Will the Cleveland Browns trade up in the first-round of the 2015 NFL Draft to select Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota? According to a Wednesday morning report by Pat McManamon of ESPN.com, they might do just that.
McManamon is reportedly saying that the Browns will offer two first-round picks to the Tennessee Titans for the right to move up to the No. 2 overall selection, where they would take Mariota.
WOW! – CLE offers two 1st-round picks to TEN for No. 2 overall selection in Draft where they would take Marcus Mariota.
(via @PatMcManamon)
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) April 29, 2015
Now, judging by the way the current reports read, I’m still not sure if this offer has been made yet or if McManamon is expecting it to be made. I should also note that that Paul Kuharsky, who covers the Titans for ESPN.com, has since posted on Twitter that a source has told him that Tennessee has yet to receive an offer from the Browns.
#Titans source: #Browns have not made an offer for No. 2.
— Paul Kuharsky (@PaulKuharskyNFL) April 29, 2015
Should the Browns ultimately make this trade and draft Mariota, I think it’s safe to assume that they have given up on quarterback Johnny Manziel, who they drafted last year in the first round. Additionally, perhaps the Browns have found another team willing to take Manziel off their hands via a trade.
A few weeks ago, Manziel was released from the rehab center he voluntarily entered in January and he immediately publicly apologized to the Browns and all the fans he has let down so far. The Texas A&M product completed 18 of his 35 pass attempts for 175 yards and two interceptions as a rookie and only played a total of 79 snaps in five different games of which he started just two.
We’ll see if this deal winds up coming to fruition, but if I’m the Titans, I would take two first-round draft picks for the No. 2 spot and especially if both selections came in this year’s draft. The Browns are currently scheduled to pick twice in the first-round of this year’s draft and those two picks are 12th and 19th overall.
What about you? Would you make this deal if you were the Titans, or would you stay put and draft Mariota to be your future starter?
