With two picks in the top 10 of the 2018 NFL Draft, the Cleveland Browns select two quarterbacks! Does the team dare make such a bold move? Is it actually a smart decision?
The Cleveland Browns own two of the top four picks in the 2018 NFL Draft. Thanks to their trade with Houston last season that resulted in the Texans acquiring Deshaun Watson, Cleveland is now set up to add to its collection of young potential.
A couple of weeks ago, an idea was floated on The Bill Simmons Podcast. It was a silly idea that was said in jest, but the more I thought about it, the less crazy it sounded. The idea was simple: the Browns should draft a top-flight quarterback prospect with both of those draft picks. Do they dare?
Two brothers from New York, Dan Salem and Todd Salem, debate the Cleveland Browns in today’s NFL Sports Debate.
Todd Salem:
The logic is just as simple as the premise. By drafting two quarterbacks, it gives Cleveland double the chance of actually hitting on the pick and finding a franchise passer to lead the club in the coming decade. Since the organization has had so much trouble filling that QB spot on the roster, doubling its chance at doing so makes sense.
Now, of course, on paper this strategy is far different than in practice. In fact, doing this for quarterback is far different than if Cleveland pulled the same thing for running back, or corner, or left tackle. The quarterback position stands apart.
Finding a franchise passer is about finding that one guy capable of leading an entire roster of strong, talented, competitive men. They look to the quarterback to make all the calls, all the decisions, all the audibles, and all the throws. This isn’t news, but it means that any team is unlikely to build the same relationship and rapport with two different players at the same time. Position battles are certainly possible at quarterback, but it is weirder when both men are brought in at the same time, with the same level of inexperience. Learning on the fly is hard enough without also competing to hold off someone in the same exact boat.
More from NFL Spin Zone
- Dallas Cowboys made the trade everyone else should have made
- Pittsburgh Steelers rookie sleeper everyone should be talking about
- Anthony Richardson putting jaw-dropping talent on display immediately
- Denver Broncos’ stud wide receiver might be out for a while
- Washington Commanders: Three takeaways from win over Ravens
That situation has never happened, to my knowledge. I can’t imagine a scenario in which it would have occurred. But that doesn’t mean it’s wrong! It would be tricky and could get messy, but whatever the Browns have been doing to this point has clearly not worked. Maybe making it messy and forcing one rookie QB to rise above another will generate that franchise player they have been searching for for so long. Whether Sam Darnold, Josh Rosen, Baker Mayfield, Josh Allen, or someone else is up to the challenge is a different story. We won’t know until it happens. That’s what makes this possibility so intriguing on paper — when the players in question are just draft picks and not yet real people — and so unlikely in practice.
Dan Salem:
Should the Cleveland Browns draft two quarterbacks with their two top-five first round picks? I can respect the thought process here and even the fun behind watching such a scenario play out. But shut the front the door! The better question is whether the Browns should draft a quarterback at all. With two picks in the top five, Cleveland is better served to pass, pun intended.
Setting aside the Browns’ poor history of drafting quarterbacks, its rather obvious that nearly every other position in football has a better success rate than quarterback, especially at the top of the draft. Cleveland can trade back from the first pick to six or seven and get a massive haul. They can select the best running back with the fourth pick and then bolster their offensive or defensive line with their other top-ten pick. Using the capital gained from trading back, the Browns can add a proven veteran QB to lead their young team. This can work wonders for every player on both sides of the football.
The quarterback is often the leader of a team, but if your signal caller is a rookie with huge expectations on his shoulders, trouble is just around the corner. Some players rise to the occasion, while others crumble, all at the expense of the team. Once again taking into consideration Cleveland’s poor history of selecting quarterbacks, the team can practically solve all of its problems by adding a veteran. Two top-10 picks with a high probability of success is huge. A veteran QB that instills leadership and work ethic is huge. Drafting two quarterbacks is literally the opposite of solving such problems.
NFL Playoffs: 4 Headlines that Define Everything
As a fan of the NFL, I would love to witness Cleveland make such a move. The instant competition between the rookie quarterbacks would be special. Who will win the starting job? Will Cleveland trade one player? Can the Browns split time and play both players, much like how teams utilize multiple running backs in rotation? Is this the best or worst thing to happen to football? Will the Browns be on Hard Knocks? There is so much to love about this as a fan…of any team other than Cleveland.