The Cleveland Browns have another top five pick in the draft and they can't afford to screw this one up, which is why they must be careful about Johnny Manziel and Blake Bortles, as some have speculated they will be busts, leaving Teddy Bridgewater, Jadeveon Clowney and Sammy Watkins as the best draft options for the team heading into the 2014 season.
Manziel is thought of by many as the number one overall pick to the Houston Texans and that prediction is not all about skills, as many see the in-state connection and his exciting style of play as reasons why he will go in the top spot. The Texans have a big impact on what the Browns will do at number four, as they will set off the chain of events that will shape the top five picks in the draft. If the team opts for a pick of Jadeveon Clowney, Greg Robinson or Sammy Watkins, the Browns will be assured of a chance of getting one of either Manziel, Bridgewater or Bortles. But if the Texans opt for one of the quarterbacks, it could be a very long two picks until the Browns go, as the Rams could trade and the Jaguars are likely to take a QB as well.
The Browns are in yet another rebuilding mode and everyone thinks they will go after a quarterback, but they could opt to go hard at wide receiver and add Sammy Watkins to a group that includes Andrew Hawkins and Josh Gordon, while they also could pick a lineman in Greg Robinson or Jake Matthews to add to Joe Staley and Alex Mack. The Browns are one of those teams that is a mess overall but has talented players and now they have added Ben Tate to a roster with Gordon, Jordan Cameron, Joe Haden and Donte Whitner and now they need to fill some major holes in the draft.
ESPN's Merril Hoge does not think too highly of Manziel and he says that he looks like a "bust" and that could scare some teams away as they try and figure out what Manziel will be in the league. Bortles has been rising up boards since the season ended and he is considered the best physical quarterback of the three, as he is a big man with a strong arm and has been compared to Ben Roethlisberger. Bortles is also the most "raw" of the three and some think he could end up being the best pro player in the long run.
Bridgewater spent time with Louisville and is considered the most "pro-ready" of the three quarterbacks and that is why many speculated that he could be the number one pick. The Browns should be happy with any of these names, but based on how they have done things in the past, they likely will go after Bortles or Manziel since they have more of the "it" factor when it comes to their styles of play.
The Browns took care of a big issue after trading away Trent Richardson last season, as they signed Ben Tate to a deal over two years and worth $6.2 million and now that will be an area they won't need to address until later in the draft.