Teddy Bridgewater glad he didn’t end up with Browns

Teddy Bridgewater waited until the very last pick of the first round to learn that the Minnesota Vikings would be his NFL destination. He was happy to be drafted, but perhaps even more so relieved to hear that he wasn't taken by one team in particular. On Tuesday, the former Louisville quarterback joined The Dan Patrick Show and said that he was hoping he wouldn't land with the Browns.

Instead, the Browns traded with the Philadelphia Eagles to move up from their No. 26 draft position and acquire the No. 22 pick, which they used to select Johnny Manziel. Among the teams that also made an attempt to trade with the Eagles were the Vikings, who reportedly preferred the former Heisman Trophy winner to Bridgewater.

The Vikings waited until the No. 32 pick to take their franchise quarterback, trading away the No. 40 overall selection to the Seattle Seahawks to acquire the last pick of the first round and take Bridgewater. Several quarterback-needy teams were waiting at the top of the second round draft order, so the Vikings may have felt pressured to move up for Bridgewater rather than risk losing the opportunity.

Cleveland was linked to Manziel throughout the draft process. Both he and Bridgewater appear on pace to become starters as rookies. Manziel will have to compete with Brian Hoyer, who played well before an injury ruined his 2013 season, while Bridgewater will have to best Christian Ponder and Matt Cassel, which seemingly wont be as difficult a task.

Whether Cleveland would be a worse place for Bridgewater is a matter of opinion. Bridgewater surely has his reasons for dogging Cleveland, the general instability in Cleveland potentially being a big factor. The Browns have undergone a lot of turnover on the coaching staff and in the front office this offseason, and top receiving target Josh Gordon is potentially facing a season-long ban. Cleveland is not exactly a strong environment for a rookie quarterback, at the moment.