Entering the NFL Draft as a quarterback and being taken by the Cleveland Browns is not exactly a precursor for great success. The NFL is littered with guys who could not cut it under center in Cleveland, regardless of where said player was drafted, with many of them coming in the first round. You could forgive USC quarterback Sam Darnold, regarded as the top quarterback draft prospect if he leaves school in 2018, for being worried about landing in Cleveland.
He is likely at least interested in what possible teams would have a pick at the top of the draft. Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com reported back in early November that Darnold might take into account potential landing spots when making a decision about his future.
"Scouts who have been through there have told me that Darnold is a smart, conscientious kid with good family around him and will take everything—including his play, his situation at USC and, yes, potential NFL landing spots—into account in the decision," Breer wrote.
Nothing weird about that: Darnold would be a fool not to consider all the factors at play when leaving school, especially if he is happy at USC and has an extra year of eligibility. He's not required to sprint to the NFL Draft the second he's eligible.
Breer's report got spun into a "Darnold is scared of the Browns" bit, though, and Darnold was asked about it recently. He said he's never said anything bad about the Browns and they know he wouldn't say anything.
Sam Darnold refuted story he had any negative feelings toward Cleveland Browns: "I didn't say anything about the Browns. I've never said anything bad about a team. They know I would never say anything." #USC
— InsideUSC (@InsideUSC) November 28, 2017
Darnold also previously addressed the concern about the Browns, saying he wasn't sure where any rumors about him not wanting to play for Cleveland came from.
Darnold on report he'd stay in school if the #Browns had the #1 overall pick "I'm not sure where that came from so I'm going to leave it alone."
— Marty Caswell (@MartyCaswell) November 15, 2017
So, again, there isn't actually a rumor about him not wanting to play for the Browns. But if there were, it wouldn't be true, because Darnold would be fine playing for the Browns, or so he says.
It would not be unreasonable at all, were you Sam Darnold, a 20-year-old star quarterback with a bright future, to consider skipping the NFL Draft and going back to USC because you saw the employment opportunity at the top of the draft as a questionable landing spot. Cleveland could be a questionable landing spot for sure -- we do not know if the front office and the coaching staff that are currently in place at 0-11 will even be selecting when the draft rolls around. There is a lot to consider if you're Darnold.
Even if the Browns specifically are not part of the equation, he would be silly not to at least think about the long-term future and who he might have to play for if he was to enter the NFL Draft.
In Chris Trapasso's latest 2018 NFL Mock Draft, he has Darnold actually landing at No. 3 to the Giants. That's another factor here: there are multiple franchises considered good landing spots who could be choosing in the top half of the draft. Young quarterbacks have to look at the possibility of landing with a stable franchise as a major plus.
