The Cleveland Browns are one team that offered the Washington Redskins a trade for Kirk Cousins and now that deal is not needed, as the team is opening rookie minicamp with Johnny Manziel in the fold and while they say he will be the backup to Brian Hoyer, the young star is going to do his best to make Mike Pettine have a hard choice about the starter.
According to ESPN.com, the Browns are looking to limit the media at rookie minicamp and Manziel is the main reason why, as the national media will be all over the story. Manziel has handled himself very well so far and he has said all the right things and now he has the chance to get started with the team. Manziel could end up being the starter, but the Browns want to bring him along slowly.
Here is what we predicted about the Browns before the draft and for some fun let's check out how things turned out. The Cleveland Browns are coming into the NFL draft this season looking for a quarterback and names like Blake Bortles, Johnny Manziel and Derek Carr could be in the mix along with a potential trade for Kirk Cousins, as the team has two first round picks, while the Browns are also looking hard at Carlos Hyde, Khalil Mack, Jadeveon Clowney and Sammy Watkins as potential selections for Mike Pettine's team.
The Browns obviously need a quarterback after ditching both Brandon Weeden and Jason Campbell this offseason, putting names like Blake Bortles and Manziel in the mix. According to ESPN.com, one name to watch is Derek Carr, as the team loves his arm and last season he put up 5,000 yards and 50 touchdowns. Carlos Hyde could also be an option in the second round, as the team wants to pair up a back with Ben Tate and that would give the offense a boost with speedy Josh Gordon on the outside.
Last season the team ranked 27th in rushing yards per game and that is one reason why they added Ben Tate as a free agent. That is also another reason why names like Carlos Hyde and Andre Williams could be options, as the team could use a boost after getting just 86 yards per game. The team traded away Trent Richardson and that was a part of it, but that may actually work out very well for the Browns, as they could get a player they see as "better" than Richardson in this draft.
The Browns have a number of needs on both sides of the ball, especially at quarterback and that is one position that the team will have to address no matter what happens. The team has the fourth overall pick in the draft and rumors have them not taking a QB there, although it will be tempting if Blake Bortles and Johnny Manziel are available. Sammy Watkins and Khalil Mack are options, while Jadeveon Clowney may also slip and that could also give the Browns a chance to trade back and get more picks. The team already has three in the top 35 and that is some prime real estate to own heading into a draft that is expected to have plenty of talent.
The Browns are coming into the draft with 10 picks and that gives them some great flexibility to do what they want, as they have two first round picks, two third rounders and two fourth round picks as well. The team acquired the picks in trades last year, with Trent Richardson getting the second first round pick, while the team also exchanged picks with the Steelers and the Colts to get more picks for this draft. The Browns smartly traded out a pick from last year for this year, as the class is much deeper this time around.
The two third and two fourth round picks are amazingly valuable in a draft like this and that gives the Browns a chance to explore some ideas. They could trade down and still get an impact player in the first round and they also can look to use their later picks in the third and fourth rounds to get a quarterback, as names like Aaron Murray and AJ McCarron may be available as well.
