What should the Browns do with the No. 2 pick?
It's a question that's been dissected and discussed every which way over past three months. And in eight days, Cleveland will finally get to make a decision (and end speculation) when the NFL Draft starts April 28 in Chicago.
Until then, the Browns — who hold a total of 10 draft picks — say they're continuing to evaluate all potential avenues for what they might want to do with second overall selection.
Following a major trade between the Titans and Rams last week, in which Tennessee dealt away the No. 1 pick to Los Angeles, NFL.com reporter Marc Sessler said Sunday on "Dawg Pound Report" that Cleveland faces an abundance of options next week.
"I think it has a huge impact on the Browns because you don't trade up to No. 1 if you're the Rams unless you're going after one of the two quarterbacks," Sessler said, pointing to California's Jared Goff and North Dakota State's Carson Wentz, who are projected to go in the first round.
"I tend to think that the Rams are into Carson Wentz and if that's the quarterback that Cleveland wanted, then they're in a fix. If they don't feel the same way about Goff or the quarterback that comes to No. 2, you have to rethink what you're going to do at that position."
Sessler said a potential option for the Browns is to trade the No. 2 pick away to a team interested in moving up the draft order.
"I really do think that Cleveland has a real interest in potentially trading down, stockpiling picks, if the quarterback they want isn't there," he said.
"And that's a bummer for Cleveland because landing that quarterback with Hue Jackson at this point would've been a big win. So you want to figure out which quarterback it'll be and if Cleveland still feels good about that guy."
The Browns have said they want to find a franchise quarterback and have given careful consideration to Goff, Wentz and other signal-callers in this year's class. But first-year coach Hue Jackson and executive vice president of football operations Sashi Brown have made it clear Cleveland will use its picks on the best players available, regardless of position.
Of course, trading down could offer Cleveland the option to take more players in the first round and shore up different areas of concern.
"If it's not a quarterback for some reason, I really see Cleveland trying to get out of this No. 2 pick and going down inside the top 10 potentially to get someone they believe can help," Sessler said. "The good thing if you're Cleveland is you need help all over the field on both sides of the ball."
Sessler said teams around the league are curious as to how the Browns will approach the draft — and the remainder of the offseason — with Brown and chief strategy officer Paul DePodesta.
"(Brown's) a different kind of football mind," Sessler said. "Paul DePodesta was a fascinating hire. I think Cleveland is dedicated to really trying to do things differently and that will require consistency, that will require more than one offseason."
Asked to give Cleveland a grade for its offseason moves — which included the departures of offensive linemen Alex Mack, Mitchell Schwartz and defensive veterans in linebacker Karlos Dansby — Sessler offered a wait-and-see approach.
"It's hard to give them a grade because people are dumping on them for getting rid of players up to now," he said, "but really what they're doing is they're looking toward the future and that requires a two- to three-year process, if not more."
