The Cleveland Browns are widely expected to take a quarterback with the No. 1 pick of next month's NFL Draft. We've known this for a while now. But the Browns also have the No. 4 pick, and who they will take at that spot is much more up in the air.
There are a lot of good candidates. They could take Penn State running back Saquon Barkley. They could take Alabama defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick. They could take Ohio State defensive back Denzel Ward. They could take Notre Dame offensive lineman Quenton Nelson.
But the one scenario Browns coach Hugh Jackson has been dreaming about -- literally -- is landing North Carolina State defensive end Bradley Chubb.
"I do at nighttime when I'm by myself," Jackson said, per the Cleveland Plain Dealer. "You kind of play that scenario game with all these different guys. I wish I could have them all. There will be good scenarios as we come down to the end here."
The Browns had the No. 1 overall pick last year and picked defensive end Myles Garrett. Garrett missed the start of the season with an injury, but he eventually had 31 tackles, seven sacks, and 37 quarterback pressures (per Pro Football Focus, which had Garrett's Pass Rushing Productivity grade on par with that of Michael Bennett) in 11 games. Garrett should be a cornerstone piece for the Browns' defense for years.
But that doesn't mean taking another end should be off the table. As Jackson noted, the Browns are a team that just needs more good players. "We need impact football players, period, and that's part of where we are, he said. "So here's another opportunity to put some impact players on our team that can help us get to winning as fast as we can."
There are few better ways to build a top-flight defense than by building a great pass rush, and it would not be a surprise if the Browns jumped at the opportunity to draft Chubb should he fall to them at No. 4.
