Cleveland Browns Trade Rumors: No. 1 Pick In 2017 Draft Is Up For Grabs? Link To Patriots' Jimmy Garoppolo Not Discussed At Combine
The Cleveland Browns own the No. 1 pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. But since the team is in dire need of help in a number of positions, general manager Sashi Brown said Wednesday at the draft combine he's willing to hear trade offers for the top overall selection, Cleveland.com reported.
“I think we have to do that, it’s not a design of ours. We would have to wait and see what might come and what player might be available as we get through this process,” the second-year manager told reporters assembled in Indianapolis to scout college players for April’s draft.
Under first-year head coach Hue Jackson, the Browns continued to toil as one of the worst-performing squads in the NFL last season. They finished with a 1-15 record after going 3-13 in 2015 and were either No. 30 or No. 31 in yards and points gained or allowed.
The 2017 draft represented a major opportunity for Cleveland. Brown has 12 picks at his disposal in the draft, including four in the first two rounds, to address a number of Cleveland’s needs on both sides of the ball. Or he could take advantage of the No. 1 spot and parlay it into even more selections for a squad that doesn’t have a top young quarterback or even a pass rusher to disrupt opposing defenses.
However, the Browns were in a similar spot last year, and hindsight showed they may have made a mistake. Cleveland held the No. 2 overall selection but traded it to Philadelphia, which in turn picked quarterback Carson Wentz. Wentz went on to perform quite well for the Eagles last season, and he’s now viewed as a budding star.
Cleveland has also been tied to other trades recently, especially with the reigning champion New England Patriots and their backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, but Brown wouldn’t respond to the speculation.
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