The last draft-heavy mailbag for a long, long time is finally upon us.
The questions over the past four months have been great and incredibly insightful. We've hit a wide variety of topics and avoided redundancy. That's a testament to the readers, who have been fantastic through this busy offseason.
On to the questions!
Will the Browns take a QB or trade down to 15? - Chet M., London, Ohio
That's the million-dollar question with less than 36 hours to go until the Browns are on the clock. We've discussed the quarterback position ad nauseum since the first official day of the offseason, so that part of the question is going to be tabled. Instead, let's dive into the possibility of making another trade back in the first round.
Browns executive vice president of football operations Sashi Brown has been asked about this a couple of times since Cleveland executed the trade with Philadelphia. Here are the important details of what he's said.
Last Thursday:
On if the Browns have ruled out the possibility to trade from the No. 8 pick:
"No, not at all."
On why the Browns would move down from the No. 8 pick if the team likes the position so much:
"It is the same calculus in terms of what someone is willing to offer and the players that could be available to us at that spot."
On Monday, Brown spoke on the Cleveland Browns Draft Preview Special about the team's draft board being set and how they'll react if the player they covet isn't available at No. 8.
"We're set, locked in, know who we'll be taking. And if that player's not there, or if we get another offer that just blows our socks off, we'll know how to react to that," Brown said.
So yes, the Browns are ruling nothing out when it comes to another trade back. Granted this is a completely different regime, but the last three times Cleveland traded back in the first round at least one more trade, whether it be up or down, followed before a pick was made.
With that in mind, here are three teams to keep an eye on when it pertains to the kind of deal that could "blow the socks" off the Browns at their No. 8 spot.
Miami - The Dolphins used to hold the No. 8 pick but swapped first-round spots with the Eagles in a trade earlier in the offseason. They're now at 13 and have two big needs: RB and DB. If Ohio State's Ezekiel Elliott is available when it's the Browns turn to pick, Miami could have the inspiration to move up and snag the best running back in the draft.
Tennessee - The Titans are also in a new spot, 15th, after making their blockbuster trade out of No. 1 with the Rams. They have the artillery to move up, holding a combined five picks in the second and third rounds. If a tackle such as Laremy Tunsil, who was once presumed the favorite to go No. 1 to the Titans, is available at No. 8, the Titans could have major incentive to part with a couple of those assets.
New York Jets - The Jets were a tiebreaker away from making the playoffs last season but have yet to reach an agreement with the quarterback from that team, Ryan Fitzpatrick. At No. 20, the third-best quarterback in the draft could fall to them, but are they willing to risk it? Are they even in the market for a first-round quarterback? We'll find out Thursday night.
What up guys? Hey I listen to Cleveland Browns Daily every day and they are concerned about the possibility of Cleveland taking an offensive lineman at No. 8. I couldn't disagree more. The games are won in the trenches and unless you take Elliott, you have to take an O-lineman. If you take Zeke, then OK, I'm cool with it. But if not, DeForest Buckner on D or Ronnie Stanley, unless Coach thinks Paxton Lynch is a monster. But remember, I'm a Connor Cook fan. I wouldn't mind Laquon Treadwell or Reggie Ragland. - Steve D., Tampa
That's … a lot to digest. But I'll focus on the O-line aspect of the question.
Some recent mocks have taken on that belief, with a handful projecting Stanley to the Browns at No. 8. A pick like that would draw the ire of the fans who want the Browns to attack skill positions early and often in the draft, but here are a couple of reasons why it would make sense. First, Hue Jackson has made it clear the Browns will need to run the ball to succeed this season, and a player like Stanley or Tunsil could be plugged in right away at right tackle to help that cause. Second, there's been so much discussion in recent years about the lack of readymade talent on the offensive line because of the infiltration of spread offenses at the college level. Wouldn't that drive up the value of the select few who are ready to play and contribute at a high level as rookies?
Have you read the scouting reports on Derrick Henry? He is the ball-control, bonecrusher RB the Browns need to play the Bengals, Ravens, and Steelers. Did you know Henry wore 32 in college? Henry has a running style similar to Jim Brown - a runaway locomotive. -- Jim M., Naples, Florida
I do have some knowledge of Henry. I covered Alabama for two and a half years before coming home to work for the Browns, and he was a star on the rise during my final two seasons on the beat. He's a phenomenal player who is coming off a truly historic 2015 season. He's also uniquely built at 6-foot-3 and 247 pounds, measurables that had many speculating he'd be a better fit at linebacker when he enrolled at Alabama. Well, that was wrong, and Henry is gunning to prove wrong the same doubters who believe he's too big to thrive at running back in the NFL. The ideal fit for Henry would be a team that already has a change-of-pace, passing-catching back in place. He'd be the definition of thunder to the lightning of his cohort. He's projected by most as the second-best RB in the draft behind Elliott, but that could mean he has to wait until the second round to hear his name.
One minor note: Henry never wore No. 32 in college. He was 27 and 2.
