The Cleveland Browns are in the market for a new starting quarterback and a Matt Schaub trade is the top target for the team and with the Oakland Raiders also interested, the team could look to Blake Bortles and he is rising high in mock drafts from ESPN experts and Mel Kiper after his very solid pro day for Central Florida and he could be the pick over Johnny Manziel and Teddy Bridgewater, now that the Raiders have traded for Schaub, Mark Sanchez coulcd be a top target for the Browns.
The Browns had another rough season last year and after firing their head coach in Rob Chudzinski, the team also ditched both Brandon Weeden and Jason Campbell and while they have Brian Hoyer, he does not appear to be a long term option despite playing well last year before getting hurt. According to ESPN.com, the Browns and the Raiders have both expressed interest in Matt Schaub with the Texans if he is released, but both also could be interested in making a trade with Houston as well.
The Texans are another team that is likely to take a quarterback in the draft and they could look at Blake Bortles as an option after his pro day as well. Schaub had a tough season last year and eventually lost his starting job and now he will be cut or traded before next season and the Browns could be his next destination. The team feels that with Josh Gordon and Jordan Cameron, the offense can be productive with a solid quarterback and they have identified Schaub as their man. The Raiders are looking at a number of options and they have picked Mark Sanchez, Michael Vick and josh Freeman as their other targets if they miss out and they too could look for a quarterback in the draft.
Many see Johnny Manziel as the top overall pick for the Texans, but after the way Bortles performed he could move up, as he has the size that NFL scouts love. Many have compared Bortles to Ben Roethlisberger and that could be a favorable comparison for the Browns and the Texans when looking at whether to take Bortles or not. The 22 year old is mobile and strong and while he is also raw, he looked very sharp in his pro day and while he had a couple drops and overthrows, the day overall was a success. Teddy Bridgewater had a tough pro day that saw him miss on some easy passes and he was not as accurate and now Bortles could sneak into the top three picks, as the Texans and Jaguars both will be looking at quarterbacks.
Last season Bortles had 25 touchdowns and while he was not as explosive as Manziel, he led his team to a win in the Fiesta Bowl and now he could end up being a top five pick in the draft. The Browns can't afford to mess up another first round pick and they will be looking at Bortles very closely as the draft comes in May. The Browns were one of the least consistent teams on offense last season and adding someone like Bortles could open things up in 2014.