The Cleveland Browns once again have a top five draft pick this year and the team could be looking at names like Johnny Manziel and Blake Bortles in the first round and a player like Carlos Hyde in the second round, but if those quarterbacks are taken, there is a chance that the team pulls off a trade for someone like Kirk Cousins, Ryan Mallett or Christian Ponder with the Redskins, Pats and Vikings.
The Browns have a glaring hole at quarterback right now as they head into offseason workouts and the NFL draft, as they got rid of both Jason Campbell and Brandon Weeden in the offseason. Brian Hoyer was solid last season before getting injured, but he is still coming back from ACL surgery and could miss the start of workouts, leaving Alex Tanney as the only QB right now. According to ESPN.com, the Browns are targeting a quarterback like Manziel or Bortles at number four, but if they are taken by that pick, the team could trade or may look at Sammy Watkins or Greg Robinson instead.
The Browns have been lacking a consistent option at the quarterback position for a number of years and Mike Pettine and others have said that Bortles and Manziel both possess the skills to be a franchise QB. Bortles is considered the player with the highest upside of the top three quarterbacks and that could make him the number one overall pick in the draft to the Houston Texans, since they need a quarterback after trading away Matt Schaub to the Oakland Raiders. The team could look to make a trade as well, as they have the pick to do it an it wouldn't hurt them much after making deals for Trent Richardson and last season, picking up a number of extra selections.
The Browns have three picks in the top 35 and since this is a deep draft, they have the flexibility to make moves if they want to. The quarterbacks in the draft are highly regarded, but if they opt for another avenue, names like Ryan Mallett, Kirk Cousins and Christian Ponder could be ways to go as well. Cousins was mentioned as a potential option earlier in the offseason, but no deals with the Redskins ever got past that, but that was before the team signed Colt McCoy. The team easily could get a mid-level draft pick for him and he has starting experience in the NFL and that could be one reason why the Browns look at him.
Mallett and Ponder are not as well-regarded, but that could mean the Browns can use a lesser draft pick to make that deal, but as of now, there is no movement on those fronts. Acceding to ESPN.com, Carlos Hyde is a drat target for the team at running back despite signing Ben Tate in the offseason, as he is from Ohio State and is considered one of the highest rated backs in the draft. Hyde rushed for over 1,500 yards last season and scored 15 touchdowns and even more promising, he had a 3.1 yard average per carry, which was well above the national average and he has shown that he can break tackles with the best of results, as he "gained five yards on 57 percent of his carries" according to ESPN.com.
