INDIANAPOLIS — The Browns, just like they will with all of their 11 picks, will explore and evaluate all options when it comes to the top pick in the NFL Draft.
Executive vice president of football operations Sashi Brown on Wednesday said Cleveland will "listen responsibly to any opportunities that are out there" when it comes to potentially dealing the No. 1 overall pick.
"I think we have to do that," Brown said at the league's annual scouting combine. "It's not a design of ours, we'd have to wait to see what might come and what player might be available as we get through this process."
The Browns own the first, 12th and a bevy of selections this year thanks, in part, to a pre-draft trade last year with the Eagles that sent the No. 2 pick to Philadelphia for multiple assets.
"I think early on we understood we needed to increase the number of picks so we could really replenish our roster with younger talent. I think we started to do that this year and positioned ourselves to do that with higher quality picks earlier in the draft," Brown said.
"You see us with two 1s and two 2s this year and we do like that position. We think it's important to get where we kind of having the patience."
Indeed, the Browns last year amassed 14 picks in an effort to build a young nucleus of talent that'll be the foundation of the franchise going forward. But Brown also made it clear "it's never an intent just to acquire picks."
"Those picks do turn into players, though. It's important for us as we made the decisions last year was that we were getting high quality picks this year for last year," he said.
"That's why we see the 1s and 2s and we did pass on opportunities to acquire more picks. I think we've got them and now we need to execute."
The combine, which runs Tuesday through next Monday at Lucas Oil Stadium, will offer the Browns and the league's 31 other teams ample time and information to make such decisions.
