The next two weeks leading up to the 2016 NFL Draft are going to feature all sorts of smokescreens. We've heard numerous rumors that the Tennessee Titans are talking with teams about trading the No. 1 pick. Now we can add some rumors about the Cleveland Browns and the No. 2 pick. NFL.com draft analyst Lance Zierlein tweeted about the topic, and CBS Sports draft analyst Dane Brugler confirmed that.
Believe this. Browns want to accumulate picks - wouldn't be a shock at all if they find a way out of the No. 2 pick. https://t.co/EL2E6AWweS
— Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler) April 12, 2016
On Tuesday, Todd McShay released his latest NFL mock draft. In discussing the draft later in the day, he said that he was hearing the Browns and Eagles had a deal for Philadelphia to move up to No. 2. The Eagles have been rumored to be interested in moving up for one of the two quarterbacks, and moving to No. 2 would be a little bit easier than No. 1.
If the Browns are not 100 percent blown away by any of the top prospects, it makes sense to try and move down. The Browns have a lot of roster issues, and adding premium draft picks would give them a chance at more high level talent. Given the addition of Paul DePodesta to the front office, I would not be surprised to see them follow the philosophy we've seen of teams looking to add more picks to increase their chances of hitting on prospects.
That being said, I would be surprised if a deal happened. The kind of cost it takes to get up to No. 2 is big. Teams put out all kinds of smoke, and more often than not, nothing comes of it. But if the Eagles did move up for a quarterback, it does not really change anything for the 49ers. The Browns have been connected to the two quarterbacks, and mock drafts have operated accordingly.