Again, this is silly season – the last frantic hours, really – so you have to take everything your see and hear about the 2017 NFL Draft with a grain of salt.
Just for the sake of discussion, though, let’s say it’s true that the Browns are very seriously considering eschewing defensive end Myles Garrett and instead taking quarterback Mitchell Trubisky with the No. 1 overall pick.
Let’s also say – just for the sake of discussion – that the Browns are talking with teams about then using their No. 12 overall choice as trade bait to move up in the first round to get their pass rusher.
Is it true? Who knows? I still don’t think so.
But if it is true, then I think the Browns are making a big mistake – two mistakes, actually. I think they are doing it backward.
Let me explain.
By doing this, the Browns would obviously be saying that they think Trubisky, a Mentor High School product who went on to North Carolina, is far and away the best of the bunch of the quarterbacks, one who is so good, in fact, that he is worthy of being taken at the very top of the draft.
With that, the Browns are also saying that Garrett is not worthy of being picked No. 1. In fact, he may not even be the best defensive front seven player in the draft.
Both are false assumptions to just about everyone else.
This is the worst quarterback class in memory. There is not one who is worthy of being taken first. In addition, Trubisky may not be the best of the lot. There’s a guy named Deshaun Watson who is disputing that opinion. DeShone Kizer and Patrick Mahommes may also have something to say about that.
But if the truth be told, in most years, none of them would be a blip on the radar among the quarterback prospects. They would all be suspects.
Garrett, on the other hand, is a game-changer. The Browns need those types of guys. Trubisky is a guy who, after just 13 college starts, is not going to be ready to play in the NFL anytime soon. And when he does finally play, his development could take a while – even a long while. He may not ever be a franchise quarterback.
The bottom line is this: The Browns desperately need a quarterback, but they also desperately need a big-time pass-rusher. It just so happens that a pass rusher is rated the No. 1 overall player in the draft. It’s a match, ad so it should be an easy decision.
Let’s hope the Browns realize that before 8 p.m. Thursday when the draft begins.
