The Cleveland Browns have been blowing a lot of smoke regarding their first-round draft choices this year. Armed with an early and a late pick along with multiple picks in the third and fourth rounds, the team can go multiple directions that also include trades. While it was previously denied that the Browns would be using the No. 4 overall pick on a quarterback, there is still a chance that Johnny Manziel is the team's favorite.
According to Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, despite all of the rumors, Manziel is still the favorite for the Browns if he is on the board. Manziel is one of the more intriguing players this year. The quarterback could go anywhere from No. 1 overall to the Texans to dropping out of the first round completely. The Browns had been considered the long-time favorite to land the former Texas A&M star, but over the past two weeks it appeared the team was leaning in another direction.
Cabot reports that the Browns are not planning on trading up for Manziel, but if the quarterback is still on the board at No. 4, they will not pass up the chance to get him. There have been several conversations regarding the quarterback and team's interest level and that is the conclusion Cleveland has come up with. While the St. Louis Rams will likely pass on him, the Texans or Jaguars are very real possible landing spots as well as a trade that includes Tampa Bay moving up for him.
No one knows for sure the route Cleveland will take to get a quarterback, just that they will get one or two by the end of the week. According to NFL draft insider Tony Pauline, the Browns are a favorite to draft Blake Bortles at No. 4 if Manziel is gone in the first three picks. However, Pauline predicts that if Manziel is off the board, the Browns will draft either Sammy Watkins or Greg Robinson with the No. 4 pick and use No. 26 on a quarterback.
That opens a whole new can of worms. On Tuesday, NFL Insider Ian Rapoport reported the Browns are looking to trade the No. 26 pick for Washington Redskins backup Kirk Cousins. The quarterback will likely not see the field in Washington and has requested a trade. The Redskins do not have a first-round pick so the deal appears perfect. IF that is not an option, the Browns could very easily wait until the second round to draft a new player under center.
Essentially, not one source has a clue what the Browns are going to do for a quarterback. They have the most draft picks of any other team in the league so the options are endless. The first round cannot get here soon enough.