NFL Draft 2018: Who Will Cleveland Browns Take With The 4th Pick?

CLEVELAND, OH — "With the fourth pick in the 2018 NFL Draft the Cleveland Browns select..."

Whose name will complete that sentence? It's a question that has gotten little attention in recent weeks. It's not hard to see why. With a cone of silence encircling the Browns front office nearly all of the rampant, and frequently baseless, speculation has been focused on who the franchise will take with the No. 1 overall pick.

Which is all well and good, but the Browns have two top five picks in the first round. And there are some extremely talented players that could be available when the team finds itself on the clock for the second time in the first round.

Yesterday, Patch outlined a list of candidates for the No. 1 overall pick. That same list can be expanded for the fourth pick.

• 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
• Bradley Chubb, defensive end from North Carolina State

While this list is heavy on quarterbacks, it's important to note that the two players most frequently linked to the Browns are Barkley (a running back) and Chubb (a defensive end). That's because most outlets think the Browns will take a signal caller with the first overall pick. Which quarterback? Well, no one knows. But that pick should eliminate the need for a franchise quarterback.

Still, there's a clear cut favorite to go No. 4 and it's evident in the results of the mock draft round-up. Let's look at see who these mocks have Cleveland taking.

NFL.com — Browns take Barkley with the fourth pick. Peter Schraeger's mock draft has the Penn State star falling to Cleveland, with Chubb heading to the Giants and Mayfield going to the Jets. "Here's to hoping it works out better than Trent Richardson and Brandon Weeden did a few years back," he writes.

The Ringer — Browns take Chubb with the fourth pick. This mock draft is one of many that points out the Browns' fourth pick will be a targeted pick for teams looking to trade-up. It's possible Browns General Manager John Dorsey decides to take a few more picks in the first two rounds. But The Ringer thinks pairing Chubb with Myles Garrett is too tantalizing a prospect to pass up.

Sporting News — Browns take Chubb with the fourth pick. Again, the idea of creating a formidable pass rush duo with Garrett and Chubb is too appealing. Sporting News thinks Dorsey takes the North Carolina State product.

SB Nation — Browns take Chubb with the fourth pick. A pattern is starting to develop. SB Nation's mock had Barkley going No. 2 to the Giants, so they mocked Chubb to the Browns. If the Giants had passed on the running back, would he have been the pick here? It seems possible.

ESPN — Browns take Chubb with the fourth pick. Again, Barkley goes second, so Chubb is the pick. Again, the news outlet says that if Barkley had been available this may be a different pick. Still, Chubb would make the pass rush in Cleveland impressive. It's hard to argue the pick.

Is Chubb the answer at No. 4? He could be. He would make the Browns defense better and opposing quarterbacks a lot more uncomfortable. Dorsey could also decide to trade the No. 4 pick and snag extra selections later in the first or second rounds.

Heck, maybe the team will even take two quarterbacks...but probably not.

The draft starts at 8 p.m. Thursday.

Photo from Rick Uldricks, Patch