There is drama in the 2017 NFL Draft when it comes to the No. 1 overall pick. For months it has been Myles Garrett, the freakish Texas A&M defensive end who dominated the combine, as the lock for the Browns with the top pick. They didn't really have another choice because there was no guarantee at quarterback.
But could Cleveland be willing to roll the dice on one of the prospects in this draft instead of taking Garrett because of its desperate need for a quarterback?
According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, there is some dissension within the Browns front office on how to handle the top pick, with the team being "split" on whether to take Garrett No. 1 overall or to go with former North Carolina quarterback Mitchell Trubisky.
Cleveland has not made up its mind at No. 1, per source. Split opinions. Some like Myles Garrett, some like Mitchell Trubisky. We will see.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 12, 2017
Additionally, an NFL executive told Schefter that he shouldn't "be surprised if Myles Garrett isn't the No. 1 pick" and that the exec believes a quarterback is in play at No. 1 overall.
What isn't mentioned there is that it doesn't have to be the Browns taking a quarterback first. It's also possible Cleveland could trade down, understanding there's someone out there who would want to add Garrett to their roster, give up picks to do it, and allow Cleveland to get a quarterback.
That's a risky proposition, of course, because once you get out of No. 1, anyone can snake the guy you want.
But maybe the guy the Browns want is simply Trubisky, an Ohio native who grew up a Browns fan and has repeatedly stated that he would love to play for Cleveland. Trubisky, to his credit, appears unfazed by the Browns' recent run on quarterbacks and unafraid to try and break the streak of bad quarterbacking in Cleveland.
The biggest knock against Trubisky thus far in the process has been that he only started 13 games in college. People like to ding him for not beating out Marquise Williams in 2015, but it wasn't really a competition between the two. Williams was the incumbent starter and Larry Fedora's Tar Heels team wanted the upperclassman to start again.
Trubisky waited patiently for his opportunity and made the most of it, looking like a top-flight quarterback for much of the 2016 season. He certainly had ups and downs, but most quarterbacks do.
The economics on the Browns' actual choice at the top are pretty fascinating.
Take Garett No. 1 and no one will ever get blamed for making the safe choice. But there will be plenty of backlash if they take Garrett with the top pick and Trubisky evolves into a franchise quarterback. (There was some of this from 2014 with Jadeveon Clowney and Blake Bortles until Bortles regressed in 2016.)
The opportunity cost of drafting Garrett and passing on a franchise quarterback is pretty huge.
If Browns have an equal grade on Trubisky and Garrett, have to take the QB. More value
— Pete Prisco (@PriscoCBS) April 12, 2017
But the real rub here is that if the Browns take Trubisky and he flames out while Garrett becomes Von Miller 2.0 (or even just a Pro Bowl pass rusher), then there will be plenty of people who lose their jobs as a result of not following the safest path possible.
Ideally, the Browns draft Garrett No. 1 overall and have Trubisky slip to them at No. 12, then grab whatever quarterback they like the most at No. 12 or use their considerable draft capital to trade up and grab the quarterback they want. That's the best-case scenario, but it's hardly guaranteed.
It's not a lose-lose situation for Cleveland, because it's going to walk away from the draft with a good prospect. But it's far from a win-win situation either.
