NFL Draft 2018: Cleveland Browns Rumor Round-Up

CLEVELAND, OH — Anticipation and silence breeds rumors and right now there are a lot of theories about what the Cleveland Browns will do in the NFL Draft. General manager John Dorsey has been mum, reportedly even keeping secret his plans from other management figures. That hasn't stopped a tidal wave of speculation from washing over Northeast Ohio.

The hottest and most recent draft rumor is about who will go number one overall. ESPN's Adam Schefter is speculating that Baker Mayfield could "definitely" be in the mix as the top pick in the draft. Notably, Schefter's report doesn't say the Browns will take the Oklahoma quarterback — just that they thought about taking him, which qualifies as a rumor.

Last week, the Ringer's Kevin Clark kicked the tires on a wacky idea: what if the Browns drafted two quarterbacks high in the draft? Cleveland has five picks in the first two rounds and could certainly snag someone in the top five and a second signal caller a bit further down.

Of course, Clark's piece includes this line, "This is not to say it will happen, but the Browns have considered it." Again, this qualifies as a rumor.

Why has there been so much speculation about what the Browns are talking about, let alone what they're planning to do? Because Dorsey isn't telling anyone what he's planning. And we mean anyone.

What has John Dorsey said? Not much, but even the snippets he's given the media have turned to article chum. For example, another rumor that has floated around the digital world is that Dorsey tipped his hand by letting reporters know that he values a specific part of a quarterback: their hands.

"You all laugh at me when I say it, but I think hand size is important,'' cleveland.com quotes him as saying during a press conference. "With that being said, hand size in November and December, when it's snowing, raining, it's getting muddy. We all know the elements in Cleveland are going to play a role.''

(Josh Allen from Wyoming has the biggest hands of the major quarterback prospects, for what that's worth. The Browns have probably talked about that too.)

Players Want To Come To Cleveland — Probably

There are a few rumors that have gone through a full life-cycle, being born, gaining strength, gaining notoriety, and then quickly dying. One such rumor concerned possible number one overall pick USC quarterback Sam Darnold.

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Early in the scouting and interviewing process, someone got the idea that Darnold didn't want to be picked by the Browns (who doesn't want to join an 0-16 team?). That rumor was flaming hot until it wasn't.

Darnold told reporters at his pro day that he would love to go number one and join a Cleveland team he thought was improving. The 20-year-old was at least saying all the right things.

The USC quarterback wasn't the only elite player that was dogged by rumors they didn't want to be part of the Dawg Pound. Penn State running back, and possibly the most talented player in the draft, Saquon Barkley was apparently trying to avoid Cleveland. Sports Illustrated even suggested Barkley's agents were saying he should consider "pulling an Eli."

(For those not in the know, Eli Manning was drafted by the San Diego Chargers but refused to join the team, forcing the front office to trade him to the New York Giants.)

Of course, Barkley's team quickly denied having a preference on where the running back goes. They would, instead, be "thrilled for Saquon to go to whichever team drafts him," his agent told cleveland.com after the Sports Illustrated article was published.

The likely answer is that most of these prospects would rather be in a major media market like New York than in Cleveland, but no one is going to refuse to play at First Energy Stadium. That would damage their reputation and make them less marketable. Plus, Cleveland is getting better. Or at least has a great shot to get better.

Still, all will be answered starting at 8 p.m. Thursday when the draft goes live.

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