It started with a leak that running back Leonard Fournette is “in play” for the first overall pick in the draft. It continues with a leak that the Browns are torn between two other players: pass rusher Myles Garrett and quarterback Mitchell Trubisky (pictured).
The latest nugget comes from Adam Schefter of ESPN, who reported that Cleveland hasn’t made up its mind between Garrett and Trubisky not long after tweeting that an unnamed NFL executive told him not to be surprised if Garrett isn’t the top pick.
The game here is simple and clear: Cast a wide net as to what the Browns could do with the top pick so that if/when they trade down and take someone in a lower spot, they can claim that’s the guy they would have taken at No. 1.
The bigger question is whether the Browns can get the deal they want to trade out of the top spot. It requires one team to fall sufficiently in love with a guy who otherwise would be gone by the time that team picks to make the right offer. For the Brown, who seem to value the promise of a future pick more than exercising a current pick, the interest in trading down is becoming more and more clear.