NO. 1 NFL DRAFT SELECTION REMAINS A MYSTERY
Browns general manager John Dorsey is oldschool cool, from his wardrobe to keeping his plans for the upcoming NFL draft private. He’s not tipping his hand. “You know,” Dorsey said, “a man once told me: Don’t show all your cards at once.”
Dorsey kept things close to the vest — or in his case, a white-and-orange team sweat shirt — on Thursday during a mandatory pre-draft news conference in which he sidestepped any questions about which quarterback he’s considering with the No. 1 overall pick.
For months, Cleveland fans have debated whether the team should select Southern Cal’s Sam Darnold or Wyoming’s Josh Allen or UCLA’s Josh Rosen or Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield.
Asked point blank, if he had made up his mind, Dorsey scrambled like a QB being blitzed.
“You know what?” he said. “I’m a guy of processes. I’m a guy of structure. I’m a guy of systems and I’m a creature of habit. I’ve done it for 20-some years. But where we are in the process right now, I think the draft is seven days away. But I’m very confident in where we are in the process moving forward.”
And so it went for nearly 30 minutes as Dorsey, who was hired in December to fix a franchise mired in losing, offered few clues on what he intends to do with either of his first-round picks. The Browns also own the No. 4 selection.
The team is expected to draft a quarterback first, but Dorsey said he’s leaving his options — including a trade — open and that he’s even considered using the first pick on Penn State
running back Saquon Barkley, considered by some draft experts to be the top overall talent in this year’s player pool.
“Why wouldn’t I?” Dorsey said when asked about Barkley, who dazzled pro personnel at the combine. “The guy’s a really good football player. Absolutely. You can’t have enough of them on your team.”
While Barkley is intriguing, quarterback is a priority for the Browns, who are coming off a 0-16 season.
They’ve spent three decades in a fruitless search for a long-term answer at the game’s most important position, and after the previous front office regime passed on the chance to draft either Carson Wentz or Deshaun Watson the past two years, Dorsey has his sights set on getting an elite quarterback now.
The Browns have done their due diligence in preparing for the draft. They’ve attended pro days, conducted private workouts and brought Darnold, Allen, Rose and Mayfield in for visits to get to know them better.
Darnold is believed to be the favorite to wind up in Cleveland. But there has been a growing buzz that Allen has closed the gap, especially after Sports Illustrated cited an unnamed “friend of Dorsey” predicting the Wyoming QB will be picked by the Browns.