Might as well go ahead and make all the mock drafts (more) fruitless early in the day.
According to Albert Breer of the NFL Network, the “rumor out there” is that the Browns want to move up into the top three picks, from their current sixth slot.
The thinking is that they want to get in front of the Eagles (fourth) and Lions (fifth) to get the pass-rusher they covet. And since Browns CEO Joe Banner has insight into the Eagles front office from his days there, he has a clear sense of what they need and what general manager Howie Roseman values.
If they’re third, they’d miss out on no more than one of the top prospects there, as the Chiefs are expected to take an offensive lineman, and no one’s clear whether the Jaguars in the second spot go tackle or find a Leo for new coach Gus Bradley’s defense.
Such a move would put the Browns in position for perhaps Dion Jordan or Ziggy Ansah or Barkevious Mingo, as the annual run on guys who get to the quarterback begins.