Though for most of the draft season quarterback Sam Darnold has been expected to be the Cleveland Browns’ #1 pick, that thought process has suddenly shifted over the last few days. New reports have Wyoming QB Josh Allen now being squarely on John Dorsey’s radar.
That’s come from multiple places by most recently, NFL Network analyst and former scout Daniel Jeremiah.
That and other reports say the Browns have intentionally been hyping up Darnold for most of draft season but have always had their eyes set on Allen. And for what it’s worth, they hired Todd Haley, and Allen has received Ben Roethlisberger comparisons for their size, arm strength, and mobility.
In draft circles, for whatever it’s worth, targeting Allen is seen as a bad move. While it’s impossible to deny the physical talent he has, it’s off the charts, his accuracy, performance versus top schools, and overall consistency have all fairly been called into question. Allen never completed more than 56% of his passes in school and threw 15 interceptions in 2016.
The Browns search for a QB is well-documented at this point, cycling through name after name, including last year’s second pick DeShone Kizer, who was shipped out to Green Bay in the offseason. They haven’t had a quarterback start consecutive Week 1’s since 2012-2013, when Brandon Weeden did so.
Cleveland, who otherwise have had a genuinely good offseason, holds the first and fourth overall picks. After they take a quarterback at #1, whoever that may be, they will likely target either NC State defensive end Bradley Chubb or Penn State running back Saquon Barkley with their second selection.
