"The Sunday Five" is a loosely-titled piece where I talk about five NFL- or Browns-related topics related to this past week. In today's late-night edition, we sift through a few rumors about Cleveland's intentions during the first and second rounds of the draft.
The 2012 NFL Draft begins this Thursday, and I know all of you cannot wait. We had a record-breaking draft weekend last year in terms of content and traffic, and it'd be great to break that record again this year. Make sure you stay tuned in to Dawgs By Nature throughout the draft, as we'll have open threads, updates on who the top players remaining on the big board are, instant recaps on each of the team's selections, buzzing rumors, and more. We will have things coordinated so that no matter what day/time of the draft it is, one of the staff members on DBN will be busy keeping you up-to-speed.
In his Sunday morning column, Dan Pompei of the National Football Post had some speculation on the quarterback front for Cleveland:
*Both the Browns and Dolphins have expressed interest in moving up in the draft. The reason could be quarterback Ryan Tannehill. The only team for the Browns to deal with is the Vikings, though the Dolphins could move up with several partners. The Vikings seem more likely to deal with the Browns than the Dolphins. If they move down one spot, they still are guaranteed of getting either cornerback Morris Claiborne or left tackle Matt Kalil.
Pompei then continued talking about the Cleveland when he brought up Brandon Weeden:
If the Browns don’t select Tannehill early, they could take him with the 22nd pick. Or another team could try to jump the Browns by moving up from the early second round. The Browns also could try to move down in the late 20s to take Weeden.
The Browns trading up with Minnesota to get Tannehill would be a terrible decision, though I feel pretty safe that it is something that is not going to happen. It will be interesting to see if a team like Miami tries to jump ahead of Cleveland, though, thinking that our target is Tannehill at No. 4.
From Robert Griffin III to Ryan Tannehill to Brandon Weeden, the media has continuously been pegging Cleveland as a landing spot for a quarterback at certain periods. Weeden seems to be the latest person people are falling in love with; as Pompei stated above, he thinks Cleveland could try to grab Weeden in the first round. Adam Caplan tweeted that his sources indicate that the second round remains a more likely option: "As others have speculated, the Browns have spent a lot of time on Weeden. But my sense after speaking to execs: for #37, not #22."
It's always nice to hear from Bernie Kosar. In an article on the Canton Repository, Steve Doerschuk got a few quotes from Kosar regarding the draft. Kosar brought up a potential trade scenario he thinks could happen, involving the Jacksonville Jaguars:
Kosar, whose ties with the Browns are ongoing, advised keeping an eye on Jacksonville in a possible trade up to No. 4.Teams following the Browns are Tampa Bay at No. 5, St. Louis at No. 6 and Jacksonville at No. 7.
"(Jacksonville GM) Gene Smith has a propensity for being aggressive," Kosar said. "They need a wide receiver. If they love Justin Blackmon, they will do anything to get in front of St. Louis."
I think it is a little surprising that we have heard so little talk about the Browns drafting a safety. This is a team that signed Usama Young last offseason, but never would have made him a starter had T.J. Ward not been hurt. Mike Adams, who started all 16 games at safety last year, was not retained. Does that show confidence in Young all of a sudden? Does it mean Sheldon Brown is moving to safety (if the Browns draft a cornerback)? Or...perhaps, does it mean that everyone's reaction will be ..."they did what!?!" when they draft a safety at No. 22 or No. 37 overall.