Barkley should go #1.

[bzane]

1 hour ago, Suffering_Bills said:

I mean, THINK about it, Cleveland. You have an AMAZING RB prospect, the clear-cut best player in the draft, and you now WON'T get him at #4. I think that doubt has been removed.

Crowell is good as gone. Big deal. Barkley is the next Todd Gurley/David Johnson/Ezekiel Elliot. PERIOD. Maybe BETTER.

AND.... -3 out of the five top QB prospects will be available. At LEAST 3 out of the top 5. I could see Quenton Nelson going top 3 in this draft, EASY. Take your top remaining QB at #4, Cleveland. I think it's going to go this way.

Hmmm- just a wild guess here, but does your putative scenario, so emphatically worded, suggest that the Browns drafting of Barkley means a highly-rated QB thus drops to the Buffalo Bills, by coincidence, @Suffering_Bills?

[LETSGOBROWNIES]

5 minutes ago, lancerman said:

If management is constantly going back and forth between Darnold and Rosen and their is no clear direction a week before and you're second guessing both guys, then take Barkley and get whoever's left. 

At the end of the day, “management” isn’t making the pick, John Dorsey is. If he’s incapable of making a decision, he’s in the wrong profession. 

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If you're dead set on one of them, TAKE HIM. Let's say you don't. Let's say the Giants or Colts get Darnold and you really wanted him. If Barkley becomes the next Adrian Peterson or Leveon Bell his impact without a QB won't be much. And if Barkley ends up being a HOF RB, it's still a loss for the Browns in that scenario if Darnold ends up becoming a franchise top 5 QB. If you are set on a QB, take him. If it's debateable, then consider what Barkley could add. 

They can’t defer on the QB position again.  This is what we’ve been tanking for, the opportunity to take “our guy”. 

Quote

Honestly to me the smartest thing the Browns could do is go to Cousins and say "hey we'll give you a 5 year contract and break the bank, we are going to give you the top RB in the draft with the first round pick, and then we'll get whoever we have highest between the best offensive lineman or WR at number 4. That's the smart move, unless you are dead sold on one of the QB's.

Perhaps, but what makes you think Cousins is even remotely interested in playing here?  He has his choice of half a dozen franchises or more, all with a much better track record and potential for immediate success than Cleveland.

[lancerman]

Just now, LETSGOBROWNIES said:

At the end of the day, “management” isn’t making the pick, John Dorsey is. If he’s incapable of making a decision, he’s in the wrong profession. 

They can’t defer on the QB position again.  This is what we’ve been tanking for, the opportunity to take “our guy”. 

Perhaps, but what makes you think Cousins is even remotely interested in playing here?  He has his choice of half a dozen franchises or more, all with a much better track record and potential for immediate success than Cleveland.

"tanking".... 

I don't think Cousins would be all that interested playing here. I think you can sell Cousins based on a number of factors. Those factors being that you can give him more money than anybody else, you can get the best RB in the draft who is possibly a generational talent to help him out, and you can get likely get the best WR/OL in the draft. Cousins wasn't waiting this long to not get paid. You can pay him and make the offer look attractive. There are better teams, but there is a play to get Cousins if you want him. And honestly, I trust Cousins whose proven he can play at a high level over any of the guesses in the draft. It's as safe as it gets.

[TecmoSuperJoe]

No. Cleveland has been doing this kind of thinking for years. It's gotten them nowhere. It's time to take the franchise quarterback you need. Doesn't matter if a couple might be left over by the time you pick 4th. You have the first selection of whomever you want. Stop settling for the leftovers. 

Barkley may be the next Tomlinson, Sanders, or Peterson. All of those guys didn't get a ring. Runningbacks don't carry a team like a quarterback does no matter how good they are. They also play a position that is highly susceptible to injury in addition to having a shorter shelf life compared to a quarterback. You can get excellent value later on at the same position. 

Everyone is falling in love with Barkley because of his combine numbers. So what. At the end of the day he's still a runningback. 

[lod01]

I would do it because I can't say any of these QB are head and shoulders above the rest. All have good traits and bad traits.

I'd take Barkley and let the Giants decide what QB they take and then get the next one barring a INDY trade out. I wouldn't take Rosen because of attitude and concussion/injury history. The G-men could take him and you would be right back taking Darnold, Mayfield or Allen. It's the move to make if you are not in love with any QB....and with the # of them available, you shouldn't be. This is a potentially great QB draft class.

[JJ6]

30 minutes ago, lancerman said:

"tanking".... 

I don't think Cousins would be all that interested playing here. I think you can sell Cousins based on a number of factors. Those factors being that you can give him more money than anybody else, you can get the best RB in the draft who is possibly a generational talent to help him out, and you can get likely get the best WR/OL in the draft. Cousins wasn't waiting this long to not get paid. You can pay him and make the offer look attractive. There are better teams, but there is a play to get Cousins if you want him. And honestly, I trust Cousins whose proven he can play at a high level over any of the guesses in the draft. It's as safe as it gets.

The Browns situation is pretty attractive if I'm Cousins. I would demand they take Barkley at #1.

Cousins, Barkley, Duke, Gordon, Coleman, Njoku + an already solid oline. That's one of the more talented offenses in the leauge. 

Browns could trade down from #4 and really load up on defense through the draft. 

Browns would be smart to go all out for Cousins imo. I feel he's a bit underrated and could instantly make them a playoff contender in year 1. 

However if they don't want Cousins then you have to go QB at #1. I don't really think its even a question. Unless they have someone like Lamar Jackson as the #1 QB in their board who you know without a doubt will be available at #4. 

[Uncle Buck]

53 minutes ago, LETSGOBROWNIES said:

 

 

Nah, I’ll stick with a QB.

I don't blame you.  I think Barkley will end up in New York with the G-Men.

[PFM18]

4 minutes ago, jarren said:

The Browns situation is pretty attractive if I'm Cousins. I would demand they take Barkley at #1.

Cousins, Barkley, Duke, Gordon, Coleman, Njoku + an already solid oline. That's one of the more talented offenses in the leauge. 

Browns could trade down from #4 and really load up on defense through the draft. 

Browns would be smart to go all out for Cousins imo. I feel he's a bit underrated and could instantly make them a playoff contender in year 1. 

However if they don't want Cousins then you have to go QB at #1. I don't really think its even a question. Unless they have someone like Lamar Jackson as the #1 QB in their board who you know without a doubt will be available at #4. 

I think the Vikings can offer all that plus a legit chance of winning the Super Bowl. Sure the Browns can throw more money at him but it isn't like Kirk hasn't been paid the last couple of seasons. 

Minnesota's D is one of the best in the league. Cook and Murray offer a nice running option, plus you have Thielen, Rudolph and Diggs to throw to. To me if Minnesota approach him he'll go there.

Which means I feel the Browns have to go QB at 1. It's been said over and over again but if you can get a franchise QB, you do it. There's some nice talent available at QB in this draft and the Browns have their selection of all of them. 

Saquon looks to be an exceptional talent but as good as RB's are they're no guarantee of SB glory. Cleveland needs to get it right this time and pick the one QB who can and will be their franchise for the long term and get out of this broken record of looking for their next QB every season. 

[pnies20]

25 minutes ago, Uncle Buck said:

I don't blame you.  I think Barkley will end up in New York with the G-Men.

I'll get his jersey.

[lancerman]

16 minutes ago, PFM18 said:

I think the Vikings can offer all that plus a legit chance of winning the Super Bowl. Sure the Browns can throw more money at him but it isn't like Kirk hasn't been paid the last couple of seasons. 

Minnesota's D is one of the best in the league. Cook and Murray offer a nice running option, plus you have Thielen, Rudolph and Diggs to throw to. To me if Minnesota approach him he'll go there.

Which means I feel the Browns have to go QB at 1. It's been said over and over again but if you can get a franchise QB, you do it. There's some nice talent available at QB in this draft and the Browns have their selection of all of them. 

Saquon looks to be an exceptional talent but as good as RB's are they're no guarantee of SB glory. Cleveland needs to get it right this time and pick the one QB who can and will be their franchise for the long term and get out of this broken record of looking for their next QB every season. 

Big difference is this. If you go to the Vikings you are betting everything on that defense staying at a high level  (most defenses don't) and getting by Aaron Rodgers. Even Stafford is still in that range enough that his team could get a few pieces and make that division a bloodbath. At least with the Browns you know Ben is a good deal below Rodgers and he's on his way out, the Ravens are in rebuild mode, and the Bengals are in purgatory.

If I'm Cousins I go with the team with the money that could get a generational running back and has the draft capital to get me set in a division that is going to look more favorable each year.

[PFM18]

33 minutes ago, lancerman said:

Big difference is this. If you go to the Vikings you are betting everything on that defense staying at a high level  (most defenses don't) and getting by Aaron Rodgers. Even Stafford is still in that range enough that his team could get a few pieces and make that division a bloodbath. At least with the Browns you know Ben is a good deal below Rodgers and he's on his way out, the Ravens are in rebuild mode, and the Bengals are in purgatory.

If I'm Cousins I go with the team with the money that could get a generational running back and has the draft capital to get me set in a division that is going to look more favorable each year.

Fair point but if you're Cousins looking at Cleveland, you're also seeing a franchise that has won one game in the last two seasons, that has had high draft picks regularly for the last few seasons, missed on a a few of those and not shown any real signs of improvement. 

If Kirk went to the Browns, he'd improve them no doubt, but while success would be achievable I do feel it would be in the long term and not a quick fix. Kirk would have to trust the Browns front office to get it right and also have to turnaround a franchise that is currently in the midst of a losing mentality. 

As I said I feel success would be achievable, but if he was to go there he'd be going for long term instead of short term, and its hard sometimes to forego the potential quick success for the long term ones. 

[G08]

If I was Cleveland I absolutely would take Barkley #1, you can take your QB at #4 and I don't think Barkley will be available there if you take your QB at #1.

[Shanedorf]

Personnel guy Scot McCloughan was formerly with Washington and he said Cousins was talented, but he didn't see "special"

Scot is currently working for the Browns along side John Dorsey and Eliot Wolf. I don't think the Brown are in on Cousins. We also saw them tip their hand in going after Alex Smith - they want a bridge QB to win some games while their top-drafted QB gets up to speed.

[pnies20]

52 minutes ago, Shanedorf said:

Personnel guy Scot McCloughan was formerly with Washington and he said Cousins was talented, but he didn't see "special"

Scot is currently working for the Browns along side John Dorsey and Eliot Wolf. I don't think the Brown are in on Cousins. We also saw them tip their hand in going after Alex Smith - they want a bridge QB to win some games while their top-drafted QB gets up to speed.

They are not in on cousins. My bet is we sign Bradford to a 2 or 3 year 40-50 mil contract 

[Gmen]

It really depends on how much higher they rank their #1 QB prospect over their #2 and #3 guys.   If they don't see a big gap between Allen, Darnold, Rosen, then they should definitely take Barkley #1 and then just pick the remaining QB at #4.   That would give the Giants their first choice of QB, and I certainly wouldn't be opposed to that.   But after that combine, I certainly wouldn't be opposed to picking Barkley either.  An offense with OBJ, Barkley, Engram could be pretty dynamic.