Sam Darnold held his pro day in the rain at USC Wednesday, and the Cleveland Browns were extremely well represented as he went through his workout.
Confirmed #Browns in attendance at Sam Darnold’s pro day:
• Owner Jimmy Haslam
• GM John Dorsey
• EVP Alonzo Highsmith
• HC Hue Jackson
• OC Todd Haley— Kyle Kelly (@ByKyleKelly) March 21, 2018
Darnold performed admirably, dropping dimes despite the heavy rain.
In the rain… Sam Darnold is launching DIMES at his Pro Day! 🎯
📺: @nflnetwork https://t.co/GWECSl9ziV
— NFL (@NFL) March 21, 2018
According to Benjamin Allbright, citing a team source that is picking in the top five, Sam Darnold is now “a lock” to be the top pick in the draft, selected by Cleveland.
https://twitter.com/AllbrightNFL/status/976525860571410432
This does make some sense. Darnold needs a year or two before he’ll be ready to really make a positive impact in the NFL, and Cleveland has Tyrod Taylor as a very serviceable bridge.
The Browns (and Giants) have already dined with Darnold, showing there’s a ton of interest.
Sam Darnold on meeting with the @Browns and @Giants, his performance at USC Pro Day and what a day in the life of a projected No. 1 pick looks like ⤵️ https://t.co/soYwKp7qun
— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) March 21, 2018
On top of that, the fact that the owner, general manager, executive vice president, head coach and offensive coordinator all traveled to USC for this pro day speaks volumes about the way the organization views him.
Obviously a ton can happen in the next month before the draft kicks off. There has been plenty of chatter that the Browns love Wyoming product Josh Allen, and Browns consultant Scot McCloughan is said to have Baker Mayfield atop his personal board. It’s going to be fascinating to see what transpires when the pressure is on in late April.