Mel Kiper: "Flip of the Coin" Between Goff and Wentz at No. 2; Draft a WR at No. 32

Another NFL Draft pundit has spoken about the Jared Goff vs. Carson Wentz debate.

Unlike several other experts, ESPN's Mel Kiper has not chosen a favorite son.

The ESPN analyst answered questions about the two quarterbacks and other Browns draft questions in a conference call with members of the media. Listen to the full audio here.

Kiper received a host of questions from the media, speaking for over an hour. Of those questions, three pertained to the Browns.

The first asked Kiper to take a side: Goff or Wentz?

"It all comes down to what you hear. That's what mocks are about. It's not about personal preference. It's about what you're hearing in the league, what's going on at the Senior Bowl, what's going on in terms of evaluations. We still have a long way to go, it's a two-horse race there between Wentz and Goff.

"Do [the Browns] even pass on both and take, say, Jalen Ramsey to help the secondary and then look at a quarterback in the early second round? It happened in Cincinnati with AJ Green and then Andy Dalton. It happened in Oakland with Khalil Mack and then Derek Carr. It happened in San Diego with LaDainian Tomlinson and Drew Brees. Teams have worked that strategy successfully on three different occasions. Maybe they could take another player, like Ramsey, and then take the quarterback in the early second, gamble that Lynch would be there. Maybe they like Connor Cook from Michigan State. Maybe they like [Christian] Hackenberg or [Dak] Prescott or somebody else. Hue Jackson might feel, 'Hey, I can get one of those guys in the second round and I don't need to take a quarterback at No. 2. We'll see.

"Wentz is bigger at 6'5 1/4 233 [pounds], but Goff is going to get bigger and stronger once he's in the league. Goff is a better passer, Wentz has more mobility, but Goff can move around in the pocket, too. That's a tough call. With weather, Wentz played in a dome, but he did play in some cold temperatures here and there, nothing below 34 degrees. As you get into the teens and 20's, that might be a little bit of a shock, even though he played at North Dakota State. I think it's a flip of the coin at this point."

Kiper does bring up an interesting point: The Browns are not necessarily locked into taking a quarterback at second overall. The club could opt to move in a different direction and select a quarterback late in the draft.

However, the two next questions addressed to Kiper assumed the Browns will take a quarterback.

The next Browns-question posed to Kiper asked what the team should do with its No. 32 pick if the team selects a quarterback at No. 2.

"They can go a lot of ways in the second round. But if you just say by need, because there's no receiver to even remotely consider at No. 2, that's not even in the discussion [...] So if you look at the second round, Josh Doctson if he's there. Now, his 40 time is going to be important. If he runs a really good 40, Josh Doctson is a [first round pick]. If not, he's an early-to-mid [second round pick]. Corey Coleman [out of] Baylor would be another guy to consider. Will Fuller [out of] Notre Dame, Leonte Carro [out of] Rutgers, Tyler Boyd [out of] Pitt would be another [...] I think early second round, it would be down to Dotson, Coleman, or Fuller if you want to get a receiver after you get a quarterback at No. 2.

"Now if you don't take the quarterback at No. 2, the quarterbacks to look at there would be Paxton Lynch, Hackenberg, Cook, Prescott, those would be some of the options at quarterback early in the second round."

The final Browns-related question referred back to the No. 32 pick.

The Browns defense proved to be atrocious last season, as the front seven failed to attack the quarterback and the secondary never replaced Joe Haden. A pass rusher thus seems like a viable second round option.

So, what pass rushers will be available early in the second round?

"If they did decide to go that route, some people would say Noah Spence. I don't think Noah Spence is going to be there, I think he's going top 10-15. Some have thought late first, and if so, there's a fine line there, but I don't think he's on the board at that point.

"If you're looking for the typical edge guys, Kamalei Correa could be there, I have him going just a few picks above at No. 29. Leonard Floyd from Georgia could still be there at that point, as well. If you're looking for a sleeper as a pass rusher, and let's face it, Robert Mathis didn't go in the first three rounds, Michael Bennett didn't even get drafted coming out of Texas A&M. Some of these pass rushers team miss on. Victor Ochi from Stonybrook if you can get him in the third round, Jatavis Brown out of Akron, who was not invited to the Combine, I think he could be a really good late round pick coming out of Akron. Certainly, though, Ochi coming of of Stonybrook is a guy I think to keep a real eye on. This kid had big-time sacks in high school and Stonybrook. He's done it all.

Carl Nassib coming out of Penn State is a defensive end who can get after the quarterback. James Cowzer out of Southern Utah, Yannick Ngakoue out of Maryland would be another good day three pick. Ronald Blair [out of] Appalachian State would be another."

The takeaway from Kiper's analysis? The Browns would be wise to select a quarterback at No. 2 and a wideout or defensive end at No. 32.

With the draft still two months away, look for Kiper to formulate a stronger opinion on the Browns as the draft draws near.