The Cleveland Browns are getting ready for the 2012 NFL Combine, as they narrow down their draft board in preparation for the 2012 NFL Draft. The Browns are a team with quite a few needs on their roster, so their pick could go a few different ways. Mary Kay Cabot of The Plain Dealer has five players that the Browns will consider drafting in the first round, including Heisman Trophy-winning Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III.
NFL Draft 2012: Browns Considering Five Candidates Including Robert Griffin III
The Cleveland Browns hold the fifth overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft and will considering five candidates, including Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III.
There's even some talk now that the Vikings are considering him at No. 3. Question is, will the Browns trade their fourth and 22nd picks to the Rams for Griffin? It appears that's what it will take, especially with the Washington Redskins (No. 6) expected to be bidding.
The Browns currently have Colt McCoy and Seneca Wallace at the quarterback position, but both don't seem likely to be the answer at the position. McCoy struggled in his second year as a starter and suffered a bad concussion late in the season. As Cabot mentions, if the Browns want to make Griffin their quarterback of the future, they'll likely have to outbid someone to move up in the first round to draft him.
Cabot also lists wide receiver Justin Blackmon as a possibility, as the Browns have been looking for a playmaker at the wide receiver position for quite awhile. Alabama running back Trent Richardson is also a possibility, with Peyton Hillis scheduled to be a free agent and the Browns struggling to run the football in 2011 with Hillis out of the lineup.
Cabot lists LSU cornerback Morris Claiborne as well, but it's not a certainty the talented cornerback makes it to the fifth overall pick in the draft.
Another quarterback option for the Browns could be Texas A&M's Ryan Tannehill, who many draft experts have as a dark horse Top 10 pick selection. If the Browns miss out on going up for Griffin, or feel the price to get him is too high, it's possible the team could sit tight at the fifth overall pick and select Tannehill. Cabot notes Tannehill played for Mike Holmgren protegé Mike Sherman in college, so he would be familiar with the style of offense the Browns run.
For more on Robert Griffin III and the NFL Draft, visit SB Nation’s Mocking The Draft. For more on the Cleveland Browns, visit SB Nation’s Dawgs By Nature.
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