The Cleveland Browns executed a pair of blockbuster trades for Pro Bowlers Jarvis Landry and Tyrod Taylor. What should Cleveland now do at the 2018 NFL Draft?
The 2018 NFL Draft has the potential to be the event that immediately returns the Cleveland Browns to glory. Cleveland went 0-16 in 2017, but has more than $100 million in cap space and four of the first 35 picks in the annual selection process.
According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the Browns kicked off this momentous offseason by sending a third and a seventh-round draft pick to the Miami Dolphins for Pro Bowl wide receiver Jarvis Landry.
Neither of the picks in Jarvis Landry trade are a first- or second-round picks, per sources. So it will be two picks between rounds 3 and 7.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 9, 2018
Ian Rapaport of NFL.com was the first to report the trade.
Shortly thereafter, Rapoport reported that the Browns have acquired the player who may be the franchise quarterback in Tyrod Taylor.
The #Browns are sending pick No. 65 to the #Bills for QB Tyrod Taylor, sources say.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 9, 2018
While it may be appealing to select a franchise quarterback at No. 1 overall, I’m not of the belief that one unequivocally exists in this draft class. Thus, the acquisition of Taylor should be viewed as the addition of a quarterback who can lead the organization into the near future.
That doesn’t necessarily mean the Browns won’t take a project quarterback at No. 4, but the No. 1 overall draft pick will be reserved for an immediate impact player.
Cleveland didn’t trade for Landry and Thomas just to be content with being more competitive than it was in 2017. The goal is to make the playoffs, and with a solid offensive line and both Landry and Josh Gordon at wide receiver, the offense is all but ready.
The question is: What does a mock draft now look like for the Cleveland Browns after the Jarvis Landry and Tyrod Taylor trades shook the NFL at its core?