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The annual SB Nation Writers Mock Draft is in progress over at our network's draft coverage stream. The way it works is that each NFL blog picks a player for their team when their site is on the clock. Heading into Cleveland's pick at No. 2 overall, there was only one player off the board:
(In parenthesis is the average voting rank given on Mocking the Draft by voters -- 1 = F; 2 = D; 3 = C; 4 = B; 5 = A)
- Tennessee: OT Laremy Tunsil (4.50)
Last year, I had the Browns taking WR DeVante Parker at No. 12 overall. That wouldn't have been a great pick, but NT Danny Shelton had already gone off the board (and he was the team's eventual pick in reality). After consulting with my fellow staff writers at Dawgs By Nature, even after the signing of QB Robert Griffin III, I'm sticking with the quarterback position with Jared Goff.
| Pick | Player | Position | Height | Weight | Class |
| 2. Cleveland Browns | Jared Goff, California |
QB |
6'4" |
215 | JR |
|
Chris Pokorny: "When the rumblings about a quarterback started for the Browns again toward the end of last season, it was a dreadful feeling. "Do we have to sit through another experiment at quarterback?" That was before three very important changes for the organization: (1) the stocks of Jared Goff and Carson Wentz skyrocketing, (2) Johnny Manziel going on a rampage that spelled the end of his career in Cleveland and (3) the team hiring a quarterback-friendly coach in Hue Jackson. As I make this selection, the Browns have just signed Robert Griffin III, but that signing should not prevent the Browns from taking a quarterback at No. 2 overall. Everything the Browns’ front office has done this offseason has signaled that they are trying to go all-in with a long-term rebuilding plan instead of the short-term, quick-fix rebuilds that have been attempted numerous times since 1999. Part of that might involve starting a more experienced quarterback like RGIII, while letting Goff have the benefit that is seldom provided to rookie quarterbacks these days: soaking everything in for a year or two before taking over the reigns. As for choosing between Goff and Wentz, it’s almost like throwing a dart at a board when trying to truly place money on which quarterback will have a better NFL career than the other. I’m always a bit wary of quarterbacks who emerge out of nowhere leading up to the draft, so I went with the more established commodity in Goff." |
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To see what Dan Kadar thought of our pick (and what people are saying in the comments section), go here. The voting has us at a grade of 3.39 right now, but if you feel the pick should be rated higher (or lower), feel free to head on over and vote!
The low grade can probably be attributed to the mixed feelings of the Browns just signing Griffin, while other players are viewed as "sure bets." That's why Tunsil graded highly at 4.50. The Chargers blog at No. 3 overall took DB Jalen Ramsey, and that pick graded out to a 4.60.