Four takeaways from Cleveland Browns' trade of No. 2 pick – WKYC-TV
CLEVELAND — Rather than pursuing a quarterback or a top talent at another position, the Cleveland Browns elected to trade the No. 2 overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft to the Philadelphia Eagles, the teams confirmed through their Twitter accounts Wednesday afternoon.
Here are four takeaways from the Browns’ decision to trade the No. 2 pick.
ANALYTICS HAVE FINAL SAY IN DECISIONS
With a more analytical approach to personnel moves under the direction of Sashi Brown, the Executive Vice President of Football Operations, and Chief Strategy Officer Paul DePodesta and a complete rebuild underway after the roster was ravaged by free-agent departures and veteran releases, the Browns elected to acquire as many assets as possible for the draft.
In return for the No. 2 pick and a fourth-rounder in 2017, the Browns received the Eagles’ first-round picks in this and next year’s drafts, as well as third (No. 77) and fourth-round (No. 100) selections this year and a 2018 second-round choice.
Although the Browns sent away the No. 2 pick, it does not mean they are done dealing. The Browns could pull a similar move that former head coach Eric Mangini did during the 2009 NFL Draft, and that is trading down multiple times in order to acquire even more selections.
FRONT OFFICE COVETS PICKS OVER PLAYERS
By trading the No. 2 pick in the draft, the Browns gave up their opportunity to select the top two quarterbacks in California’s Jared Goff and North Dakota State’s Carson Wentz.
The 6-foot-4, 215-pound Goff declared for the 2016 NFL Draft after completing 341 of his 529 attempts for 4,719 yards with 43 touchdowns against 13 interceptions during the 2015 season. Goff threw for 300 or more yards 10 times, and was trending upward toward the end of the year.
During his three-year career, Goff threw for 12,200 yards and 96 touchdowns against 20 interceptions, but did so in a non-traditional offense.
The 6-foot-6, 235-pound Wentz was the reserve quarterback for back-to-back Football Championship Subdivision National Championship runs for North Dakota State, and then, led the Bison to another pair of titles in 2014 and 2015.
During his junior year, Wentz completed 228 of his 358 passes for 3,111 yards and 25 touchdowns against 10 interceptions. In the process of leading the Bison to the FCS National Championship, Wentz set school records for attempts, completions and passing yards.
For his career, Wentz threw for 5,115 yards and 45 touchdowns, both of which rank third in North Dakota State history.
BROWNS BELIEVE IN RGIII
When the Browns signed free-agent quarterback Robert Griffin III last month, the team, and more specifically, head coach Hue Jackson believed in him so much so that they passed on an opportunity to draft one of the two best quarterbacks in the draft.
Benched for the entire 2015 season, one in which Washington made it to the postseason, Griffin completed 679 of his 1,063 attempts (63.9 percent) for 8,097 yards and 40 touchdowns against 23 interceptions and 18 fumbles in three years with the club.
In addition, Griffin accounted for 1,480 yards and eight touchdowns on 244 career rushing attempts.
“Robert possesses a unique skill set at the quarterback position,” Brown said in a release announcing the signing. “He has played at a high level in this league and is intent on doing everything in his power to return to that level on a consistent basis.
“After meeting with him, having him work out for us and doing our diligent research, we felt it was right to grant him an opportunity with our organization. We were able to see and feel his passion and commitment to re-establishing himself as a starting quarterback in this league and his embrace of the hard work that will be is essential to his development.”
SECOND-TIER PROSPECTS IN PLAY
While the Browns elected to trade out of No. 2, they may still be in the market for a quarterback, albeit a second-tier project player.
The Browns could be in play for Paxton Lynch out of the University of Memphis or Connor Cook of Michigan State University if they stay at No. 8 and do not trade down even further in the first round.
In 2015, the 6-foot-7, 245-pound Lynch was sacked 17 times and a clean pocket allowed him to complete 296 of his 443 attempts for 3,776 yards and 28 touchdowns against four interceptions, all of which were career bests. He had at least two touchdowns and threw for 300 or more yards in eight games last fall.
Lynch ended his college career with 8,863 yards passing, 59 touchdowns and 23 interceptions.
A native of Hinckley, Ohio, the 6-foot-4, 220-pound Cook missed Michigan State’s biggest game of the regular season, a 17-14 win at Ohio State, because of a shoulder injury, but returned with a vengeance with a 19-for-26 performance for 248 yards and three touchdowns in a 55-16 win over Penn State.
Although Cook shined against Penn State, he completed just 16 of his 32 attempts for 191 yards with an interception in a last-minute win over Iowa in the Big Ten Championship Game, and was held to 19 for 39 for 210 yards with two interceptions in a 38-0 loss to Alabama in the College Football Playoff Semifinal.
For his career, Cook threw for 9,194 yards and 71 touchdowns against 22 interceptions.
