NFL Draft 2018: Who Will The Cleveland Browns Pick?

CLEVELAND, OH — The 2018 NFL draft will be franchise defining for the Cleveland Browns. A new front office — led by general manager John Dorsey — has a chance to radically alter this football team. With the first pick of the draft, an entire city is holding its breath, waiting to see what will happen.

Northeast Ohio will be blue in the face until the draft starts at 8 p.m. Thursday. The NFL Network will broadcast all seven rounds, as will the ESPN family of networks (explained below). Fox will be simulcasting the first three rounds.

On the bright side, Clevelanders won't have to wait long to exhale. The Browns have the first and fourth picks of the first round.

Meet the Prospects

Talking heads have spent months dissecting game tape and over-analyzing Dorsey's comments to the media, trying to discern who the top pick will be. The prime candidates are:

• Sam Darnold, quarterback from USC
• Josh Rosen, quarterback from UCLA
• Josh Allen, quarterback from Wyoming
• Baker Mayfield, quarterback from Oklahoma
• Saquon Barkley, running back from Penn State

Darnold has been most frequently listed as the prime candidate for number one. He possesses all the physical tools a quarterback needs, standing at an intimidating six feet four inches tall, with a big arm and decent mobility, his biggest knock is his decision making. However, quarterback Tyrod Taylor was brought over in the off-season, meaning the Browns could spend some time developing their franchise signal caller. That man could be Darnold.

Or it could be Josh Allen, another physical specimen. He's six feet five inches tall and has a missile launcher attached to his shoulder. He may have a higher ceiling than any other quarterback in the draft, but his numbers have never been spectacular and he's been dogged by even worse decision making than Darnold.

Rosen is a headier quarterback, more polished out-of-the-gate, but possessing less physical tools. The narrative surrounding the UCLA signal caller can be easily summarized: higher floor, lower ceiling.

Then there's Baker Mayfield. Standing just six feet one inches tall (if that), he etched himself into Ohioan's minds when he planted a flag in the middle of the Horseshoe after the Sooners knocked off the Ohio State Buckeyes. He's a system quarterback who put up big numbers. But he's short and it's unclear how he would perform in a traditional pro offense.

Finally, the sole non-quarterback in the "running" for going number one, Saquon Barkley. He's been discussed as the consensus best player in the draft. An elemental force in the backfield, he rushed for more than 1,000 yards in each of his three seasons at Penn State. He also notched 18 touchdowns last year. The knock against him? He's a running back. His ability to influence the outcome of a game is more limited than a quarterback's.

The bright side of having two top-five selections in the first round is this: the Cleveland Browns could conceivably land both their future franchise quarterback and Barkley. Everything will depend on how the draft shakes out.

Tell us who you want the Browns to take below.

The Questions You Want Answered

• When is the 2018 NFL Draft?
• April 26-28
• Round 1 starts Thursday at 8 p.m.
• Rounds 2 and 3 will be held starting Friday at 7 p.m.
• Rounds 4-7 will be held starting Saturday at noon.
• When do the Cleveland Browns pick in the draft?
  • Round 1 selections: 1, 4
  • Round 2 selections: 33, 35, 64
  • Round 3 selections: none (traded to Buffalo Bills for Tyrod Taylor)
  • Round 4 selections: 114
  • Round 5: 150
  • Round 6: 175, 188
  • Round 7: none
• Who is broadcasting the NFL draft?
• The NFL Network will broadcast all seven rounds of the draft.
• ESPN will broadcast the draft until it conflicts with the NBA playoffs. Then ESPN2 will broadcast the draft.
• Fox Sports will simulcast the first three rounds of the draft.
• Where is the NFL Draft?
• AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Texas

Photo from Rick Uldricks, Patch