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The consensus among the mock-draft cognoscenti (and take that for exactly what it’s worth) is that the Browns will take pass rusher Myles Garrett with the first-overall pick. After that, all bets are off. The Browns also have the No. 12 pick, and given that they’re perpetually looking for their next franchise quarterback, it’s more than reasonable to think they might address the need there.
It’s why we have them targeting UNC’s Mitchell Trubisky in our latest mock draft.
And we’re not alone. In addition to three of our colleagues liking Trubisky to Cleveland, there’s also Browns 2007 first-round pick Joe Thomas.
“I know that Mitchell Trubisky is probably the guy that has the most upside potential in a pro-style offense in the NFL, and I don’t see those other guys as obvious fits in NFL offenses,” Thomas told on WKRK-FM, via Ohio.com. “So if you’re going to take a guy, he might be your guy you want to take. With that being said, I think he’s only started for a year, so he’s got a lot of improvement to make before he is ready to be the starting quarterback.”
Jon Gruden is also a Trubisky fan, and the former NFL coach thinks Trubisky, an Ohio native, could handle the pressure of playing for the hometown team.
“That would be fun to watch,’’ Gruden told Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot earlier this month. “He’s from Mentor, Ohio, Mr. Football (in Ohio) that would be quite a story. I showed him a lot of tape today of (Ohio native) Ben Roethlisberger.
“I showed him a little tape of Joe Flacco. World Champion quarterbacks in the AFC North, and the one thing the Cleveland Browns have not been able to solve is the quarterback and I think he could handle it. I also know that it would be a lot of pressure. They have to give him better support than they have right now, I know that.’’
The good news for whomever ends up under center next season is that the Browns bolstered the offensive line by signing guard Kevin Zeitler and center J.C. Tretter. The bad news is that they lost Terrelle Pryor, replaced him with Kenny Britt, and have little else in terms of proven offensive firepower.