Fact, fiction flirt

The prevarication game continues to play out as we inch closer to the National Football League’s annual college draft later this month.

The latest rumor iteration spinning out of control says the Browns still haven’t made up their minds about whom to choose with the top pick in the lottery and hints it might be quarterback Mitch (Mitchell) Trubisky.

Yep, word around the ever-changing world of NFL rumors suggests Texas A&M defensive end – a.k.a. edge rusher in modern-day lingo – Myles Garrett is not a lock and very well could wind up in a uniform other than Cleveland’s.

Rumors being what they are, however, does not mean that will happen. Rumors are not facts. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, a rumor is defined as “a statement or report current without known authority for its truth.”

Exactly.

So when the highly reputable Adam Schefter, ESPN’s No. 1 NFL rumor monger, tweets that “Cleveland has not made up its mind at No. 1 per source. Split opinions. Some like Myles Garrett, some like Mitchell Trubisky. We’ll see.”, the Cleveland media gets somewhat bent out of shape.

So do the fans.

There are still 15 days left, for crying out loud, until the Browns must make that command decision. And did anyone consider that the source Schefter referred to very well might be employed at 76 Lou Groza Blvd. in Berea?

Not saying that’s the case. But that sometimes is the way the world spins in the rumor business. “Here’s what’s going on. Just don’t use my name.”

The closer we get to April 27 in Philadelphia, the hotter and juicier those rumors become. By that date, what happens is anyone’s guess. And that’s exactly what it is: A guess.

It is entirely possible the Browns are giving serious thought to trading out of the top spot. Given Chief Strategy Officer Paul DePodesta’s love affair with collecting draft picks, don’t rule out that possibility.

A treasure trove of selections can be gleaned when it comes to swapping the overall No. 1 pick. The Browns did it at No. 2 with the Philadelphia Eagles last season and wound up with wide receiver Corey Coleman and offensive tackle Shon Coleman (after trading down twice), the Eagles’ first rounder this year (No. 12) and a second next year and the Tennessee Titans' second-rounder this year.

This is not meant to start a rumor. Far from it, in fact. All it does is suggest the loosey-goosey thinking in Berea is such that anything is possible, especially with DePodesta guiding the way from a strategy standpoint.

Then again, despite what Schefter and others who either jumped all over his tweet or retweeted it believe, it is entirely possible the Browns let all the rumors play out and then do the right thing and select Garrett.

Bathe in the publicity it generates. Enjoy the spotlight. Why not? Once the season begins in September, the Browns will eventually be relegated to the role with which they have become all too familiar for the last 18 seasons: An afterthought.

Until then, get used to the rumors bouncing around the NFL universe for the next couple of weeks. Makes for good fodder for the fans and keeps the league relevant until that moment when Commissioner Roger Goodell steps to the microphone on stage, puts the Browns on the clock and officially kicks off the NFL season.

Let all the blather that arrives on the NFL scene in those two weeks drift in and out of your consciousness since it is bound to change again soon enough.