We're back from the Senior Bowl and feeling a little more qualified to answer your draft-related queries.
How about four on this Friday?
Is John Dorsey successful in this draft by taking best player available since the Browns are set at quarterback and have reasonable depth at most positions? -- Rob M., Fairmont, West Virginia
That's been the draft philosophy ever since I've been with the Browns, and likely for years before that. You won't hear a general manager in the sport say he took anything other than the best player available when they make their first-round selection this April.
It just carries a little more weight when you're not in the market for a quarterback.
The Browns, in our opinion, accomplished both objectives last year. Baker Mayfield was the best quarterback, by a long shot, and, considering he's the odds-on favorite to win Rookie of the Year, one of the best rookies of the 2018 season. In 2019, Cleveland will look to make a similar splash at No. 17, and it will do so by taking the best available player. And as he did last year, Dorsey didn't rule out moving up or down to accomplish that objective.
"Whatever is best for this organization I will what I can within my power to either go up or down," Dorsey said Tuesday. "We will try to do everything to get to the player that we think is best for us."
Is it possible the Browns trade down for a later first and then take Metcalf? -- Isaiah C., Ithaca, New York
The quote above tackles the first part of your question. Yes, it's certainly a possibility the Browns trade down in the first round. It's just as much of a possibility the Browns trade up to nab the player they want. Dorsey did both in his time with the Chiefs, moving up to get Patrick Mahomes in 2017 and trading back to ultimately land defensive tackle Chris Jones in the second round in 2016.
D.K. Metcalf is considered to be one of the best wide receivers available in this year's draft. He fits a physical profile -- 6-foot-4, 230 pounds -- the Browns don't really have in their current group. Most teams don't. Metcalf was on his way to a banner junior season -- 26 catches, 569 yards, five touchdowns in seven games -- before a neck injury short-circuited his campaign. The Athletic's Dane Brugler ranks Metcalf as his No. 1 receiver but sees him being available as late as the 24th pick. Mel Kiper Jr., meanwhile, doesn't see Metcalf as a first-round pick but does see Metcalf's teammate, A.J. Brown, as a likely first-rounder. The Combine will be pivotal for Metcalf when it comes to addressing his health concerns. He got some good news Friday on that front.
Will we sign our own players to contract extensions or let them walk like we always do and the players go on to green pastures and go to the playoffs or Super Bowl! You have to retain your own players and not let them leave! GO BROWNS! Damarious Randall should absolutely be re-signed. He had a Pro Bowl year! -- Jason C., East Liverpool
That philosophy is an important one for Dorsey. And while he didn't dive into specifics with particular players who may be due for extensions, such as a player like Randall, he did provide a clear-cut explanation on it in his Cleveland Browns Daily interview with yours truly.
"It's always good to be prudent and you always want to improve your roster but you also want to tell the guys, if you play at a certain level, we'll extend you and we'll do it the right way because that's the only way you're going to get better," Dorsey said. "Now what you have is people within your organization that have been here a prolonged time. You want to acknowledge those guys for the effort and the hard work they've done. That's what every organization will tell you is the right way to do things."
Don't you think Parris Campbell would be the perfect weapon for Mayfield? He could be available early third round. -- Gary I., Westlake
Campbell is a serious burner and could provide whichever team he joins with a legitimate deep threat. The Browns offense hit another level in the second half of the season when Breshad Perriman emerged as that kind of figure. Adding another one to the mix, if Perriman re-signs, certainly wouldn't hurt. The reviews on Campbell, who racked up 1,063 yards and 12 touchdowns this past season, are a bit mixed among draft analysts at this stage of the process. Kiper pegs him as a first-rounder while Brugler doesn't rank Campbell among his top 10 at the position.
