If the reports that the Browns aren’t enthusiastic about trading up to draft Robert Griffin III are true, does that mean Cleveland has decided against taking a quarterback in the first round of the NFL draft?
Not necessarily. Browns coach Pat Shurmur told Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer that he liked another quarterback he met with at the Scouting Combine: Texas A&M’s Ryan Tannehill. After first saying he was impressed with Griffin, Shurmur then mentioned how much he liked Tannehill.
“I was equally impressed with Ryan,” Shurmur said. “Very intelligent young man. Did a nice job in the interview. It’s important in the interview that they’re able to talk about what they did when we watch their film, and I thought he did a very nice job of that. He was very productive this year after being a receiver. He played receiver for 30 games and quarterback for 21. That’s not always easy to do.”
If the Browns are considering taking Tannehill with the fourth overall pick, then they’re a lot higher on him than anyone realizes. And if the Browns are a lot higher on Tannehill than anyone realizes, Shurmur probably wouldn’t be talking up the Browns’ interest.
But Tannehill remains one of the most interesting players in this year’s NFL draft. With Andrew Luck looking like a sure thing to go first and Griffin looking like a sure thing to go second, the biggest question at quarterback is where Tannehill, widely regarded as the third-best quarterback in the draft, will end up.