Highlights from John Dorsey’s press conference at the NFL Combine

Cleveland Browns general manager John Dorsey talked to the media for about 20 minutes Thursday around noon at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis. Here are some highlights of what he discussed. (And if you missed Hue Jackson’s interview notes from the day before, go here)

Always Willing to Listen on Trades

• Dorsey said that any good GM wants to field phone calls from all his peers, so why wouldn’t I? That was in response to what the plans are with the No. 1 overall pick — his door is wide open and willing to listen to whatever teams want to discuss with him.
• Regarding having two Top 5 picks, Dorsey said that since 1946, there have been 17 teams that have had two picks in the Top 5.
• A reporter asked if the Browns have finalized the list of 30 prospects they’ll be bringing to Berea for a visit. Dorsey said it’s still a bit early in the process to have that list all finalized, but he knows the media will end up finding out players who have visited the Browns as they start trickling in over the next few weeks.

QB Prospects

• The Browns met with one quarterback last night, and will meet with all of them over the next couple of days. When asked about hand size, Dorsey said, “I’m a believer of hand size — I think that’s important. In Cleveland, Ohio, when you play in November and December, you have elements, weather, and certain conditions where your hand has to be bigger. But all the hand sizes that were read off today, I thought they were acceptable.”
• Dorsey got to see QB DeShone Kizer for the final four weeks of the season, since that’s when he was hired as GM. He thought Kizer improved with each week, and in general, he thinks that quarterbacks grow exponentially in development from year one to year two.

Joe Thomas & Danny Shelton Updates

• When asked about LT Joe Thomas, he echoed the same thing that Hue Jackson said -- Thomas has earned the respect to take time to make his decision regarding his playing future.
• I didn’t hear this during the regular media session, so I assume it was asked afterward (unless I just missed it): Dorsey was asked about whether the Browns would pick up the 5th year option on DT Danny Shelton.

Other Nuggets

• This is a really good draft for running backs.
• Minkah Fitzpatrick could play cornerback, or could play safety. They don’t need to know which one he’ll play if they draft him; they would make that decision after he’s on the team and they see what he can do.
• If Cleveland goes after a veteran quarterback, they can be aggressive.