It may not necessarily be with the No. 4 overall pick, but the Cleveland Browns are going to select a quarterback in the NFL Draft. As a matter of fact, they might take two.
NFL news roundup: Browns could draft 2 QBs, Terrence Cody visiting Ravens
Mike Pettine says the 2014 quarterback class is so deep that Cleveland is considering grabbing a pair of signal callers in May. The Ravens hosted Terrence Cody on Wednesday and the Bucs added wideout Louis Murphy.
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New head coach Mike Pettine told Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer that the 2014 quarterback class is so deep that his team could end up grabbing two during the upcoming draft.
The Browns hold five of the first 81 picks, including two in the first round, so doubling down on a position of desperate need makes sense. It seems likely that one of the signal callers will be plucked in the first round, though Pettine wouldn’t say at what point they were aiming at making the selection.
That likely comes down to which prospects they’re interested in. With the No. 4 pick, they would be in play for Blake Bortles, Teddy Bridgewater and Johnny Manziel. Using the No. 26 overall pick, they could potentially grab Derek Carr or Jimmy Garoppolo.
Pettine praised all of the top prospects while at the NFL’s annual meeting in Orlando earlier this week, but was particularly glowing over Bortles.
“If you draw me an NFL quarterback, that’s probably who you’d draw,” Pettine said of the UCF star.
Defensive tackle Terrence Cody spent four mediocre years with the Baltimore Ravens following his second-round selection in 2010. Even still, the Ravens are interested enough in bringing him back to have sat down with on Wednesday, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.
The mountainous, 6’4, 340-pound Cody had just 15 tackles in 12 games last season. Outside a lone full season as a starter in 2011, the former Alabama standout has started just six games in his other three NFL seasons.
Cody left the meeting without a deal, and it remains to be seen whether he’ll return to Baltimore.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers continue to add depth at receiving corps, inking the six-year veteran to a one-year deal on Wednesday.
It's a homecoming for Murphy, who played high school ball in nearby St. Petersburg before spending his college days in Gainesville with the Florida Gators. He spent his first four NFL seasons with the Oakland Raiders, who selected him in the fourth round of the 2009 draft. He's been nomadic since, signing a string of one-year deals to play for the Carolina Panthers and New York Giants. He caught six passes for 37 yards and a touchdown in New York last season.
He’s not much of a big name, but Tampa Bay blog Bucs Nation is happy to have him onboard.
Murphy will likely head into training camp as the #3 receiver - dependant on the draft and, of course, what the team decides to do with Mike Williams. He adds a dimension to the receiving corps not currently on the roster, but the fact that he has not received a multi-season contract since his rookie contract finished means that the former Gator will need to prove his worth over the summer to lock down a sure roster spot.
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