The Cleveland Browns are expected to start the run at quarterbacks in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft, which could begin with a Heisman Trophy winner:
Browns continue to keep the decision on their No. 1 pick a secret, but there is a mounting belief from HCs and GMs around the league that Cleveland will take Baker Mayfield.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 26, 2018
ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets about a “mounting belief” that the Browns will take Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield, which would end the franchise’s recent run of avoiding taking a player at the most important position in the game as if it were the plague.
To be clear, Schefter doesn’t explicitly say that Cleveland would take Mayfield with the first overall pick. Remember, the Browns have the first and fourth picks in the draft. It’s not out of the realm of possibilities that Cleveland could use the first pick on Penn State running back Saquon Barkley or North Carolina State pass rusher Bradley Chubb. Then, circle back to the quarterback position and take the best available with the fourth pick. It would be a bold strategy for the new-look front office that is now headed by former Chiefs GM John Dorsey.
For obvious reasons, we’ll be following what the Browns do with their pick(s) tonight because it has a direct impact on who will be available when the Bears go off the clock. An early run of quarterbacks falling off the board could lead to a top-tier non-quarterback prospect falling right into Chicago’s lap.
The best case scenario would involve four quarterbacks going within the first seven picks, which would leave the Bears in a position to choose an impact player at a need position on defense (linebacker, edge rusher, defensive back) or on offense (offensive line, anyone?).
While we are generally fans of draft day chaos, the Bears’ rooting interests for who goes off the board before they are on the clock are clear as day — quarterbacks, quarterbacks, and more quarterbacks.