Browns GM Sashi Brown says team will listen to offers for No. 1 overall pick

Most pre-combine mock drafts have the Browns selecting Texas A&M defensive end Myles Garrett with the No. 1 overall pick this spring. If someone bowls over Cleveland general manager Sashi Brown with a trade offer, the honor of taking the impactful pass rusher could go to some other lucky team.

Brown addressed the media from the NFL Scouting Combine on Wednesday, telling reporters he would “listen to any opportunities that are out there” when it comes to a potential deal for the top slot in this year’s draft — though he would still have to weigh all the team’s options before pulling the trigger.

If someone wows the Browns with a trade package, it would mark the second straight year the franchise gave up a top-two selection in order to add more picks later in the draft. Cleveland shipped 2016’s No. 2 overall pick to the Eagles in a move that will continue to pay off dividends this spring. Its deal with Philadelphia brought back three picks last year: the No. 12 choice in 2017, and a second-rounder in 2018.

Trading back might make sense for the second straight season. The Browns have a pair of Pro Bowl talents in offensive tackle Joe Thomas and linebacker Jamie Collins and have an emerging wideout in Terrelle Pryor (who is set to become a free agent), but otherwise lack star players. Moving back from the top pick would enable the team to take a shotgun approach to the draft, as well as trade selections to set up windfalls in 2018 and beyond.

Sliding backward could also give Cleveland a better chance to find its franchise quarterback. There are three passers at the top of the positional rankings this spring, but neither UNC’s Mitch Trubisky, Clemson’s Deshaun Watson, nor Notre Dame’s DeShone Kizer appear worthy of the No. 1 overall pick. Trading down would give the Browns the latitude to select one of the three while earning extra draft assets in the process.

Brown also addressed the futures of Pryor and Robert Griffin III. While the team won’t use the franchise tag on the young receiver, the team has his re-signing at the top of its to-do list this offseason.

Cleveland isn’t as committed to Griffin, who played in only five games last fall. The dual-threat quarterback is expected to join the team for offseason workouts, but Brown couldn’t give a yes or no as to whether he’d be with the team long enough to collect a $750,000 roster bonus on March 11.

In an offseason where franchise-tagging destructive pass rushers has become a trend, selecting Garrett with the premier selection is a safe bet for a Cleveland team light on star power. However, Brown hasn’t been afraid to trade away highly valued picks for the opportunity to add talent in bulk to his perpetually depressing roster. If the right trade comes around in late April, expect to see the Browns slide down the draft board — a board where they already own more picks than anyone else — in order to take advantage of a deep pool of defensive talent.