Browns' dream NFL Draft scenario reportedly is landing Jimmy Garoppolo

Will the Patriots backup quarterback end up in Cleveland?

It’s still not clear whether the Patriots plan to trade Jimmy Garoppolo this offseason, but if they’re open to a deal, there’s at least one team out there that might be willing to meet their heavy demands: the Cleveland Browns. 

According to Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, the Browns are hoping to walk out of the first round with two players on April 29: Myles Garrett and Garoppolo. Landing that combination would be the Browns’ “Dream scenario,” Cabot reported. 

The first part of that plan is easy: To get Garrett, all the Browns have to do is select him with the No. 1 overall pick on April 27, which they’re widely expected to do. 

The second part of the Browns’ fantasy draft plan is where things get slightly more dicey. According to Cabot, the Browns would likely be willing to trade the 12th overall pick to the Patriots for Garoppolo, but only if that’s their asking price. 

The Patriots could throw a wrench into a possible trade by asking for more than one first-round pick, which is exactly what was reported on Tuesday. According to NFL.com, the Patriots are likely going to ask for two first-round picks for Garoppolo. That means the Browns would have to give up the 12th overall pick in 2017, plus their first-round pick in 2018. 

As badly as the Browns want Garoppolo, there’s almost zero chance they’d be willing to give up two first-rounders. 

Of course, there’s also the possibility that the Patriots won’t trade Garoppolo at all. Last week, it was reported that the Patriots weren’t interested in trading their backup quarterback. However, many people -- including our very own Pete Prisco -- felt that the report was the Patriots’ way of driving up the asking price for the 25-year-old, who has only started two games in three seasons. 

The only thing we know for sure is that the Browns’ interest in Garoppolo is very real. As far back as December, former Browns executive Mike Lombardi -- who worked with Bill Belichick in Cleveland in the mid-1990s and was a front-office assistant in New England from 2014-2016 -- had this to say about Garoppolo landing in Cleveland. 

“The next quarterback that’ll be the Cleveland Browns’ quarterback perhaps is Jimmy Garoppolo in New England,” Lombardi said during a television appearance at the time. “I think Cleveland understands, [Browns coach] Hue Jackson specifically understands he needs a quarterback. I think they’ll be very aggressive.”

Trading the 12th overall pick in the draft for Garoppolo would definitely qualify as aggressive. The Browns also had reported interest in January before the combine, which was before they were able to see the draft’s top quarterbacks in person in Indianapolis. 

Now that Jackson has seen guys like Mitch Trubisky and Deshaun Watson in person, it appears that he’s still sold on Garoppolo. Basically, the first round of the draft is going to be must-see TV thanks to the Browns. If Cleveland can’t pull off a trade, then we’ll know that Belichick is serious about making Garoppolo the Patriots quarterback of the future ... if Tom Brady ever actually retires.