As the mind turns, Part 1

Random thoughts after the National Football League’s college draft . . .

The Browns decidedly improved the talent quotient of their roster through this year’s draft to the point where they should be much more competitive this season than they were last season.

Winning games, of course, is the most important barometer to gauge how well a team is performing. Winning only one game last season told you all you need to know about that team and the effort to improve it..

All in all, it was a much better performance by the front office this year as opposed to last year’s fiasco that produced just one starter (Emmanuel Ogbah) in 14 bites of the apple.

This year’s 10-man class will definitely produce at least three starters – first-round selections Myles Garrett, hybrid safety Jabrill Peppers and tight end David Njoku – and perhaps one or two more when the season commences in September.

The 2017 season will render a distinct improvement in the quality of play, but the victory total might not reflect how much progress will be made. The perfect scenario is the Browns elevate their ability to compete and remain in games late, but play well enough to win just two or three games.

What makes it perfect? Because it will garner yet another opportunity to draft in the top five again next year, perhaps as high as one or two. With next year’s bumper crop of quarterbacks coming out, the Browns will finally have a legitimate shot at landing their franchise quarterback, the drafting of DeShone Kizer this year notwithstanding.

Losing out on Mitch (Mitchell) Trubisky this year will turn out to be a blessing in disguise. They don’t know it yet, but they will a year from now when they grab that franchise quarterback – be it Sam Darnold, Josh Rosen or Josh Allen – and turn an important corner in the their quest to become relevant.

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If Trubisky was, indeed, the Browns’ target in a trade-up after selecting Myles Garrett with the first overall pick, then bless the Chicago Bears from keeping the Browns from hurting themselves by stunning the entire professional football world and grabbing the kid from Mentor with the second overall pick.

We’ll never know, of course, how it would have turned out for the Browns had the Bears not made that move. Just as well. There’s just so much of the Trubisky-Browns connection I can handle.

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Browns head honcho Sashi Brown had an interesting take on why the club didn’t take a quarterback in the first round of the draft Thursday night.

“We obviously value the position, but we won’t force certain situations,” he said. “Obviously we have guys here on the roster and we want to give them an opportunity and we will continue to look, but we wanted to make sure we got players we felt good about.

“We’ve got a lot of holes to fill on this roster, so this is just about making sure when we get the quarterback, it’s someone we all believe in and get behind and move forward.” A rambling and yet frank admission the Browns need to plug numerous gaps in the roster from a talent standpoint.

As for the position itself, Brown said, “We also know that until we get it solidified, we are going to continue looking for players all over the league and in college. That might be in next year’s draft. That might be in free agency. It might be via a trade. We won’t rest until we really solidify that position.”

It proved Brown and his minions finally figured out building the roster back up first was paramount before going after the franchise quarterback. And then they picked Kizer in the second round Friday night. Apparently, the quarterback position has been solidified with Kizer’s selection.

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One more thought about Kizer before moving on.

Make no mistake about it, the kid from Toledo is a terrific athlete. He checks off all the boxes Jackson looks for in a quarterback. He’s big (a half inch shy of 6-5), strong, blessed with a great throwing arm, is smart outside the uniform, but he is nowhere ready to play in the National Football League.

He is the kind of quarterback, based on his uneven performance at Notre Dame, who will thrill you one minute and break your heart the next. That’s not the type of inconsistency the Browns need at the most important position on the team.

Scouts wonder whether Kizer is the quarterback who led Notre Dame to a 10-3 record in his first season as the starter. Or is he the quarterback who led the Fighting Irish to a 4-8 record in his second season.

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Jackson suggested in the post-draft wrap-up that Kizer would get a shot in training camp at starting. “We’re going to give all our guys an opportunity to compete,” he said in classic coachspeak. “That’s what it’s all about.

“It’s not about who is the starter (it’s not?). Let’s let these guys get there and learn our offense and spend time with myself and (quarterbacks coach David) Lee and get out on the field and let’s see how it all turns out.”

The downside of Kizer’s development will be the lack of a mentor. That veteran quarterback on the downside of his career who is willing to impart valuable knowledge to the rookie. That player does not exist on the roster.

It will be up to Jackson and Lee to fill that void. Lee, in particular, because Jackson will have enough to worry about running an entire team, let alone devoting valuable time to developing a rookie quarterback. He is not a coordinator or position coach anymore.

Unless he shocks everyone in his transition to the pro game and performs beyond what anyone believed was possible, Kizer’s development promises to be slow and will require extreme patience. He clearly has what the industry likes to call a high upside. That means he is not nearly ready and his best days lie in the future.

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The biggest mystery leading up to OTAs, minicamps and actual training camp is what role, if any, Brock Osweiler will play in the plans for the upcoming season.

He was brought to Cleveland from Houston a couple of months ago as merely a tool in a deal that was designed to gain another second-round draft pick next year. The thinking was the Browns were going to trade (dump?) his monstrous salary.

The front part worked. They got the pick from the Texans. The back part has failed thus far. Because he is still on the roster, it must be assumed no one wants Osweiler, whose dustup with Texans coach Bill O’Brien last season no doubt hastened his departure from Houston and did not sit well with coaches around the league.

Right now, he is the most experienced signal caller in the Cleveland quarterbacks room along with Cody Kessler, Kevin Hogan and Kizer. Unless the Browns decide to take a large salary hit and just release him, it looks as though he and Kessler will battle for the starting job.

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Jackson says Peppers will also be given a chance to play some on offense as a running back. “First, we bring him in here to play defense and special teams,” the coach said. “He’s one of the premier special teams players in football. . . . But there is no question we’ll give him a chance over there on offense, too.”

The versatile Peppers, who participated in more than 50 offensive plays at Michigan last year, said he is “open to do whatever they ask me to do. I did some things that nobody else did. They are going to get 200% out of me.”

Most draft pundits gave the Peppers selection a B grade. But CBS’ Pete Prisco awarded the Browns an F – his only failing grade of the opening round – with the pick. He wondered just where the former Michigan star would fit into Cleveland’s defensive scheme. “”Where does he play?” Prisco questioned.

New defensive coordinator Gregg Williams knows the correct answer to that one and must be licking his creative chops with the endless possibilities. Will the rookie play free safety, strong safety with occasional trips to the box, edge rusher, nickelback, the slot, or a combination of all five within a game?

Williams very well might wind up using him as the central figure in a game called “Where’s Peppers?” where he forces the opposition to identify where the rookie is situated before executing a play. He is talented enough to pull it off.

The only negative on Peppers résumé is his diluted sample at the NFL combine in February. He enters his rookie season in stage one of the league’s drug program.

He and Garrett join a defense that has youngsters Jamie Collins, Danny Shelton and Ogbah already in place and improving.

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Having a tough time trying to figure out why the Browns did not take Malik Hooker at No. 12 instead of trading out of the slot with Houston. They needed a center fielder for the secondary and the Ohio State star was the best free safety in the country last year.

The Browns were -12 in turnover ratio last season with only 10 interceptions. The defense had problems getting the ball back for the offense, one of the major reasons they won only one game last season.

The Indianapolis Colts, who wisely drafted Hooker three picks later, had only eight picks last season. Hooker had seven with the Buckeyes. This one was a definite head scratcher, although it eventually brought Peppers to Cleveland.

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The Browns reportedly tried again on Thursday to convince the New England Patriots to part with backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and were rebuffed, No details on what they offered as a bribe. The guess here is they won’t quit trying for a while. They should. Give it up already. The franchise quarterback arrives next year. Be patient.

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That’s enough for today. Much more Monday, including the final draft grade.

Getting a couple of gems

The Browns went dumpster diving for 6½ hours Saturday at the National Football League college draft and emerged with a mixed bag of talent.

There were some questionable picks and a couple of extremely smart ones as the Browns moved vicariously and resolutely up and down the board.

After sorting our all the garbage in the final four rounds of the three-day, seven-round extravaganza, the Browns came away with a cornerback, offensive tackle, defensive tackle, running back and placekicker.

Tallying up the haul over the three days, they addressed both sides of the ball in adding three defensive linemen, two new members for the secondary, a tight end, running back, quarterback, offensive tackle and kicker to the roster.

Saturday’s journey through the four rounds uncovered Houston cornerback Howard Wilson (fourth round), Florida State offensive tackle Roderick Johnson (fifth), Florida defensive tackle Caleb Brantley (sixth), and Arizona state kicker Zane Gonzalez and North Carolina State running back Matthew Dayes in the seventh.

Linebacker (inside and outside) and wide receiver were the only positions not addressed, suggesting the front office and coaching staff are comfortable with the makeup of those positions.

The selection of Wilson in the fourth round (after the Browns traded back into the round with Denver to get him), is somewhat suspect since the rail-thin cornerback tore an ACL a couple of years ago. He started only 16 games for the Cougars.

Contrast that with corner/safety Desmond King, a four-year starter at Iowa, who was still on the board when Wilson was taken. Apparently the Browns preferred the height of the 6-1, 180-pound Wilson to the 5-10, 200-pound King, who has the reputation of being a tough kid. King was taken by the Los Angeles Chargers early in the fifth round.

Johnson is the second Florida State offensive lineman drafted by the Browns in the last couple of years. Cameron Erving was the second of two first-round picks in 2015. Hopefully,  Johnson will turn out more productive than his Seminole predecessor. But it will take some time.

The 6-7, 300-pounder comes aboard as a project and most likely will be brought along slowly under the tutelage of future Hall of Famer Joe Thomas at left tackle. Johnson’s greatest flaw is pass protection, an art at which Thomas excels.

The Browns, who entered the lottery with 11 selections and used 10 as they adroitly moved up and down the draft, might have struck gold with their sixth-round pick of Brantley, but it comes with a caveat.

The 6-3, 305-pound Brantley, originally projected as a second-round talent, was involved two weeks ago in a physical confrontation with a woman Gainesville, Fla. He was charged with misdemeanor battery after striking her unconscious.

The Browns say they are investigating the incident further and will make a determination on what to do with the pick pending the result of that investigation. It is possible they might rescind (forfeit?) the pick should they find sufficient proof that would warrant such a move.

“It’s something we got comfortable enough at this point to make the decision (to select Brantley),” said Browns boss Sashi Brown. “That doesn’t mean Caleb is necessarily going to be on our roster as we move forward. We expect he’ll come in here, we’ll have plenty of conversation about this and we’re happy to add him at this point in the draft.”

If Brantley somehow emerges cleanly from this situation, he will provide a dynamic the Browns have not seen along the defensive line since the days of Michael Dean Perry a generation ago.

Brantley is cat-like quick off the snap, sometimes so quick he is flagged. He would be a perfect partner at defensive tackle with Danny Shelton, who routinely drew double- and sometimes triple-team blocking in the Browns’ 3-4 scheme the last two seasons.

New defensive coordinator Gregg Williams’ 4-3 look with Shelton and Brantley side by side would eliminate those double teams in a hurry. How that turns out now will depend on the results of Brown’s investigation.

“This is something that can’t continue,” said Brown. “We will continue to investigate . . . and, provided we can get comfortable, we’ll keep him on the roster. If we can’t, we’ll move on.” Stay tuned.

The pick that excites me the most is the seventh-round selection of Gonzalez, the best kicker in the nation and winner of the Lou Groza Award, named after the late Browns great kicker and offensive tackle.

Having watched Gonzalez kick for Arizona State the last four years, I can assure you he will be the club’s placement specialist this season, replacing Cody Parkey, and many seasons after that.

He nailed an FBS record 96 career field goals in 116 attempts for the Sun Devils, including 23 of 25 last season. Seven of those field goals traveled more than 50 yards and he was 13 of 15 from 40 yards or more. His strong right leg produced touchbacks 75% of the time the last couple of seasons for the Sun Devils.

The selection of Dayes is strictly a gamble. With Isaiah Crowell and Duke Johnson Jr. on the Cleveland roster, his best shot is on special teams. Perhaps it was his 1,166-yard performance as a senior at North Carolina State that drew the Browns’ attention with the penultimate pick in the lottery.

So after three long days and nights of investing in the Browns’ future, we come the end of yet another college draft for the Browns, one that is certain to be better than last year’s only because it appears as though the front office has improved its ability to select talent.

Saturday’s grade: A solid C that could improve depending on what happens with Brantley.

Sunday: A comprehensive look and evaluation of what took place for three days in Philadelphia.

Disappointing second day

First things first.

After the Browns’ very good first night at the National Football League’s annual college draft Thursday night, I neglected to grade their performance. I wavered between an A- and B+ and decided on B+ only because they whiffed on Ohio State safety Malik Hooker with the 12^th pick.

Unfortunately, they also partially whiffed on their two selections Friday night, selecting Notre Dame quarterback DeShone Kizer in the second round and North Carolina Charlotte defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi at the top of the third round.

The decision to select Kizer was met enthusiastically by Browns fans, no doubt believing the club had finally landed its franchise quarterback after all these years of futility. Uh no, that’s not the case.

What they drafted was a quarterback who is, at best, a project and definitely not nearly ready to play in the NFL. Even his college coach suggested Kizer stay one more season before going pro. He will languish on the Cleveland bench in learning mode for at least one season. Maybe more.

What the Browns drafted was a young man with an extremely strong arm and not much else. When you reach the NFL, you must play with your head as much as you play with your arm if you are a quarterback.

In fact, it might take as long as two seasons to teach Kizer, who right now might be a better runner than he is passer, the nuances and sophistication of opposing defenses. Right now, he is nothing more than a sexy pick.

The flaws in his game, which include locking too long on targets, running instead of allowing plays to develop and inconsistent timing with his receivers, cannot be overcome with a strong arm.

When Jim Brown announced Kizer’s selection, the first thing that came to mind was, of all things, a baseball movie made in 1988 called Bull Durham. The film, about life in the minor leagues, produced one of the great lines in film history.

It was uttered by Kevin Costner, who played Crash Davis, an aging minor league catcher yearning for one more crack in the major leagues. One of his pitchers was a wild-throwing young kid named Nuke LaLoosh, played by Tim Robbins.

LaLoosh, according to Davis, “had a million dollar arm, but a 10-cent head.” That is Kizer, who might have the strongest arm of this year’s quarterback crop, but might be the among the farthest away from becoming a starter in the NFL, where the game is played as much from the neck up as it is from the neck down.

It is a wasted pick for a team that needs a lot of help elsewhere on the roster. Several good cornerbacks (a position that needs immediate attention) were still on the board. So were a couple of good linebackers, another problem area.

Defensive backs Chidobe Awuzie and Obi Melinfowu, as well as linebackers Zach Cunningham and Ohio State’s Raekwon McMillan were there for the taking. The Browns opted for the quarterback.

All of which makes one wonder why the Browns, so disciplined on opening night with regard to the quarterback situation, were so anxious to jump all over Kizer?

By doing so, it sent a signal to the fans that this is the young man on whom they are pinning their hopes for the future. The reality is he is just another Brandon Weeden, only younger. Big arm with not much else to support it.

Forget next year when a much more abundantly talented crop of quarterbacks enters the NFL. By then, the Browns hope, Kizer will be far enough advanced in his NFL education that all the club’s energy will be devoted to writing him in as the starter.

This is not a bad pick. Just an unnecessary one in the scheme of things. Kizer’s selection merely slows down the healing process with regard to improving the rest of the roster.

If he somehow manages to on the field this season, the Browns are in deep trouble. He clearly will not be ready to handle the job. If the coaching staff chooses to expose him in his rookie season, it could very well damage any chances he has for possible future success.

Ogunjobi, on the other hand, was another puzzling choice at the top of round three. In an attempt to take someone to help with the club’s awful run defense, they opted for the young defensive tackle from Charlotte over Michigan’s Chris Wormley, who projected as a second-round pick.

The Baltimore Ravens thought enough of Wormley to take him nine picks later, then grabbed solid Alabama linebacker Tim Williams four picks after that. Either would have looked good in the Cleveland lineup.

Friday night’s grade: C+ mainly because Kizer most likely won’t play this season.

Now it’s on to day three for the final four rounds, two of which (four and seven) the Browns own no picks. They entered the draft with 11 selections and, barring any further movement, will wind up with 10.

They own picks 145, 175 and 181 in round five and 185 and 188 in the sixth round. It’s in these later rounds that teams with good scouting staffs pan for the hidden gems that somehow escape scrutiny on the first two days. It’s where the Browns unfortunately have had precious little success over the years.

A solid start

In a National Football League college draft that ranks as one of the most bizarre, surprising and yet entertaining in recent memory, the Browns emerged as a much better football team Thursday night in Philadelphia.

They chose wisely with their first two picks – Texas A&M defensive end Myles Garrett with the top pick and Michigan safety Jabrill Peppers with the 25^th pick after trading down with Houston from No. 12. They later added Miami tight end David Njoku after trading back into the first round.

It automatically adds strength at two vital positions on a defense that needs all the help it can get. Garrett and Peppers bring the kind of talent and playmaking that undoubtedly will see them in the starting lineup in the season opener against Pittsburgh.

With surprises that ranged from quarterback Mitch (Mitchell) Trubisky being selected by the Chicago Bears with the second overall pick to the Browns making three selections while moving down and then back up the line, this draft made a mockery of the thousands of mock drafts around the nation early and often.

The Trubisky pick, made after the Bears traded up just one spot with San Francisco, was the evening’s stunner in more ways than one. Why? Because most draft experts had him tethered to the Browns in some way shape or form. And because the most stunned person was Trubisky himself, who said the Bears never called him.

When Commissioner Roger Goodell read Trubisky’s name, I gulped in surprise and chuckled in a somewhat sinister fashion. That was not the name I expected to hear because the Bears just signed free agent quarterback Mike Glennon to a large contract.

And when Peppers was announced later in the evening, I doubled my fist and elatedly said, “Yes! What a great pick.” I still can’t figure out how he lasted this long. What in the world was he doing there?

Garrett can’t help but make the Cleveland pass rush better this season only because it can’t be any worse than it was last season. And Peppers gives the team the kind of versatility it has not had for many seasons.

Fans who hated him as a Wolverine for the last few years will love this playmaker as a Brown for at least the next several years. His versatility will enable him to play anything from free safety, to box linebacker to return specialist to running back.

He will be the ultimate slash player who can truly be called a triple threat. It will be interesting to see the tug o’ war with the coaches who will lobby for Peppers to be included in what they do on their respective sides of the ball.

The Browns, to the surprise of many veteran observers and a growing multitude of their fans, did not select a quarterback with Trubisky, Patrick Mahomes II and Deshaun Watson all going in the first 12 picks.

The Browns owned pick No. 12 after surprising no one by taking defensive end Garrett with the lottery’s top pick. After the Bears took Trubisky, clearly the evening’s first and biggest shocker, the Kansas City Chiefs leaped 17 places to grab Mahomes at No. 10.

When that happened, and perhaps because they had set their sights on Mahomes and might have been ambushed, the Browns struck a deal with Houston two picks later to move down to No. 25 when the Texans offered up their No. 1 pick next season as a reward. The Browns, of course, couldn’t say no.

On the board at the time were Jonathan Allen, the second-best defensive lineman; linebackers Reuben Foster and Haason Reddick; O. J. Howard, the best tight end; Ohio State safety Malik Hooker; and, yes, Deshaun Watson.

Watson, his warning that he will come back to haunt teams that pass him up notwithstanding, was passed up by the Browns, who happily stepped aside for another No. 1 next year and allowed the Texans to move in and grab the former Clemson quarterback.

With draft capital in mind, they naturally opted to take the Texans deal – they also own Houston’s second-round pick next year – and add to that capital. They now have two firsts and a trio of seconds in 2018.

In order to get Njoku, they merely moved up just four spots at No. 29 when the Green Bay Packers agreed to take a fourth-rounder this year and inherit the Browns’ first pick in Friday’s second round.

Njoku is young – he turns 21 in July – and runs more like a large wide receiver at 6-4, 245 pounds. He does not have classic tight end size, but showed a willingness to block in college.

The bottom line after day one is the Browns firmly – and wisely – held the line against drafting a quarterback when they could have, at least with Watson. They correctly began filling holes on the roster that badly needed filling.

After passing on Hooker at 12, they were extremely fortunate Peppers was there at 25 with the Pittsburgh Steelers looming at 30. Several draft experts projected Peppers for the Steelers, who wound up taking Wisconsin linebacker T. J. Watt.

All in all, it was a solid evening for the Browns, although I was hoping they would take yet another defender with their third pick. They passed on Foster, who was tagged with a medical red flag because of a bad shoulder. But that didn’t stop San Francisco from grabbing him two picks after the Browns selected Njoku.

Kevin King and Sidney Jones, a pair Washington cornerbacks, a position the Browns need help at, were also on the board after the opening round, as was Florida corner Quincy Wilson.

The Browns begin Friday’s two-round session with just two picks, No. 52 in the second round and the top pick of the third round, No 65. But with this front office’s fondness of moving up and down the draft, anything is possible.

Only two picks in two rounds sounds almost like a challenge for the proactive Cleveland braintrust to become unusually active before the dust settles after round three. Their seemingly insatiable appetite to deal and gather picks could lead to more than just two selections.

And this, no doubt, is where they pick up their quarterback, perhaps as early as No. 51, unless, of course, they use future draft capital to swing back into the top part of round two.

Could, should, will

The big night is almost here and the excitement continues to build. The future of the Cleveland Browns, according to some, hangs in the balance.

This moribund franchise needs to make dramatic and sagacious moves with regard to the National Football League’s annual college football draft Thursday night in Philadelphia. The lottery is the lifeblood of any franchise.

Screw it up, as the Browns did last year, and it could set a team back at least a couple of seasons. Select wisely and it advances a program quickly. It is that simple.

The Browns, who own two selections in round one, Nos. 1 and 12, control this draft. How they select and maneuver most likely will have a decided impact on the rest of the opening round.

All the wild rumors and rampant speculation over the last several months will come to a grinding halt shortly after Commissioner Roger Goodell puts the Browns on the clock with the top overall pick shortly after 8 p.m.

The telephones in the offices and War Room in Berea, meanwhile, should hum most of the day Thursday with all kinds of rumors emanating in the final hours.

Plenty of information, mostly – if not all – speculation, will be disseminated until the Browns must make a final decision on what they will do with the top pick. You can bet rumors will continue to fly until Goodell approaches the microphone with the first name of the evening

Until then, it remains a guessing game.

Will the Browns deal the top pick? If they don’t, will they take defensive end Myles Garrett, arguably the best player in the lottery? Or will they opt for a quarterback instead? The name Mitch (Mitchell) Trubisky excites Browns fans. The possibilities abound.

Here is one observer’s take on those various possibilities as the evening wears on.

First things first, the overall No. 1 pick in the draft, courtesy of finishing 1-15 last season.

What could happen: Trade the selection, move down and pick up more selections along the way, including possibly another No. 1 next year; stay put and select Garrett; or stay put and select a quarterback.

One has to include the possibility of trading down only because that’s what this Browns front office seemingly likes to do with high picks. I offer up the No 2 pick last year as evidence. This braintrust loves to stockpile draft choices.

What should happen: This is as close to a no-brainer as one can get.  No. Change that.  It is a no-brainer.

If Goodell does not say, “With the first pick in the 2017 National Football League draft, the Cleveland Browns select Myles Garrett, defensive end, Texas A&M,” the Browns can kiss goodbye another portion of their dwindling fan base.

Even if the choice is Trubisky, the local kid some hope can replicate what Bernie Kosar Jr did for the Browns a generation ago, that fan base will take a hit.

Myles Garrett has to be the name on that card in Goodell’s hand. The Browns need all kinds of help on defense (much more so than on offense) and this is a good start. They got to opposing quarterbacks with alarming inefficiency last season. That needs to change.

What will happen: After all the nonsense leading up to this pick, Goodell of course will intone Garrett’s name on Cleveland's card and a sigh of relief can be heard throughout Browns Nation. It will be a moment that very well could be looked back on some day as the start of Cleveland’s comeback as a legitimate force in the NFL.

Next up, the 12^th overall pick. Lots to ponder after grabbing Garrett.

What could happen: Trade back up before that choice arrives and pick up a quarterback; trade back up with an eye on further improving the defense; trade down, improving the draft capital again with the future in mind; fall for the Jimmy Garoppolo swindle from New England; or stay put.

With all the news swirling regarding drafting the next franchise quarterback, is it possible the Browns wisely address the side of the ball that makes the biggest difference in games – the defense?

What should happen: There is no question the defense needs dramatic improvement after surrendering an AFC low (or is it high?) 452 points last season. The Browns have given up 400 or more points in three of the last four seasons. That kind of bleeding needs a tourniquet.

The front office needs to give new defensive coordinator Gregg Williams something with which to work. Garrett is a good start. And this is the perfect opportunity to give the defensive boss even more ammunition.

In their seemingly never-ending quest to shake up the draft by moving up and down the line, look for chief honcho Sashi Brown to dive in and attempt to move up. The three prime candidates are Jacksonville, Tennessee and the New York Jets at four, five and six.

The Jets are rumored to be sitting on Trubisky, so jumping them would be the wise move if the Cleveland-area kid is, indeed, the Browns’ desire. Tennessee could be the most willing partner. The Browns accommodated the Titans last year, allowing them to move up and grab offensive tackle Jack Conklin.

Here’s what should happen: The Browns ship their second first-round selection (No. 12), the No. 33 pick at the top of round two and pick No. 175 in the sixth round for the Titans’ fifth overall pick and their late fourth-rounder. It makes perfect sense on the player trade chart.

At the same time, they will keep the 52^nd selection later in the second round, courtesy of the Titans deal last year.

Then they should do the right thing again and take – no, not a quarterback – Ohio State free safety Malik Hooker off the board. Fix the defensive line first and then begin the resurrection of a secondary that desperately needs resurrecting.

Browns fans know all about the ball-hawking Hooker, who owns instincts you just cannot teach. There is no telling how creative Williams can get with the likes of two stud rookies who will be immediate plug-ins.

What will happen: The Browns traverse the trade waters and make the Titans a trade partner for the second year in a row with the aforementioned deal. And then they will pull off a swerve that stuns and baffles Browns Nation.

They get their quarterback at No. 5, but it is not Trubisky. It’s Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson, the only quarterback in this class who can come right in and have a solid chance of winning the starting job.

While it would be nice from a public relations standpoint to draft Trubisky, it would be foolish to waste the present by sitting him on the bench in a learning role for the entire 2017 season. And there is no guarantee success lies in his future.

As for the Kosar comparisons, Trubisky is no Bernie Kosar, who arrived in the NFL as an accomplished quarterback, then went out almost immediately and proved it. Trubisky isn’t nearly as polished as was Kosar when he arrived in Cleveland.

So there you have it. It says here Myles Garrett and Deshaun Watson will wear the Seal Brown and Orange for the foreseeable future. Now it’s time to sit back and see how it all plays out Thursday night.

It’s draft time

And down the stretch we come.

Only three more days before one of the most exciting and anticipated events in the world of sports unfolds. It, of course, is the National Football League’s annual college draft, which has turned into a three-day/evening extravaganza made for television.

At one point in its existence – the first one was held in 1936 and consisted of nine rounds – this event has been comprised of as many as 30 rounds. But that was when the NFL was a much smaller league. That initial draft ironically was held in Philadelphia, the site of this year’s lottery.

In the early days, teams kept picking in order until they declined to select and the draft ended when all the teams were finished and no one chose to select anymore. It generally ended after nine or 10 rounds.

In 1939, teams went 19 rounds before concluding. It went to 20 rounds the next three years, eventually expanding to 29 and sometimes 30 rounds, the final three of which saw only one team picking each round.

It remained unstructured with as many as 30 rounds until everyone chose to bounce into or out of the draft ay any time to pass all the way to 30. The lottery was finally pared to 20 rounds in 1960.

It wasn’t until 1967, though, that the college draft became the structured event we have today. Back then with expansion in full sway, 26 teams participated in a 17-round draft.

It stayed that way until it was shaved to 12 rounds in 1977. It was trimmed to eight in 1993 before landing the following year on the seven-rounders we have become accustomed to today.

It used to be a two-day event with the first three rounds on day one and the remainder the following day. That was when the draft caught moderate attention of the sports world. With the help of television, it has become a veritable giant, an industry unto itself.

It is now a three-day event: Round one Thursday night, rounds two and three Friday evening and the final four rounds Saturday morning and afternoon. Two nights in prime time on two networks – ESPN and the NFL Network – and both outlets will draw large audiences.

By the time Thursday night at 8 arrives and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell places the Browns on the clock with the No. 1 pick in the draft, millions – maybe tens of millions – of words regarding who will do what in the draft will have been spoken.

Many of those words will be remembered when the reality hits the fan and the 32 teams actually make their selections. There will be many surprises – perhaps some genuine shockers – along the way as the fans and pundits try to figure out why and how they could be so wrong.

All the amateur experts, those intense draftniks/fans who fancy themselves as quasi general managers, those fans who thought they had everything figured out after devoting numerous hours of intense studying, will be proven wrong, All it will take is one unexpected move by just one team in the early going.

One bizarre selection can disturb the rhythm of the draft, causing teams to scrap their original plans and jump all over plans B, C, D and beyond.

Nonetheless, the mystery of what the 32 teams do over those three days later this week will serve only to whet a draft appetite that never seems to lessen.They’ll all be back next year.

Why? Because they all believe that one of these days, they’re going to get it right. And that’s the hook.

First things first

Build the roster first.

That should be the mantra for the Browns as the 2017 National Football League’s college draft approaches.

Print it on banners, sheets of paper, anything and festoon it all around the club’s headquarters in Berea, particularly around the bunker as a reminder on draft night.

Build the roster first.

Despite what Sashi Brown and his minions believe, Cleveland is in desperate need of help just about everywhere up and down the current roster. If they believe otherwise, then there is little hope for what will take place in about 10 days.

If they believe all this team needs is a quarterback to yank it from the dunghill this franchise has wallowed in since Jimmy Haslam III paid a billion bucks for it, then it will be more of the same old, same old.

How many different ways can I be more explicit? This is a bad team that needs a strong supporting cast for whomever is anointed the next franchise quarterback. That time is not now.

But if we are to believe even a sliver of what is being bandied about with regard to the top quarterbacks in this lottery, the Browns once again unfortunately will journey down the wrong road.

Whether it’s Mitch (Mitchell) Trubisky or Deshaun Watson or Patrick Mahomes Jr. (forget DeShone Kizer, whose star has plunged significantly), most draft experts believe one will wind up in the Seal Brown and Orange.

Unless, of course, someone with clout at 76 Lou Groza Blvd. steps up and strongly urges those in charge of the draft to stop and think. Stop and think of the kind of a team, the kind of an offense, you want to turn over to a young, wet-behind-the-ears quarterback.

Build the roster first.

It will take at least two more drafts, assuming those making the selections do so wisely, for this franchise to reach a talent-rich point that is ready to support such a young leader.

Everyone was stunned when rookie Dak Prescott took over as the Dallas Cowboys quarterback and led them to the playoffs last season. (Of course, having fellow rookie Ezekiel Elliott as his running back didn’t hurt.)

But the Dallas offense was ready to help the fourth-round draft choice succeed to the point where he kept Tony Romo tethered to his clipboard when the veteran returned following an injury in an exhibition game.

Prescott, taken well after the Browns selected Cody Kessler in the third round, was in the right place at the right time. The Cowboys had a terrific offensive line and a solid receiving corps. All coach Jason Garrett had to do was plug in Prescott and Elliott.

Even if the Browns had selected Prescott instead of Kessler in the third round last year, they still would have wound up with the NFL’s worst record. No way he would have been the league’s offensive rookie of the year and named to the Pro Bowl.

That’s because the Cleveland roster was embarrassingly talent-poor. Prescott would have struggled as much as Kessler. The supporting cast last season, especially on offense, was awful.

That supporting cast must be upgraded substantially this season if this team has any designs on emerging from the gigantic hole in which it currently resides. That means numerous weak areas must be strengthened.

Passing on the top quarterbacks this year will not hurt the Browns. It is far more important to assemble the pieces and parts on both sides of the football before addressing arguably the most important position on the team.

Build the roster first.

One more time with feeling: BUILD THE ROSTER FIRST!

Then go out and get your quarterback.

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.

Can’t shake the feeling

As we inch closer to the National Football League’s annual college draft later this month, I have a feeling the Browns are on the verge of making yet another unwise move with regard to the position of quarterback.

The worst move they can make in this draft is to select a quarterback in the first round. And I can’t shake the notion that is exactly what they’ll do with their second first-round pick at No. 12.

Why? Because they are the Cleveland Browns, a franchise that exists with black clouds hovering above it. It is a franchise that almost always makes mistakes in crucial situations.

And because this team is the real-life version of Murphy’s Law. If there is a mistake (or mistakes) to be made, the Browns somehow will find a way to make them.

The only way they can escape the ignominy of making that mistake this year is if all three quarterbacks given first-round grades are off the board when the 12^th pick rolls around.

Unless they are playing the smoke-and-mirror game, saying one thing and thinking something entirely different, the Browns are heading in a direction that will land the quarterback for the foreseeable future.

To be fair, it is a given this team needs a quarterback on whom to hang its future fortunes. There is absolutely no argument there.

But none of the top three quarterbacks this year – Deshaun Watson, Mitch (Mitchell) Trubisky and DeShone Kizer – are looked upon as franchise quarterbacks. They represent a relatively weak class at the position.

Next year’s class will be much stronger with the likes of Sam Darnold, Josh Allen, Mason Rudolph and Josh Rosen heading it. If any of those four were in this year’s draft, they would push the aforementioned trio down the list.

Sometimes, it’s best to wait a year and put yourself in a position to take the right quarterback when he comes along. That is clearly the case this year, a year in which the Browns would be best concerned with strengthening all other areas on the team – and there are quite a few – before addressing the most important one.

This franchise has slogged around the NFL for the last 18 seasons, doing it the wrong way just about every one of those seasons. The bottom line more than proves that. It’s now time to do it the right way.

One additional bad season won’t make that much of a difference as long as the end justifies the means. In this case, enduring one more awful season and taking advantage of a strong quarterbacks class justifies those means.

I would much rather see a Darnold or an Allen or a Rosen in Seal Brown and Orange than any of the three big names that have been bandied about this year.

If Hue Jackson is, indeed, the quarterback whisperer we have been led to believe, that luster will dull if he champions Trubisky, Watson or Kizer and strongly lobbies for their selection. That would indicate desperation on his part and an unwillingness to suffer through another gawd-awful season in Cleveland.

About the worst scenario for the 2017 season is the Browns improve to the point where they will win just enough games – as many, maybe, as four or five – and play themselves out of the opportunity to select a player who has a better chance to become their quarterback of the future than what awaits three weeks from today.