NFL Draft Rumors: Saquon Barkley, Josh Allen Candidates For Cleveland Browns' First Pick

On the heels of the second-ever 0-16 season in NFL history and the worst two-year stretch the league has ever seen, the Cleveland Browns have some big decisions to make. They’ve got the No.1 and No.4 overall picks in the 2018 NFL Draft and the chance to select players that could alter the course of their franchise.

It seems almost certain that the Browns will leave the first round with a quarterback, though it’s far from a guarantee that they’ll use their top pick on a signal caller. Running back Saquon Barkley has introduced himself as a real candidate to be the first player off the board.

If it wasn’t clear at the start of the NFL Scouting Combine, Barkley left Indianapolis viewed as the consensus best player in this year’s class. Weighing 233 pounds, the Penn State running back ran the 40-yard dash in just 4.40 seconds. He also impressed scouts by bench-pressing 225 pounds 29 times and posting a 41-inch vertical leap.

The question remains whether or not those numbers are impressive enough to get Barkley drafted No.1 overall. A running back hasn’t been taken first since 1995 when the Cincinnati Bengals drafted another Penn State running back, Ki-Jana Carter, and that was a pick the Bengals wish they had back.

Having a reliable quarterback is more important than being set at the running back position, and it’s why Cleveland could instead go with Josh Allen at No.1. The quarterback from Wyoming had the most impressive combine showing of anyone that’s hoping to make a living throwing the football, and that could outweigh the struggles he had in college.

Unlike Barkley, who was a consistent performer at Penn State, Allen didn’t put up big numbers in college. He threw for 1,812 yards, 16 touchdowns and six interceptions in 11 games during the 2017 season while completing just 56.3 percent of his passes. Allen completed 56 percent of his passes in 2016 when he threw 28 touchdowns and 15 interceptions.

Cleveland would be drafting Allen because of his potential. He can throw the ball further than anyone in the 2018 draft class, and he showcased strong mechanics in combine drills. That could be enough to get him picked ahead of USC’s Sam Darnold, UCLA’s Josh Rosen and Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield, all of whom could go in the first half of the first round.

ESPN’s Mel Kiper projected Allen to go first overall in the first two versions of his mock drafts.

If the Browns do decide to take a chance with Barkley at No.1, Mayfield could be their guy at No.4, according to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo. Mayfield won the 2017 Heisman Trophy award with 4,627 passing yards, 43 passing touchdowns and just six picks.

Barkley ran for over 1,000 yards in all three of his seasons at Penn State. In 2017, he rushed for 1,217 yards on 5.9 yards per carry to go along with 632 receiving yards and 21 total touchdowns.