All sorts of well-deserved attention has been focused on the Browns' first pick -- No. 2 overall -- in the 2016 NFL Draft, but the team's second-round pick promises to draw extensive national coverage in the time between Day 1 and Day 2.
The Browns will be on the clock for close to 24 hours leading into Day 2, as they hold the second round's first pick, No. 32 overall, in a year that features one fewer pick in the first round because of the Patriots' NFL-imposed penalty.
Over the next couple of weeks, we're going to look a little deeper at the possibilities that abound at No. 32. With the Browns stressing they'll take the best player available, there's essentially no position to completely rule out at this prime, second-day spot.
Today, we're looking under center at three quarterbacks who may or may not be available at No. 32.
Take a look at the Cleveland Browns roster as of September 1, 2017.
Paxton Lynch - Memphis
Once lumped in with Jared Goff and Carson Wentz as the potential top quarterback in the draft, Lynch has fallen out of favor a bit with draft analysts because he's not a player many peg as a quarterback who can start right away. At 6-foot-7 and 244 pounds, Lynch has the physical tools teams love, and NFL.com compares him to Marcus Mariota when it comes to his dual-threat capabilities. What makes him valuable is his ability to escape the pocket, avoid sacks and still carry a pass-first mentality. All four of NFL.com's mock drafters peg Lynch to land with the Broncos at the end of the first round, but nothing's guaranteed on draft day.
Connor Cook - Michigan State
The Hinckley native did nothing but produce during his career at Michigan State, a Big Ten school that has consistently put its quarterbacks in the NFL. He had a strong senior campaign despite lingering issues with his throwing shoulder. The knock on Cook is his accuracy, particularly on short and intermediate throws. That, along with the scrutiny about not being named one of the captains as a senior, has largely kept Cook out of the first-round discussion, but he's still among the top-ranked quarterbacks in this year's draft. His confidence hasn't wavered, and it wouldn't be a surprise to see him land with a team early in the second round.
Christian Hackenberg - Penn State
It never really worked out for Hackenberg with the Nittany Lions, a team that was mired with NCAA sanctions upon his arrival and struggled mightily on the offensive line. According to NFL.com, Hackenberg has everything an NFL team wants in a quarterback -- size, strength, arm, leadership traits -- but lacks accuracy. Still, there's a lot of intrigue, especially when his freshman year playing in a pro-style system under Bill O'Brien is analyzed. Would No. 32 be too early for Hackenberg, who is pegged as a second- or third-round pick? Not if he's identified as the best possible option to not only compete with Robert Griffin III and the rest of Cleveland's quarterbacks but also develop behind the scenes and become the kind of quarterback many expected him to be at Penn State.
