In a perfect world, the Cleveland Browns would love to take Myles Garrett with the first pick of the 2017 NFL Draft and trade the No. 12 overall pick to the New England Patriots for quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.
At least, that’s what respected Browns beat writer Mary Kay Cabot is relaying at this time. She reports the Browns will take Garrett barring “something unforeseen” with the top pick.
“Garrett’s stunning workout at the NFL Combine and interview with the Browns have pretty much clinched their decision: they’ll take him at No. 1 unless something unforeseen happens between now and the draft, league sources tell cleveland.com.”
Though it might take more to land Garoppolo than the Browns are willing to part with, the Browns would likely be amenable to parting with the No. 12 pick this year and another later selection, she reports.
Landing Garrett seems like a gimme at this point. We wrote the Browns would be crazy to do anything other than run to the podium with his name on their card.
Landing Garoppolo is something that might be quite a bit more difficult. One report during the combine suggested no team has even come close to offering the Patriots what they are demanding for the quarterback (more on that here).
At this point, it might behoove the Browns to either bite the bullet this year and head into the season with Robert Griffin III and another cheap veteran, waiting until the top quarterbacks come out next year.
Or, they should invest the No. 12 overall pick in a rookie this year unless their top targets are already gone at that point.
Garoppolo has promise, but he also has hardly any experience starting in the NFL. While we’re not suggesting he’s the next Brock Osweiler, that bust potential exists, even if on a Matt Cassel level.
The Browns certainly have some huge decisions to make in the near future. It’s going to be fascinating to see what ends up going down heading into the 2017 season.