The Browns hope to find their quarterback of the future in what's been regarded as one of the best classes of signal-callers in recent memory.
It's a good problem to have as Cleveland, owners of the first and fourth overall picks in the upcoming NFL Draft, hopes to end years of instability at the position. Now, we have a better idea why that's the case.
For the first time in 15 years, the top four quarterbacks in the draft — USC's Sam Darnold, Oklahoma's Baker Mayfield, UCLA's Josh Rosen and Wyoming's Josh Allen — earned grades of at least 90 from Scout Inc.,according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Darnold (94) posted the highest grade, Allen and Rosen earned 92 and Mayfield checked in at 91.
With three weeks until the draft, the Browns met with each of the top four quarterbacks in either Pro Days or private workouts and are in the process of individually hosting them on pre-draft visits.
At the league's annual meeting last week, Browns coach Hue Jackson said he believes there's a franchise-caliber quarterback somewhere in this year's class. "I think the guy's in there. I really do," he said in Orlando.
The Browns haven't drafted a quarterback first overall since 1999. The franchise, coming off its first winless season, has struggled to find an answer at the position since then. The hope, of course, is that the problem ends in 2018.
"I think we all have a pretty good understanding of who the guys are, what they bring to the table. They're all very worthy candidates," Jackson said. "They're all kind of different. But then again, we have to see what's the best fit for us."
